<p>Im going to be studying computer engineering with a possible switch to chemical engineering if i hate computer engineering( not very likely though). Computers are my passion, but I understand computer engineering is very hard and not for everyone. I'm debating whether its worth the 50,000 a year to go to Villanova and hopefully get into the 5 year BS/MS or to go to Purdue that is only 30,000 a year for out of state. I'm looking at schools as a total package, not just which is ranked better. Both are ranked 10th- Villanova for non PHD schools, and Purdue for schools that offer PhD. I know most would say go with the cheaper but then others say name does matter. I am definitely going to end up getting a masters, possibly a PhD depending on the situation after I get my masters.</p>
<p>What do you think in this case?</p>
<p>ps.. i got deferred from Notre Dame.. if I am accepted in the spring, where does that fit into this scenario?</p>
<p>i would definitely goto notre dame if you get in the spring (not a strong eng name, but who cares if it's just undergrad -- for that matter, if you get into harvard, heck, wouldn't you just goto harvard? im sure it won't leave you jobless upon graduation)</p>
<p>and im sorry. i thought i learned alot of college names in collegeconfidential, but i have absolutely no idea/ no clue what villanova is.</p>
<p>why is everyone so against villanova?
my thought with why villanova might be better is that there are no phd students and its more focused on undergraduates.</p>
<p>im also from MA ... would indiana be a completely different culture?</p>
<p>I actually almost went to Villanova instead of Purdue. However, I ultimately decided that Purdue was a better school for engineering. If you want to go into liberal arts, business, etc., then I would say Villanova, however, for engineering I went with Purdue. I am from FL, so yes, there is certainly a culture difference whenever you leave the region you are in. With that said, I am more than happy with my choice. The people here are great, much nicer than FL. The school is great. The downside for me is the weather and landscape, however, coming from the Northeast you shouldn't have too much of a problem with it. One major difference is the size of the schools. Purdue is a larger school than villanova, so if you are looking for a more intimate classroom experience, you might take that into consideration.</p>
<p>I'm definitely a math/science person and anything else I can end up doing fine in but I have to put in a lot of effort. Engineering is obviously difficult so I'm really looking for a school that will 1) make learning it easier by being there for help and interactive classroom settings to prepare me for a career and 2) help me get a very good job after graduation... so i guess my question is more if at purdue there seems to be less help and time offered to undergraduates.i get nervous because it is such a large school and it has phd students that the professors dont care as much for the undergraduates...</p>
<p>also...purduefrank, what would you say average class sizes were? what was your smallest/largest classes?</p>
<p>at purdue, your Chemistry I, Physics I type courses will be taught in very large lecture halls, but you will have recitations in a much smaller personal setting.</p>
<p>your classes will get smaller and smaller (e.i. 200 people to 50 people to 12 people) as you go through school, because you will be getting more and more specialized.</p>
<p>the really large classes are only during freshman year. that is how it works at most universities.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that I am only a second year student here at Purdue, and also that I have never actually experienced any of the classes at Villanova... </p>
<p>As ExplorerCY said, your freshman core courses will be large. Depending on what you have already taken before you get here, your Calculus, Chem, Physics, Intro Engineering, etc., classes will be large. Around 200-300. However, when you get to Calc 3, the class size drops off considerably, and I would say there are about 75 students in there. Physics classes will remain large until you get through E&M, which if you are like me, I don't have to take anything past E&M so you don't need to worry about it. After you are through your freshman year, it will probably depend a lot on which engineering school you go into. If you go into ECE(Electrical & Computer Engineering), it is the largest engineering program on campus, so I would think that the class sizes will be a little larger than some of the other programs. For me, IE(Industrial Engineering), the school is small, so any of the IE classes that I take have <50 students. I would imagine that my 3rd and 4th year here will have very small classes, although I do take a number of ECE, NUCL, ME classes which are somewhat larger I think. All in all, once you make through the freshman year, I would say class sizes will not be a problem. And during your freshman year, there is plenty of help available, there are numerous help centers for the various classes, your recitation classes for calc and Phys will be ~30 students, so you have plenty of chances to ask the TA's questions. In my experience, getting help was never a problem. However, I did have to work very hard...</p>
<p>It is good to test out of any classes that you can, however, do so at your own risk. There are many students who test out of classes, I have met some freshmen that went right into calc 3. Others who never took any chem classes bc they tested out of chem 1 and that was the only required chem class for their major. I would advise you to search on google for an article written about Purdue Engineering, it is fairly easy to come across. Basically, the main point of the article is that students who test out of classes tend to do far worse than if they would have just taken the class at Purdue. Lets say you test out of chem 1 and decide to take chem 2, your chances of doing well in chem 2 are very low. Statistically I was shocked at the differences. A student who tests out of Calc 1 and goes right into calc 2 has a very high chance of flat out failing the class. Again, this is just statistically, there are exceptions. Chem probably wouldn't be a huge deal as long as you don't need to take chem 2. They would likely have you fill that spot with a CS class, or something along those lines. Just make sure you are very competent with the subjects that you test out of if you need to take more of the same subject. This is especially true for math.</p>