Purdue vs. Stevens vs. Rutgers

College Search & Selection
1

I am a senior in high school that is really torn between all three of these engineering schools. Here are my pros and cons for each, thanks in advance for any advice and please ask questions if you have.

Purdue: Top ranked in engineering, huge school with plenty of opportunities, great campus and culture. Although i wish to work in a major city as an engineer, i also have would really like to be a successful entrepreneur, and such a grand school like this one would help in that. However, Purdue is in the middle of nowhere (i always felt the need to be very close to a city if not in one for college) and about 10-12 hours away from home as I am from central New Jersey. It would be really scary for me to come here as it is so far and i would not know anyone, yet i am willing to look into it. 50k per year.

Stevens: First school i absolutely loved (love the campus, talked to students and loved the curriculum), i would label this as my comfort school. I would absolutely love to commit here but I feel as thought i am settling and not pushing myself out of my comfort zone since Purdue’s engineering program is much stronger. Regardless, Stevens engineering program is still great and with its location, I can easily thrive here and move on to a great graduate school or work in New York City. However, the program is not nearly as strong as Purdue’s and the campus life is nothing compared to a big school (most of the partying/girls/networking troubles can be fixed with the schools proximity to NYC tho so life here would still be amazing). about an hour or so from my home and another 15 mins to get to nyc. 45k per year.

Rutgers: never really wanted to go here since its my state school and it is everyones safety. I did not like the way the campus was set up as it is really divided and nothing is in walking distance, yet if i were to go I would make the most out of what Rutgers offers. Plus, it is a generally good school with a great engineering program that i would consider to be about the same level as Stevens and it is 15-20 mins from home. about 37k per year.

thanks again in advance !

2

How much can you afford?

All of the colleges will push you. From what I’m hearing, Stevens seems like a great fit but if you can’t afford it Rutgers might be your answer. If you take advantage of all the opportunities, you will be successful at any of these schools.

However, you sound like the size of Purdue May be more appealing. However, if the location and distance to Stevens is more appealing, choose Stevens. What size do you like better?

3

money is not really a problem i just wanted to list it. i agree with your statement that if i make the most out of my time at any school, it will be successful and thanks for that response. Both large and small schools have its advantages and drawbacks, so Stevens and Purdue are great fits in different ways. Stevens is close to home and right outside my favorite city, where i will likely want to go to graduate school and work. Purdue, while in the middle of nowhere and really far from home, has an incredible campus with many more opportunities. Stevens is really comfortable for those reasons but i will feel like i am not pushing myself. Purdue will be scary but i think worth it if i get past that initial fear. that is the dilemma. @karlee2510

4

My dd is at Purdue. Total COA for OOS is $44K. Where are you getting the $50K number?

She didn’t know a soul but found the community very welcoming. Purdue also has a great week long orientation program (BGR) for freshmen that is a must do. It really helped her feel comfortable before classes started.

You can easily go back to NYC for internships/co-ops as well as grad school.

In terms of getting there - there are direct flights from Newark to Indy on a variety of airlines, and then Purdue runs an airport shuttle. There is also a transportation student group for ride sharing.

5

They are all wonderful institutions of higher learning. You will work your tail off at any of the three. Perdue has a little bit more of the “wow” factor for me. But I have read that Stevens grads have really good ROI and Rutgers is a major league university.

I think it is always good to try new things in life. It’s part of the reason for residential colleges. And the sports to enjoy and Midwest friendliness factor would be a big plus for me. But I’m just one dad/person.

6

https://soe.rutgers.edu/oas/first-year-declaration indicates that (currently) “all majors in the School of Engineering are currently open to you without restriction” if you start in the School of Engineering.

https://engineering.purdue.edu/ENE/Academics/FirstYear/T2M and https://engineering.purdue.edu/Engr/InfoFor/CurrentStudents/enrollment-policy indicate that Purdue engineering majors may be moderately competitive by GPA (depending on major); need a 3.2 GPA to assure choice of major, although most students with 2.75 or higher GPA get into their first choice.

In other words, Rutgers costs less and does not have admission gates you have to jump to get into your major after enrolling.

It does not look like Stevens has admission gates to declare an engineering major after enrolling (but ask directly to be sure), and costs less than Purdue (but more than Rutgers).

Summary:

  • Rutgers is the best value.
  • Stevens if you prefer a small school and the extra cost is not a problem.
  • Purdue is disadvantageous on cost and admission gates in front of engineering majors, so something else has to be a lot better than Rutgers and Stevens to make it worth choosing.
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@momofsenior1 thanks for the reply. for 2019-2020 it is 46k including extra expenses, plus i rounded up to 50k for travel home throughout the year. its very reassuring that i can go back to nyc for work or graduate school if i really want to come back. I have always loved the tristate area, it is fast paced and exciting and could definitely see myself coming back here to work. I will definitely look into the BRG program if i end up going to Purdue. has your daughter had any complaints about campus life? my really only worry besides the distance from home is that there is really nothing to do outside the campus and it is kind of in the middle of nowhere compared to my other options which are all just outside of major cities. thanks in advance

8

@privatebanker thanks for the response. my dad said something similar in that all degrees are great and i will get a good education and job regardless. however out of these three options, Purdue definitely has that big name known around the country that could help give an edge. I have always been one to be spontaneous and try out new things and this could be a big move for my future.

9

Purdue is so large for that it is like a small city unto itself. I promise you won’t be bored there. My daughter complains that there is too much to do and not enough time to do it all :). Definitely no complaints about campus life.

If you are itching for a weekend in a city, Indy is an hour away and Chicago two hours.

Tuition has been frozen for the 8th year in a row but wise to consider all the extras. My DD pays for books and extras herself so that isn’t in my figure ;).

10

But is that really worth an extra $52k over Rutgers, which (outside of New Jersey, anyway) is a very respectable university?

11

Have you had a chance to visit Purdue? I would not worry about $52,000 difference, between Rutgers and Purdue, IF you have the money for the more expensive school. You will be making over $100K a year quickly with a Purdue degree or any of the degrees, and I think Purdue is better known nationally and also offers the best faculty experts, co op programs and curriculum and labs of the three.

Look at Purdue’s co op plan here-
https://www.purdue.edu/futureengineers/What%20To%20Know/Life%20at%20Purdue/Co-Ops%20and%20Internships.html

It will give you a way to get experience at a company, a good paycheck, and earn credit at the same time.

I know, being from NJ, you are used to getting to NYC any time you want.
But for the four years of engineering education, it might be good to have the big name school, and open doors both in the east and west coast for jobs. Stevens is well known in the east but not so much in the midwest, south or west coast, where places like MIT, Purdue, Stanford and Cal Poly, stand out as top schools. Stevens does have good connections to financial related jobs in NYC, though if you are tempted to go the way of Wall Street.

Purdue will expose you to better students, better faculty better labs. Indianapolis is a city, OK, small city
and West Lafayette, is a town, and there is plenty to do in both in fact. Lots of good concerts come to the Purdue campus, art, music and sporting events abound at Purdue. Its the classic college experience, and has the very top alumni network in the world, I believe. Purdue is a name brand.

You may regret saying no to such a fine program if you say no to Purdue. Also , Purdue has more hand holding for freshman than Rutgers, in my opinion. Purdue will ask you to take a mathematics exam in the summer before freshman year and place you into the correct class. Purdue has a common core freshman curriculum and exposes you to all the engineering disciplines so you make an informed choice on your major.

Purdue is just A+ for undergrad. You will not regret Indiana at all, and may come to love the peacefulness of
the area, and the college experience. Spirit is A+ which will be nice on those days where you have 4 exams
and stayed up all night.

Check out the student clubs at Purdue-
https://www.admissions.purdue.edu/studentlife/clubs.php

12

Rutgers and Stevens have co-op programs:

https://soe.rutgers.edu/oas/coop
https://www.stevens.edu/directory/stevens-career-center/gaining-professional-experience/stevens-cooperative-education/co-op-undergrads

But then there is the higher GPA threshold to get into your major the next year.

13

haha this is definitely very reassuring. since stevens was another one of my options, i felt as though city life would be missing from purdue but im sure the campus is truly a city in itself. i am visiting on monday and i am very excited to see all the hype. thanks again for the help @momofsenior1

14

@ucbalumnus im not sure where you got that it is $52k extra, i would be paying full in state tuition at rutgers, which is about 37-40k. Purdue is about 10k more, which is significant but i feel worth it.

15

thank you for the great response ! this is very reassuring and makes it sound like going to purdue is definitely worth it. @Coloradomama

16

$13k per year * 4 years = $52k.

What about Purdue do you feel is worth an extra $52k?

17

Still don’t know where that Purdue number is coming from. The COA, according to Purdue is $42K. https://www.admissions.purdue.edu/costsandfinaid/tuitionfees.php

With some of the extra engineering fees we were still at $44K. Airfare and books are not going to add another $6K/year. Most of dd’s books are on line. I don’t think she paid more than $200/semester.

18

2013 Purdue grad that attended OOS from large metropolitan area. I really enjoyed my time at Purdue and actually really miss the Lafayette area and would consider moving back there. I never felt that the size of the town was stifling. There’s always something to do and activities to become involved with. College really is what you make it. You can be as involved as much or as little as you want to be. As mentioned previously, Purdue Convocations hosts some great performances -Lady Gaga even performed while I was there!

Please don’t disregard Purdue based on its location! It’s a great school in a great town! (I sometimes question whether the extra cost was worth it but I’m happy to say I’m a Purdue grad.)

19

@ucbalumnus ahh sorry i misinterpreted that. i have talked to a lot of successful engineers, including my dad and a purdue degree would go much farther than a rutgers one. rutgers is a great school, yet purdue is much better in terms of education, connections, etc. purdue would give me a better education in my bachelors degree and allow me to either find a great job right away anywhere in the country or go to a great graduate school.

20

I agree with your dad. Especially if you may eventually move to Chicago, Colorado, California, or Washington state, Purdue will carry you. Everyone in Colorado prefers the Purdue degree, in part because Hewlett Packard in Fort Collins, Loveland and Colorado springs, recruited thousands of Purdue grads to Colorado. So its like a household word here. I am from New Jersey, and as much as Rutgers is very good, I think the campus, the really overwhelming student body size, and disorganization there, just get students on edge. Its got a river directing the campus, and its been growing a lot in Piscataway. Piscataway is just not that nice, I lived there for two summers while I worked co op at ATT, and I think if anything Piscataway is now worse than it was. Central New Jersey is fine, but I would say Purdue is a much better school spirit, much better co op plans, much better tracking of students, and caring. You get what you pay for in education. Its NOT ALL CREATED EQUAL. thast exactly what many College Confidential bloggers are here to say. over and over and over.

If you have a choice, and you have the money, go for the better structured curriculum, campus and school spirit.
Purdue is all matching red brick buildings, OK thats trivial, but at the end of the day you want to feel good about where you are.

If you really think you will miss the city, I would go to Stevens over Rutgers. If you can stand to be 10 hours from home and try the midwest, you will not go wrong with Purdue.