Thoughts about Purdue? DD is interested in applied math, dance, social justice, and art. Is an LAC her best bet or would Purdue fit her?
Purdue is a great place to go for those interested in applied math. Not so much for dance or social justice.
The decision to attend a large school or a LAC is really personal preference. Both types of schools can offer great educations and wonderful college experiences, but the environments are different (there are many threads on CC that talk about the difference). One is not better or worse but they are different. I would try to visit an LAC, a large school like Purdue and perhaps a mid-sized university so she can get a sense of the different options and which type of college might be the better fits for her.
Are you instate for Purdue?
No, @lvvcsf. Out of state.
The reason I asked is that for an instate student Purdue is a very good value if your D is interested in applied math. OOS it will be a very competitive program. Many universities ranging from LACs to private research universities to many large state flagships would provide a good foundation for the degree. Is she interested in social justice as a degree or just in general? Purdue is a large enough university that there will be plenty of student organizations promoting social justice as well as speakers and information on the topic. It is also large enough that there will be opposing opinions and many students who will likely not deem it of major importance to them. Purdue is not a strong arts school. It has no college of fine arts (that belongs to Indiana’s other flagship Indiana University) but as a major university it has a theater program, a dance minor and two orchestras as well as both concert an marching bands. I agree with @happy1 that visiting would be important. Good luck.
Thank you @lvvcsf. That’s very helpful.
Purdue! Go Boilermakers! She will get a top notch opportunity re Applied Math. Also, Purdue is one of the most innovative universities in the U.S.A. re FA and college loans. Best of luck.
What is your budget? If you can happily pay the OOS costs of Purdue (nearly $50k per year), then super.
It’s an OOS public. It’s charging a high OOS cost because it expects OOS families to pay.
edit
<<<
we can’t afford a 30K annual expense.
[QUOTE=""]
[/QUOTE]
Sounds like Purdue won’t be affordable.
How much can you spend? Once you decide that, provide that info, and then we can help you come up with affordable choices. You need affordable schools.
Your DD has an ACT 32 and good grades. She can get large merit at some schools. Purdue would not be one of those schools. Purdue’s merit has reduced over the years. She’d be lucky to get $6k to 9k per year, leaving you with more than you can afford.
In terms of ROI, a good state flagship is usually the best bet for a STEM degree, such as applied math. Good merit aid at a private works too, if the gpa required to hold it is not too high. An applied math major can be a gpa killer at some schools.
Purdue has an outstanding applied math program with stellar job placement. It is not a good OOS value without merit aid. Merit aid is hard to come by at Purdue. Tuition has been frozen for several years (so it’s probably due for an increase soon) and I believe the OOS COA is about 42k, not 50k. But, it sounds like that’s still a far cry from affordable for you.
If it’s innovative for fin aid and loans, then that must be for in-state residents. As an OOS applicant family, we simply faced the full tuition bill – which wasn’t hard to turn down for other less-expensive options.
Purdue is starting a new program this year matching students with investors to finance part of their education. I don’t know all of the details but it seems like a privatized version of an income repayment plan.
First decide affordability. Then choose. She needs to visit the campus. Purdue may/may not have what she wants outside the math major. She needs to decide if the math trumps other things. At this date I presume other schools are out of the question- Badgers trump Boilermakers!
Badgers trump Boilermakers?
I wonder if that will be true much longer - given the Scott Walker effect on the UW system.
Check out Case Western…they have math and dance and art
I’ve thought about that, @bopper. Wonder how steep their OOS tuition is.
@clowncar Case is private…the tuition is the same either way. It’s going to be quite high.
Many, if not most, flagships are going to have very good math, dance and art programs.
how much can you spend each year?
A school to look at might be Ohio University. With your Ds scores she would definitely be eligible for both OOS scholarships and merit scholarships. They would check off all of your Ds boxes. You might also look into their Honors Tutorial College. It has a math program. They have a very liberal artsy feel. They have both a BFA and BA in Dance as well as 3 Dance minors. The area is very much into art especially Appalachian craft. The campus is beautiful and so is the surrounding area. The cost would be much less than Purdue, CWRU etc.
http://www.math.ohiou.edu/programs
https://www.ohio.edu/finearts/index.cfm
https://www.ohio.edu/honors/future-students/programs/index.cfm
https://www.ohio.edu/
Again, please be careful re merit awards from colleges with gpa strings attached when dealing with a STEM major. If you can only afford the college if the merit scholarship is reliably renewed, make sure to check out the average STEM gpa in that major.
This is why instate is the best bet for these majors, if affordability is a concern.
The overall Wisconsin experience will ALWAYS trump Purdue. Walker won’t be there forever either.