My niece as been admitted to the undergraduate class of 2022 at UCSD and Va. Tech for Aerospace Engineering and UIUC and Purdue for Mechanical Engineering. Shes an international student so considered out of state. She has received federal aid at all locations and it seems that purely based on cost of attendance, Purdue seems to be the cheapest amongst the four and UCSD, the most expensive. Shes not fixated between Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering as such. Her first choice was Mechanical Engineering at all universities she applied.
Question: What are the other factors that would influence her decision between the four choices and how do they compare between each other?
Any inputs to help her decide would be greatly appreciated!
I’d choose between Purdue and VaTech. (Purdue has a general first year program for Engineering and then after the first year students compete to get into the major of their choice, but she didn’t get her first choice major at VaTech so see how difficult it’d be for her to switch back to mechE.)
Factors:
direct admit
Women in science and general support for young women
weedout level
weather
easy airport access to go home
UIUC has suffered from the Illinois funding/bankrupcy issues, so while academically it’s topnotch, these issues make undergraduate life less good than at the other three.
If Purdue is the least expensive then I think you will find it a strong choice. As was mentioned your D was accepted into their First Year Engineering Program. During the second semester she will be asked to choose her first and second choice majors. Most students who have a 3.2 or above will likely get their first choice of majors. I can attest they offer a great amount of support for women in engineering. They have a very active WIE organization. She can look to them for mentoring and tutoring. They also have an Engineering sorority. Purdue also has the largest student run industrial roundtable. It’s a big event that I would recommend visiting even as a freshman. They have an excellent Professional Practices office if your D is interested in internships or cooperative education programs and many undergraduate research opportunities. They will not hand feed this to her but the opportunities are there for those who ask. W. Lafayette is safe and there is pretty easy access to both Indianapolis and Chicago.
Concerning “weedout” courses. A FYE student at Purdue and frankly an engineering student anywhere will encounter a challenging first year schedule. It’s not a major to allow yourself to fall behind in. She will likely have Calc 1 and 2, Engineering Physics 1 and 2 and at least one more science plus her FYE courses and perhaps a Gen Ed. The FYE courses are time consuming and require working in small groups. Students who come to the schools with a strong HS math and science backround will have an advantage. If she has AP credits covering some of her math and science courses be sure she feels she has a good grasp of the material as future courses will build on those foundations. Students who have a strong work ethic will have an advantage.
I am sure the other universities are great as well but since Purdue is the cheapest it is an excellent value.
@MYOS1634, I don’t believe the IL budget woes have really affected the U of I system in any fashion (different story with the other IL publics).
I’d be leery of any school where you are not guaranteed/admitted into a major. Yes, engineering is tough everywhere, but you’d rather have a 3.0 and be in your major than a 3.0 and not in the major of your choice.
It has - at the very least, maintenance/upkeep and trouble paying scholarships (solved but caused students to be dropped from classes and not being able to get back in). I think they’ve tried their best to protect the flagship but the financial troubles aren’t benign.
That being said, it’s still a top notch flagship academically.