Hi, I was accepted EA into Purdue’s school of engineering. If anyone would like to share their experiences with Purdue engineering, why its so great, or anything at all it would be greatly appreciated. I am just trying to decide where I want to go to school.
I would appreciate any feedback especially compared to other Big Ten schools specifically for chemical engineering?
Thanks!
@VerlisB: You might also consider posting this query/thread in the “Engineering Majors” forum, http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/, or in the “College Search and Selection”, forum, http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/. I suspect that you will reach a broad audience in either (or both) of those forums; perhaps title the thread along the lines of “Thoughts on Chemical Engineering in Big 10 Schools?” and then pose your question about school comparisons.
Thank you @gandalf78 - I am still learning how to use this forum and you are so helpful!
My D is a super senior Chem E at Purdue. Here are a couple of thoughts I have. Purdue feels very much like a STEM school. Compared to other B1G schools engineering is part of it’s pride and it’s identity. The engineering campus is the middle of campus at Purdue. A large percentage of Purdue students are either engineering majors or other STEM majors. At other universities engineering can seem a smaller part of the overall university and are often separated from the main campus. This is not good or bad and doesn’t say a thing about the quality of the programs but it is something you notice.
You are accepted into First Year Engineering and not into a specific major. Chem E has been an impacted major meaning there are a limited number of slots available so they can be competitive. It is a program that works for them and I don’t believe it’s either superior or inferior to other engineering paths.
Good luck in your decision. I guess a final note. My D liked Purdue because she found the people she met friendly. After 5 years (she did a 5 term co-op) she still feels that way.
Thank you so much- that is very insightful and I can believe the “friendly factor” is true!
@VerlisB What are your other choices? I like U of Minnesota for chemical engineering, as the 3M funding is phenomenal, but Purdue is a really very strong in chemical engineering as well.
University of MN is also a contender but it seems far away (we are from Pennsylvania). I believe their CE is very competitive (limited number of spots) and a lot of the class is trying specifically for CE. Thoughts?
My D (OOS CA) is a current FYE at Purdue. She selected it over other acceptances such as in-state public schools (UC Davis, Berkeley, Cal Poly SLO) and UMN and UW-Madison. She intends on majoring in ChemE. It took careful consideration to turn down cheaper in-state options where she would be admitted directly to her major to instead accept Purdue’s FYE system.
She visited all the campuses but Berkeley. And chose the one that spoke to her. So far it has delivered the college experience she wanted. She learned she preferred a large school but in a smaller city. So UMN was out. She was also concerned about her perceived lack of opportunities away from MN for UMN graduates based on information she received during her visit. Davis was her second choice but it didn’t give the campus feel she wanted. Parts of campus feel like a neighborhood. Purdue has the landmarks, school spirit and support for sporting events she wanted to go along with a top notch engineering program with a global opportunities. The campus isn’t too large and she is able to walk everywhere within 15-20 minutes.
She recently applied to her major and should hear soon. From research we did earlier 90% of students with a first year GPA of 2.7 or higher gain acceptance to their major. She enjoyed being exposed to all 16 disciplines in her Engineering class. So she’s now more confident than before that ChemE is for her. Someone above mentioned the outstanding work CO-OP program. Another great opportunity is the GEARE program. She was just accepted into that and is very excited. You can read about both programs here:
https://opp.purdue.edu/programs/index.html
Based on your Avatar my Vote is Ohio State.
My D graduated last spring with degree in CHEM-E with honors and a minor in English, and is now gainfully employed with an awesome company in Ohio.
Nothing but positives her whole 4 years.
She too had the same picks MN,Purdue and OSU as well as Michigan and UIUC. After visiting all and looking at the financials, never any doubt, OSU wins hands down!.
For an undergrad CHEM-E degree all these schools are great and virtually identically as far as any potential employer is concerned. For a high stats low need student, I am sure OSU provides a much better freshman merit scholarship.
My Son just committed to OSU for CSE. He also visited, applied and was accepted at MN and Purdue.We are OOS (IL).
OSU financially is a better option for us with freshman merit than his in-state alternative UIUC.