<p>Hi, I know I've waited a bit too long to ask for help but I need some fast and was hoping you guys would have some answers. With only 2 weeks left til May 1st I still have no idea where to do. I have it narrowed down to Purdue University in West Lafayette and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.</p>
<p>In the application process I applied to the electrical engineering programs at both schools and was accepted, however I am not too confident that electrical engineering is what I am going to stick with. I am planning on staying in Engineering but I may or may not change subsets (I'm not sure).</p>
<p>I am interested in Aerospace engineering however the smallness, for lack of a better word, of the field scares me in terms of job opportunities leaving college. </p>
<p>If I go to UIUC I am considering doing a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Aerospace in a 5 Year program. </p>
<p>The problem occurs where if I go to Purdue because it has a better Aerospace Engineering program I lose the breadth and opportunity that comes with the Bachelors/Masters Program at UIUC.</p>
<p>So here I'll make a pros and con list to help me clarify my thoughts and hopefully you can help me with this; tell me the good and the bad about each school.</p>
<p>Purdue:
Pros -
Better Aerospace program
ability to change within engineering (however almost all engineering disciplines besides aerospace are worse than their UIUC counterpart)
Cons -
About $10 grand a year more
almost all engineering disciplines besides aerospace are worse than their UIUC counterpart if I decide to not stick with Aerospace</p>
<p>UIUC:
Pros -
Highly ranked Electrical Engineering Program
Bachelor/ Master combo in EE/ Aero in 5 years
$10 grand a year cheaper
In-state (although both are about the same distance)
cons -
Incredibly difficult to change into certain disciplines within engineering (mechanical, material and biomedical)
A little bit less nice aesthetically than Purdue (but that doesn't matter as much to me being a guy)</p>
<p>Does anyone have any insight or advice for me? Any help is appreciated</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Fact that one college is ranked 4th and another 7th in aerospace engineering is a distinction without a real difference and thus your belief that one has the better program means only that you are relying on USNews rankings far more than you should. All of Purdue’s programs are good as are UIUC’s. Since both have high rankings, the distinction in rank for any program should be a minor consideration. </p></li>
<li><p>You have not been admitted to electrical engineering at Purdue. Purdue admits all freshman engineering students as undecided. You cannot be admitted to any particular engineering major until after first year. If grades are fine, it should not be an issue in choosing whichever major you want but it has not happened yet.</p></li>
<li><p>There is to my knowledge no 5 year program that combines a BS in electrical engineering and a MS in aerospace at UIUC. To combine the two and finish in five years is very difficult even if you were accepted into aerospace MS program upon graduating with EE degree (and there is no guarantee you would be accepted into an MS program).</p></li>
<li><p>If you go to UIUC, your ability to change in undergrad to aerospace is right now fairly low. Those difficult to change into disciplines include aerospace at this time (and bioengineering is not “difficult” to transfer into; it is “impossible” to transfer into since the major accepts no transfers). Thus, if you want to do aerospace, you should assume odds are currently not that good for being able to switch to it at UIUC and thus better chance at Purdue. However, anyone entering aerospace should understand that the narrower the engineering discipline chosen the more you are limiting your employment opportunities. For example, those with mechanical engineering and electrical engineering degrees can be hired in the aerospace industry but an aerospace engineering degree limits you to a significant degree to the aerospace industry.</p></li>
<li><p>The $10,000 per year cost difference should be a major consideration.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I just wanted to add that we took our daughter on a campus visit at UIUC and you cannot transfer into bioengineering there. You can only be accepted into bioengineering as a freshman. Not sure if the other engineering majors are that way, but since our daughter is interested in bioengineering/biomedical engineering, we specifically asked about it.</p>
<p>We also took our daughter on a campus visit of Purdue. Both my husband and I are graduates, and my husband earned his civil engineering degree there. The previous poster is correct in that all freshman are accepted into the engineering program, and then after their freshman year they apply to a specific engineering program. The higher your GPA, the more you are guaranteed to get into your first choice. They said that biomedical engineering is highly competitive and you need a high GPA to ensure you will get into that specific program.</p>