<p>My D has been accepted to both Purdue and Notre Dame; her intended major is engineering. She has spent time on both campuses, but at this point doesn't know much about NDs engineering program. She plans on attending an engineering open house in February at ND, but I'm wondering if anyone has any experience with the program. Specifically, any idea how it compares with Purdue's interships, research and women in engineering programs?
Thanks for any feedback!</p>
<p>I've actually researched both for grad school. I don't know what branch of engineering your daughter wants to get into, but ND has a great computer engineering program (CSE), although not as well known as Purdue's. Purdue definitely beats ND in engineering, but for overall prestige ND is better than Purdue. To answer your last question, internship and research wise in engineering, ND has nothing on Purdue. I don't know much about the women in engineering program though.</p>
<p>She's thinking about mechanical engineering at this point. You put your finger on her dilemma; comparing the overall prestige of ND versus the better reputation of Purdue's engineering program. When we were at Purdue, they said that ND students come down to participate in Purdue's job fairs, but I kind of took that with a grain of salt, since that was coming from a Purdue guide. I know that the ND alums, particularly in business, have a very strong network, but I'm not sure if this applies as much in engineering.
Thanks for your feedback!</p>
<p>Any other opinions?</p>
<p>Is there a huge difference in price?</p>
<p>ND is definitely more expensive, since they don't give merit scholarships. However, we are OOS for Purdue, so that's fairly expensive, too. D has a merit scholarship there, and we'll find out in Feb if she has any more.</p>
<p>Yeah, I think Purdue is pricey for out of state too. </p>
<p>I suspect that your daughter might have a better overall experience at ND, but better engineering training (marginally) at Purdue. But who knows? To me it would depend on the price difference, but not everybody thinks like me.</p>
<p>Have you visited each school? I would pick whatever one she wants to spend four years at- the two schools have a very different culture, and I know people who are happy at each school. Purdue has a better engineering program, but either place, you'll get a good education.</p>
<p>notre dame engineering is not that great, go to purdue</p>
<p>Did she apply to Michigan-Ann Arbor or Northwestern? If she got into Notre Dame, she has a shot at both. Michigan and NU have the prestige and overall reputation of Notre Dame with the Engineering excellence of Purdue.</p>
<p>I applied to both schools for my graduate work. I got a much better offer from ND but I chose Purdue because of the superior reputation for its graduate work. But since you are talking about undergrad, I think there could be some definate advantages to ND. Smaller classes, professors more dedicated to teaching and an excellent enviroment for learning. If money had nothing to do with it I would chose ND for undergrad.</p>
<p>I also attended Purdue for an M.S. in ECE, for its reputation in grad work/research. The recruitment there is certainly top-notch.</p>
<p>If your d only has a choice between Purdue and ND, it may be best to visit both campuses again. Try to feel out the culture and figure out the quality of the recruitment scene in eng'g for both schools from several different students there. (not just some tour guide) I would think that Purdue has the edge on the latter (specifically in Eng'g, not in any other major), but there could be plusses at ND that nullify this advantage. Depending on whether she does decide to wander outside of Eng'g, that ND degree will look quite favorable.</p>
<p>I tend to second Alex's question though. Why not apply to schools such as Michigan/UIUC if she wants a more balanced quality between eng'g and overall rep? (I'm not sure Northwestern fits as well as these 2 schools into this category)</p>
<p>She originally wanted a smaller school, so U-Mich wasn't on her radar. She considered Northwestern, but then decided it seemed like it would be too nerdy, and too cold. (Although it seems that South Bend will be just as cold in the winter!) Hopefully her visit to the engineering dept at ND in February will give her enough info. to make her decision. Thanks for the feedback!</p>
<p>I have couple of friends at ND right now finishing up law school. And they tell me it is quite cold in the winter time. Honestly, I don't think she would go wrong either way. </p>
<p>Seeing her preference for smaller schools, I would actually recommend ND for undergrad. I went to a smaller program for undergrad and then a huge program for grad (largest program in the country in fact). I really enjoyed my time as an undergrad due to the small class size, personal attention from professors, and close-knit feeling of community among students.</p>