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.
First, you as a student are limited to $27K in loans. Anything above that would have to be your parents or cosigned. UNC teaches math and physics/astronomy. If you really wanted Aero/astro why didn’t you apply to NC State?
“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?)”
The admit rate to Purdue is much higher than UNC. Engineering is a tough discipline. There are many students who attend Purdue who find out in their freshman year that they are not qualified. I would not let that be a hindrance to you. If you were smart enough to get into UNC, you should be able to handle engineering at Purdue. However, there is no question that UNC is the better option if you change your mind and want to concentrate in a different discipline. It’s a shame that North Carolina doesn’t offer engineering.
@Erin’s Dad" I had the money talk with my parents and we have it all planned out with loans/what they can pay/what I’d owe and that’s about where I’d be. As for State, it was less flexible than I wanted, I didn’t like the campus, and it wasn’t quite as highly ranked as Purdue.
NCState would have been much better than UNC for astro sciences… If you’re pretty sure you want to be in that field, I vote for Purdue over UNC. Besides, you would have the same dilemma at UNC (or anywhere) if you decided to change your major. I tell people to pick a school based on their needs, not nostalgia or tradition. My son’s grandparents wanted him to go to Miami, and his grandfather and dad graduated from Miami. My son chose a different school, because it was right for him and his chosen major. Sure, he might have changed his major, but if we lived in the world of “what if” then we’d never accomplish anything. He’s studying abroad in the Galapagos Islands in his major this summer, and is happy as can be. He would have regretted going to Miami. Where will you regret not going? Which one meets your needs?
My advice to my son was to pick a school that had the majors he was interested in, with the option of changing his mind later if he chose to. You don’t want to waste 4 ys majoring in your second (or third) choice! For my son as a junior, that was AE, which included schools like Illinois, Purdue, Penn State and OSU. He ended up taking a programming class and falling in love with that (which ruled out a Purdue for him). Therefore, he chose OSU, which has CSE (and AE as well as other engineering options) if he changes his mind.
I don’t know, I have a slightly different perspective.
Even college students who are absolutely sure what they want to major in change their minds all the time. My husband wanted to be an astronaut since he was 3 years old, and intended to major in aerospace engineering at college since middle school. He eventually changed his major to mathematics and then statistics (after transferring and doing a stint in the military in between).
You don’t sound like you are very sure what you want to do - you like engineering, but don’t sound 100% sold on it. However, you do sound very sure that you love UNC and that you’d enjoy your 4 years there. At 17, I think that’s far more important than the exact thing that you major in. You said that you love math and science and anything to do with space. UNC has a variety of math and science majors; they also have a major in physics and astronomy. UNC also has an [earth systems science](Earth and Environment - Department of Geography and Environment) program that includes study of atmospheric science.
There are lots of different majors for you to explore. If you later decide that you really, really like engineering and you want to transition, an undergraduate major in physics would prepare you for an MS in engineering at many places (you might have to take a couple of prerequisite classes at others).
That’s fine. You’re 17-18. You’re not supposed to have it all planned out yet. College is designed, in part, to help you make decisions about your interests, passions, and career goals. You can go through the process of figuring it out while you’re taking classes and getting experiences through your college.