Purdue / Illinois Institute of Technology / UMass Amherst/ UH / FIT (Computer Engineering)

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello guys,</p>

<p>I'm international and i need your advice on picking out the best college for Computer Engineering out of the ones i have been accepted to. </p>

<p>What I need from a college:-
1. Has an excellent reputation.
2. Employers love it.
3. Good Student body who are motivated.
4. High education standards. (not just lecture halls filled with people).</p>

<p>The colleges I have been accepted to:-
1. IIT ($20k scholarship /year)
2. Purdue , West lafayette ($6k above my parents budget and no aid/scholarship for int'l students)
3. Umass Amherst ($10k scholarship)
4. FIT ($18k scholarship)
5. U of H</p>

<p>So, please advice at your best, as if I am your friend, or brother, or son. ( I would love it if you guys can rank )</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

2

<p>Bump :slight_smile: !</p>

3

<p>The amount of scholarship doesn’t matter, what matters is the cost left for you after scholarhips/grants.</p>

<p>Since Purdue is above budget, cross out Purdue. Then, indicate net cost to you (and if you got into any Honors Program).</p>

<p>In addition, didn’t you post another thread with entirely different possibilities (all better schools than those)? - so, are you just testing hypotheses?</p>

4

<p>Any ranking (even U.S. News) is not worth much in this case. What you need to determine is the following:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Make sure that the program is ABET accredited (all of your choices are)</p></li>
<li><p>Make sure that you can afford the program as you don’t want financial stress on your family (it will end up affecting your academics)</p></li>
<li><p>Make sure the university fits you. Do you prefer an urban school or a small college town? A larger school or one with smaller class sizes?</p></li>
<li><p>Look into the job placement rates. Even if you are international, you will likely want to do an Optional Practical Training in the US after graduation so placement is important.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Those are all general considerations. I can tell you about Illinois Tech specifically as I am a faculty member. Our classes are all relatively small as we have only about 2,800 undergraduates. Computer Engineering is a popular major and there are a significant number of students in that program. My son got his degree at IIT in CPE and he was able to find an excellent job quickly after graduation in 2010 during the height of the recession. Chicago does offer a lot of possibilities and our graduates get jobs all over the country as well.</p>

<p>Good luck on your decision.</p>

5

<p>@MYOS1634 Thanks, different users but same format.</p>

6

<p>More replies please :)</p>

7

<p>Bump!</p>

8

<p>I agree with MYOS that not the scholarship per se, but the amount left AFTER the scholarship matters most.</p>

<p>Perhaps do a careful calculation and rule out the ones you have problems paying for?</p>

9

<p>@nobuta1997 I have done that ,only Purdue is a bit more expensive and which school do you recommended i go to for Comp Engineering ?</p>

10

<p>Did you get into Honors at any?</p>

11

<p>Okay, here’s the list of schools my parents can afford. Where will i have the best educational experience?</p>

<p>1) Illinois tech
2) Umass Amherst
3)University of Houston
4)FIT</p>

12

<p>@MYOS1634 I didn’t get honors at any.</p>

13

<p>I would cross out the University of Houston and probably FIT unless you love warm weather. </p>

14

<p>@whenhen Hmm… still remains IIT and Umass. Which will you pick and why?</p>

15

<p>Good luck on your decision and if you do come to IIT, look me up.</p>