<p>Hi parents. I'm getting close to putting together my list for engineering and would appreciate your ideas. I want to include one large midwestern university. So I was wondering if anybody could sort of compare/contrast these for me. I might not get to visit any of them before applying. I'm interested in things like do they make any effort to feel smaller than they are, do undergrads get weeded out, are the campuses nice, is the greek scene/sports thing out of control, would the kids be friendly to a kid from out of state?</p>
<p>I'm also applying to RPI, U Delaware, Northeastern and some others. I have very good grades and SAT scores, so getting in is probably not an issue. I'd like to apply to U Michigan, but it is very expensive if you don't live in Michigan. </p>
<p>IMO, I think all three of your midwestern schools actually have better engineering programs than U Del and Northeastern. (I am not familiar with RPI's programs.) I attended UIUC engineering back in the late 70's and loved it. My curriculum was one of the smaller ones and we were very friendly and social. I also had some acquaintances from OOS and they did not seem to have any difficulty finding friends. There were a few courses that we considered 'flunk out' courses back then. However, I don't know if that is true today. If you live on the east coast (which I am guessing you do from the selection of other colleges you have on your list) you might also want to consider Penn State. It is a little closer to home, the tuition and fees are similar to UIUC, and has a very good engineering college.</p>
<p>UIUC has a huge greek/party scene (something like the most frats and sororities in the country or something), since it's in such a small city with not much to do. But I know some people who go there (for engineering, too) who stay away from that, and they're having lots of fun anyway.</p>
<p>I can't help you with the specifics of Engineering, but can tell you a little bit about Illinois. It is nearby for us so we have been there many times and know many parents (our age) and current students there. The campus is very nice although flat...flats the thing here in the midwest, lol! I hear nothing but wonderful things about the university....everyone I know that went there, stayed there. Also Uof Michigan is lovely; Ann Arbor also a good college town (husband went to grad school there in the early 80's)...and you can't beat the football team! ;-) Good luck.</p>
<p>Purdue is a fairly pretty campus - all the buildings are red brick, and when we drove past it (parents went there and wanted to see it again), everything seemed well manicured. They loved the school without being in frats/sororities, and my dad was out of state (not far-Ohio). I think there was some sort of weed out physics course 30 years ago, but I think it's likely that those exist at most large state universities.</p>
<p>Madison is on an isthmus between two lakes, so it can be very cold in winter. I liked the campus and the town very much. It is a bit more cosmopolitan in feel than Urbana-Champaign. When we lived there in UIUC, we were told the best food to be had was through the hotel school. I understand that the restaurant scene has improved since then, so it's unfair to compare it with Madison, which I visited about ten years ago.
Both are Big Ten schools but I get the feeling that the UIUC scene is more influenced by football than Madison.
Both schools have top-notch math/sciences departments. UIUC's computer science dept. may be a bit better. I don't know about engineering.</p>
<p>My son has applied to Purdue (they started reviewing apps on 9/5). Living in Indiana, we know plenty of people at Purdue, including two of my daughter's closest friends, although neither is in engineering(nor is my son applying for engineering). I haven't been able to get him to visit yet but I hear enough about the campus from other kids. In state, kids are pretty evenly divided between IU and Purdue which are about the same size. The humanities oriented kids go to IU, the math/science group to Purdue. What I routinely hear about the Purdue campus is that it feels much smaller than IU (which I have seen and IS big but is also extremely beautiful). The focus is very academic - what with all those engineering types running around - meaning that down-time is spent studying. Purdue kids seem to be more "directed" toward a specific career. My gut tells me that at IU, down-time is more spent partying and goofing off. Obviously, a broad generalization on the academic feel of the campus but I think I'm directionally pretty close. My daughter's two friends - one is pre-med, one a graphic arts designer (or something close to that) - both love Purdue. Football is king and the Saturday games and tailgating are tremendously fun. There's a great school spirit there. They also are both Greek and it's just one piece of their life there. While it's a presence on campus, it's not as divisive i.e. separate society, as it is at IU where there's more of a feel of Greek vs. non-Greek.</p>
<p>Very, very well respected engineering programs. I think OOS kids have no problem whatsoever. Again, the focus is on your academic program not on where you're from. The kids in engineering are very focused - they had to be to get in there in the first place. I don't know how hard it is to stay in - don't know any Purdue engineering majors.</p>
<p>Oh, and West Lafayette is not the greatest city in the world in that it's not the most exciting and certainly not a college town (in the sense that Bloomington is). But it IS mid-west nice - generally people are wholesome and kind and friendly. It's a "gentle" place to live - relatively stress-free (except for that work/homework thing!) and easy-going. I think Purdue would be a great place to spend 4 yrs - and I'm trying to convince my son of that!</p>
<p>Thank you very much parents. Good ideas I'll have to think about. </p>
<p>I'm wondering about the comparison between the towns of Madison and West Lafayette. I've heard Madison is really fun. My idea of a Saturday night is maybe see a movie, hit a game arcade, have a big hamburger with my friends. I don't drink. I like to debate politics (I'm a liberal but many of my friends aren't.) I like classical music (I know, it's weird) and would go to any concerts I could afford. Also drama or musicals. I might want to play a club sport, although I'd never make a hard team. Does it sound like I'd fit into any of these schools?</p>
<p>PS I have no opinions about weather other than I prefer cold over really hot and humid.</p>
<p>I've never visited W. Lafayette. I liked Bloomington, but I liked Madison best.
You could also PM originaloog who is an engineer and whose son is attending RPI with good merit money as to the academic side of things. RPI is located in Troy, which is a rather depressing town.</p>
<p>Fredo - you could do all of those things in Madison without a problem. Madison is a pretty liberal place and, being the state capital, politics are easy to find. Classical music is also quite prevalant. If you want to see the Madison symphony you can get student rush tickets for $10. The music faculty frequently perform and you can get into those concerts for free. There are also lots of concerts at the union and students can get reduce rate tickets for that also. Lots of club sports and intramurals available. UW's ultimate frisbee club team is one of the best in the country. I am not familiar with West Lafayette, but for a great town, you really can't beat Madison.</p>
<p>I went to U of I undergrad and am now living in Madison. I've spent time on all three campuses. For pure engineering, Purdue is top notch. However, UW and U of I are both more well-rounded schools. The Illinois campus is beautiful in an old school way. However, UW can't be beat for diversity and % of students from out of state. Between restauants and cultural activities, Madison beats the others by a factor of 3-5x, in my opinion. Many students from the east coast and fantastic football Saturdays. Not as Greek as Illinois, about the same as Purdue.</p>