My son is accepted OOS for both Purdue and VT for computer science and really likes both schools. Cost difference is negligible, so that is not a factor. Purdue is much closer and convenient, but he really liked the feel of the VT campus as well. Anyone have any insight into the programs/schools that would be helpful in making a decision? Two great options, so it’s hard to pick one!
Both are great schools, and both are obviously known for their strength in STEM. Others might have more specific information about whether one is stronger than the other in CS (though keep in mind that we are talking about undergrad!).
My advice is to concentrate on other factors: fit, feel, culture. When your son closes his eyes, where does he see himself? Which college sweatshirt does he seem himself wearing? Are sports important? Both have D1 teams, of course, and VT used to be a very competitive football team (during the Frank Beamer years). Purdue’s in the Big Ten, and historically hasn’t been very strong in football, but they seem to be (fingers crossed) on the rebound (they whipped Ohio State last year!).
For Purdue, does he have direct admission to the CS major? Otherwise, there is competitive admission based on college grades to get into the major.
For VT, is he in the engineering division? If so, he needs a 3.0 college GPA to declare the major of his choice automatically; lower GPAs face competitive admission to the major.
Yes, direct admit to CS at Purdue and engineering at VT, but he’s not too worried about the 3.0.