<p>I was wondering how much the rankings actually matter. Two questions about schools I am looking at:</p>
<li>Is there a huge difference between a school ranked #9 (Purdue) and a school ranked #14 (Virginia Tech) if there is any at all.</li>
<li>Is there a huge difference between a school ranked in the top 15 (Virginia Tech/Purdue) and a school ranked in the 50s (Clemson, Pittsburgh)?</li>
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<p>Thanks!</p>
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<li>Not much difference </li>
<li>Yes, I’d say there’s a difference there, and would recommend that you go the the higher ranked school in that case. Other factors can influence the decision, thugh.</li>
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<p>1) No but you might want to look at individual programs within the school of engineering. Sometimes a school will have an absolutely amazing program for one discipline in engineering that exceeds their overall rating. If you’re in the top 15 or so range I think you can throw ratings out the window and figure out where you’d be the happiest/who has the best co-op/internship programs.
2) Yeah, it’s a little more substantial there. Again, look at programs though.</p>