So I’ve been accepted into Purdue’s Engineering school (OOS) and UNC Chapel Hill (in state). I want some advice on where would be the best fit for me.
So I’ve been looking into Astro engineering for the past year or so and believe that it is a great choice for me. I love math and physics and basically anything to do with space, and could really see myself in West Lafayette studying Astro for the next four years. That being said, I heard a statistic that 50% of freshmen at Purdue change majors and if that is the case I don’t know what I’d do if I changed my mind (what if I don’t like engineering?). Also, being OOS I would be about $40k in debt by the time I graduate. I’m also really big on the social scene and getting a great college experience, and Purdue rubbed me as kind of a boring place socially.
As for UNC, it’s a totally different school I realize, but it’s really where I’ve wanted to go since I was a kid. Both of my parents went to UNC and they’ve raised me to love everything about Chapel Hill. It would feel great to follow in their legacy and go where they went, and I really understand the vibe around campus as I grew up with almost monthly trips to Chapel Hill. It also is a more vibrant community and has a better atmosphere around the school. My only drawback is if I went there I would effectively be saying “I have no idea what I’m going to do with my life and no clue what I will major in.” What can someone do at Chapel Hill that enjoys Physics, math, and space? I also don’t like the idea of taking gen eds for a couple of semesters. But being in-state, I’d be able to graduate debt-free, opening up the possibility of grad school.
It seems to me like it’s the classic case of my heart saying UNC and my brain saying Purdue. What do you guys think? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.