Hey, I’m an international student who has been accepted to all of these universities. I want to study engineering, but I am undecided as to which field I want to pursue. The tuition rates are:
UW: 32K
UMN: 18K
Purdue: 32K
I personally don’t prefer Purdue as it’s located in a rural place and it isn’t near any major city. Plus, there are a lot of other internationals students there, which would make getting internships very competitive.
I’m torn between UW and UMN. My parents have a 220K college fund and can afford both colleges. (Price is not a consideration, but ‘value’ of the degree is).
I plan on going to graduate school at a top-20 college. So, internship and research opportunities are very important. I’m also travelling half-way across the world to attend college, therefore prestige is also important to me.
I like the ‘college-centric’ feel of Madison, but I’ve also heard from my friends that the Twin Cities area is a great place.
Currently, I’m leaning towards UW. Please help me make a choice!!!
If money is no object, pick UW. I am a University of Wisconsin graduate and a Badger through and through, however, so take note of my personal bias.
Objectively:
- In Engineering overall, both are top-20 and generally excellent.
- UW has the bigger rep nationally and internationally.
- Both schools are among the world’s most productive, and awarded, research institutions.
- Madison has the lakes and wind on the isthmus and State Street and a more cohesive campus and better sports, while Minnesota has the Twin Cities and all the cultural and entertainment rewards they offer.
- Winter weather is about the same: UM-TC is probably a bit colder, but UW likely has lower wind chills due to the wind.
- Both the Twin Cities and Madison are routinely listed among America’s best cities in various rankings.
- Minnesota costs less $$
You can’t go wrong here, as long as you prioritize according to what you want. If you are leaning toward UW and can afford it, there is no reason to change your mind.
Hmm, I was of the opinion that there’s a big difference in engineering ranking between UW & UMN. Madison is #14 while Minnesota is #25+…
The last US News program rankings I looked at had them both in the top 25 overall – and yes, UW was ahead of UMTC, but not by the wide margin you’ve witnessed. But if UW is 10+ spots better according to the ranking you have seen, that would echo some other departments and overall ranking, so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise I suppose. Maybe UW Eng has improved a bit since a checked the rankings.
This is a tough choice! My son had those three (and a few others) on his list and came down to the same final two that you’re considering. I don’t think you can make a bad choice, assuming you were accepted into CSE/COE at both.
IMO, Minnesota offers a fantastic quality of life in a thriving and VERY appealing city. There will be great opportunities for internships near the university. On the other hand, Madison is known as one of the top college towns in the US, although it’s larger and more vibrant than what people typically think of as a “college town.” Almost everything Madison has to offer is nearby and easily accessible for students. School spirit is fantastic.
I understand that rankings/prestige are important, particularly for international students. I think UW ranks higher in most engineering disciplines, and is higher ranked overall as an institution. Since you are planning to attend graduate school afterwards, however, the prestige of the undergrad institution becomes somewhat less important.
When it comes to getting into a good grad school in engineering, the most important factors are keeping a high gpa, making yourself known as a top/ambitious student, and making a few strong relationships with professors, since their rec letters carry a great deal of weight in grad school applications. You will have similar opportunities as an undergrad, and students will be of a similar (high) caliber at both UMN and UW.
If you decide it’s truly a tossup in your mind, I’d probably go with Minnesota due to the cost difference. Even if you have the funds for a more expensive school, getting a great value is still a bonus.
MODERATOR’S NOTE
Closing thread. OP created a duplicate account to ask the question, which is not allowed per ToS. And the question was not that urgent.