<p>Here is the honest truth about the reputation...</p>
<p>In the midwest, Umich and UIUC are seen as better schools than Purdue, primarily because it is easier to get into Purdue - however, they are still seen as peer schools. Outside of the midwest, Purdue is better known than either Umich or UIUC, UIUC is a virtual unknown in most parts of the country. UMich is known as a very good school among people familiar with academics, however, many people outside of the academic world know UMich for athletics primarily. Inside the engineering profession, all three are seen as roughly the same - and most employers do not distinguish between them. GT has a slightly better reputation than all three. </p>
<p>You will get a great education at any of the schools, just do well in your program and you will be fine.</p>
<p>In terms of public engineering programs, the order would roughly go like this.</p>
<p>(1)-Berkeley
(2)-GT
(3)-(UMich, Purdue, UIUC) same
-....</p>
<p>I just got accepted from Purdue and I am an international student as well. I could say Purdue is pretty reputable for the engineering program in Asia, at least in the place where I from (Hong Kong).</p>
<p>And I think Purdue is on the same league with UIUC, Georgia Tech and UMich. But hey, UMich is well known for the business school, isn't it?</p>
<p>well according to US News World Universities rankings which I see it as a indication of the reputation of the college overseas, here are the engineering rankings for US Schools:</p>
<ol>
<li>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</li>
<li>University of California, Berkeley</li>
<li>Stanford University</li>
<li>California Institute of Technology</li>
<li>Carnegie Mellon University</li>
<li>Georgia Institute of Technology</li>
<li>Princeton University</li>
<li>University of California, Los Angeles</li>
<li>Harvard University</li>
<li>University of Illinois</li>
<li>Cornell University</li>
<li>University of Texas at Austin</li>
<li>Purdue University</li>
<li>University of California, San Diego
15 University of Michigan</li>
</ol>
<p>That is odd that they have a list of the same schools in a different order to publish overseas. Here are the engineering rankings in the US NEWS US edition for engineering programs. Are the ones you posted for overall ratings, or engineering specifically?</p>
<p>1Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 4.7927
2 Stanford University Stanford, CA 4.651
- University of California--Berkeley Berkeley, CA 4.6615
4 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 4.5134
- Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA 4.5155
- University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 4.4503
7 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI 4.4032
8 Cornell University Ithaca, NY 4.2766
9 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 4.1905
- Purdue University--West Lafayette West Lafayette, IN
11 Princeton University Princeton, NJ 4.0718
- University of Texas--Austin Austin, TX 4.1459</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, how much would you guys be willing to pay for some legitimate rankings? </p>
<p>I have been running over an idea in my head For instance, I think that most students would like to know things about a college program in a more practical sense. Why not research the salaries of graduates 5, 10, 15, 20 years out of each of the top 30 programs. Then list the positions that the students(previous students) now hold in the those same time frames, the industries they work in, etc. Perhaps data about the percentage of the undergraduate students that went to grad schools, and which grad schools they went to, and what grad degree they received. Have some definition for distinguished alumni, and count how many have come from each school.</p>
<p>Understandably, that would be a ton of data gathering and quite a tedious process. I believe it would only be a viable option to release the rankings every five years or so, but still - it would be a hell of a lot better than going off of these qualitative BS rankings that they run now, which are primarily a publicity stunt. You would also have to regulate the stuff considerably better than US NEWS does now in order to ever turn a profit - but it might be possible So, please feel free to partake in my research here and let me know how much you would be willing to pay for such information?</p>
<p>I know when I was choosing a school, I was really interested in the doors it would open for me in the future, not much else.</p>
<p>PurdueFrank, the rankings that you posted are for prospective engineering students in the United States and is based on engineering reputations within the United States</p>
<p>I totally agree, we should measure the average salary earnings of college graduates to help determine which college is the best overall. Currently US News uses alumni giving to substitute for this area and that just dosen't work since some college graduates especially in the south are just more generous....</p>
<p>Throughout my college search, I have tried to avoid college rankings. My parents wanted me to apply to Michigan, Georgia Tech and Illinois for engineering but I felt that those school's were not as good a fit for me as Purdue so that's an example of how I selected my colleges. I didn't simply look at the top engineering colleges and pick the top 10 to apply to....that's just not a smart idea. Fit trumps reputation.</p>
<p>I'm from China, Purdue is regarded as a TOP engineering school in the world, and I'm about to pursue my PhD in Aero & Astro here. I also got offers (with fellowship) form UCLA and UIUC, but I choose Purdue finally, as the Aero & Astro program at Purdue is TOP 5 according to US NEWS ranking, and its reputation in aerospace engineering is much better than UCLA and UIUC.</p>
<p>I also know a indian guy who just graduated from Purdue with a PhD and he will join Georgia Tech as a Assistant Professor.</p>
<p>If I were you, I'd pick UIUC. UIUC has the same level of Aero & Astro Engineering but its general acedemic reputation is much higher than Purdue. I'd pick UCLA if they had the same level of engineering because UCLA has higher general reputation than UIUC. However, UCLA's engeering is just ok compared with either UIUC and Purdue.</p>
<p>uhmm for aero and astro i think purdue has a much higher reputation in that field so... if it was any other engineering then UIUC but aero come on?</p>
<p>Average salary can be misleading because of cost of living. You'd have to make a cost of living adjustment in order for the rankings to be truly indicative of the quality of the job attained.</p>
<p>Graduate Program Aerospace / Aeronautical / Astronautical
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology = 4.7
2 California Institute of Technology = 4.6
Stanford University = 4.6
4 Georgia Institute of Technology = 4.3
5 Purdue University = 4.1
University of Michigan = 4.1
7 University of Illinois = 4.0 </p>
<p>Undergraduate Aerospace / Aeronautical / Astronautical
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2 Georgia Institute of Technology
3 University of Michigan
4 Purdue University
5 California Institute of Technology
6 University of Illinois</p>
<p>A professor from Purdue told me that I got a good chance to join NASA after graduation, and many professors at Purdue have strong connections with Defense & aerospace companies.</p>
<p>I know UIUC has a strong engineering program, but I believe UIUC and Purdue are on the same level in terms of engineering reputation, together with some other school such as GT, UT-Austin, UCSD, etc.</p>
<p>Rankings are overrated. Research the schools you are interested in attending. Pick the one that best fits you. Don't make your decision based solely upon school ranking.</p>
<p>Swimboy, it sounds like you are unhappy with your choice of Purdue, so I hope you will consider transferring to another college you may enjoy more. There is SO much more to college than academics. There is so much more to life than which college you attend. I have a BS from Purdue, and I loved it there, and Purdue's reputation has really helped me. Even here in Texas, employers know and respect Purdue. But more importantly, I enjoyed my college years. Students were friendly. Counselors really cared. The campus was beautiful. It was the perfect college.....for ME. If it's not right for YOU, move on. You can get a good education anywhere. That part is up to you. </p>
<p>It seems that, these days, so many people are all wound up about going to the "best" college. But honestly, who cares? Go to the best college for YOU. In my humble opinion, Purdue is the best college in the history of the universe. But, oddly enough, my neighbor thinks Texas A&M is. My friend thinks The University of Texas is. There are so many great schools. Find one that is strong in your chosen major, take some hard courses to prepare you for your future career, take some fun electives, and don't take it all so seriously.</p>