<p>The price I'm going to pay for either will be the same. I hear that Purdue has more of a national reputation, whereas UCSD regional. UCSD has a more laid back atmosphere and nice weather, which I like, but I have not yet visited Purdue. Which one should I pick?</p>
<p>depends wut type of engineering?.. for example if its bioengineering then UCSD for sure because its got a great rep in the business.</p>
<p>I’m from out-of-state, and I definitely think UCSD has a better national reputation. Not necessarily a bigger one, but definitely a better one. </p>
<p>Also- what college are you in?</p>
<p>Warren is great for engineering majors and will make it a lot easier for you to get to classes you really want to be in, instead of wasting time on GEs. Not that Warren is the only one good for that (Muir is good, as well), it’s just more known for that.</p>
<p>Engineering majors in Revelle say it’s pretty hard to graduate on time.</p>
<p>My dad went to Purdue for Electrical Engineering back in the 1940s (he is 87 now), and people still are wowed by it. But UCSD honest has a better program.</p>
<p>I would go to the one which has a better program. Personally, I go to college to learn rather than to get a diploma. So, UCSD would be my choice. But I guess asking on the UCSD page would give you biased answers :)</p>
<p>I got in Warren! I live in California, and received the Presidential Scholarship from Purdue. Is it true that Purdue is more well-known internationally?</p>
<p>I chose biomedical engineering, but who knows, that can always change.</p>
<p>This decision comes down to more quality-of-life than anything. West Lafayette is a college town and Purdue has a big sports scene. Thus, you’d get more of the traditional college experience, with all the advantages and disadvantages that go along with that. UCSD is, on the other hand, in a suburban setting, near the coast, and part of a huge metro area. </p>
<p>Depends on your personality to some extent, but if you’ve never been to Indiana/the old Midwest you should go visit and see if you like it. It’s quite different from SoCal, to say the least.</p>
<p>@ruguox3: The majority of bioengineers that I know that have switched have changed to something related to bio/chem or to cognitive science. If you think you’ll pursue cognitive science, we have the world’s oldest and best cognitive science department, so it’s definitely worth checking out. In terms of engineering disciplines, Purdue and UCSD are mostly on par. I think UCSD might be better for bioengineering though.</p>
<p>My D is also looking at UCSD and Purdue - aerospace engineering. Both have good reputations in that area, though Purdue may have a little more name recognition. She got enough scholarship to make it cost-equivalent to go OOS or stay in CA. So given they both have great programs, she has to figure out what makes more sense for her. questions we’ve asked her: Do you like the college town environment? Can you handle mid-west winters? Are you looking for a change in culture? etc. Either way, you have excellent choices - so congrats and good luck!</p>
<p>Well of course Purdue is more well known just by it’s sports alone. That’s not taking anything away from it’s academics, but it’s no contest when it comes to general recognition. How does that translate to the kinds of businesses that would hire you? I don’t know, but just because of sports, Purdue is going to generally be more recognized. If it’s more highly ranked otherwise, that’s perfectly alright, but just something to think about.</p>
<p>@LaLew: sounds like I’m in the same boat as your daughter! Which college is she leaning towards?</p>
<p>I don’t think I’d be able to visit Purdue, but I’m pretty interested in a change of culture. Sounds like academic-wise the two are pretty much the same, but their reputations are debatable. Hmm, this is a really difficult decision to make…</p>
<p>@ruguox3, her top 4 right now are Purdue, UCSD, Cal Poly SLO and UC Boulder - and she’s actually leaning more towards UC Boulder and Cal Poly SLO at this point. She’s not sure if she wants to be as far away as Purdue - and if she can handle the cold winter without the ability to go skiing. Waiting to see what scholarship offers she gets from Boulder. She’s spent a lot of time looking at the perceived quality of all the (academic) programs, starting salaries, recruiting, etc. As I said, she’s been accepted in aerospace engineering and one of the trade pubs (Aviation Week) ranks Cal Poly highest for recruiting. It also has one of the best starting and mid-career salaries in state (I think only Berkley and UCSD are higher), and is very cost effective. But, she likes the fact that the bigger schools may have more options for majors if she decides she doesn’t like aerospace.</p>
<p>i was also debating between slo, boulder, and ucsd. if i could go back in time i would choose slo. boulder will say anything and give you anything to go to that school. yeah, its pretty good for engineering, but that’s not where she wants to go. i think she will be happier at slo, although ucsd has been great and i have really enjoyed the aerospace program.</p>
<p>@somethingcool: why choose SLO over UCSD? I am also considering SLO.</p>
<p>Yes, somethingcool, please expound upon your reasoning, I would also like to know.</p>