I have been accepted into PSU and VT for engineering program (Fall 2015). I am planning to major in Mechanical Engineering. I’m confused as to which university should I go to. I have also applied to Purdue and I am still waiting for their decision. As I am an International Student the OOS won’t bother me. I have heard that PSU is more of a party campus but it has a huge alumni base. But Virginia Tech on the other hand is ranked comparatively high in the engineering program. But I don’t want to attend the hardcore engineering colleges. Instead I want to enjoy my college life doing various activities and also study. Any advice will be helpful
P.S. : If anyone knows about about the internship and future job opportunities at PSU, VT and Purdue (as in which college offers the best opportunities) feel free to comment.
For $10,000 less a year VT is the best bet. Just as good or better than PSU and a lot cheaper. I am a PSU alumni by the way and will advise that the three schools you mention all have comparable engineering programs. All are in college towns although I give State College the thumbs up over Blacksburg. VT has one of the best student experiences overall with reasonable food, campus life and sports balanced with academics. Putting all else aside I would go with the cheapest of the three.
In the offer mail i received from VT and from PSU, PSU is costlier than VT by $2000. And that cost wont matter if I get a better college experience. So should i still go with PSU? @daveverdo
$2000 difference makes it a tossup. For my daughter VT was $13,000 less per year. Purdue and VT were about $1000 difference. If you an International you don’t have the luxury of visiting the campus to get the feel of where you fit. Look at other things they have to offer not just from the ads they send but go look at the course list if possible.
For example look up physics coursesand see that the typical class size for introductory calculus based physics is 300 students for two lectures a week with a 24 student recitation taught by a grad student.
I was accepted to all three of those schools and have visited all three myself. These 3 are actually in my top 5 right now as I try to decide where to go, but here are my thoughts on each.
I visited Penn State during football season twice (my Dad & Grandpa are alum). I’d definitely say that PSU lives up to its party school reputation. I am not really a big partier myself so that was a small negative for me, but the school is amazing academically. It ranks higher than VT and Purdue on niche. I know their engineering and business are excellent, not sure about anything else. It is also very very spirited. The weather is cold but I like that its situated in the mountains because it is really pretty drive from my house in MD. The cost is an eh. Purdue and VT are much cheaper options for me (mostly bc it’s a bit more difficult to get a merit scholarship from PSU).
I just got home from Purdue a few days ago actually and LOVED it. It is such a beautiful campus. The architecture is really pretty and there is a lot of open areas. I was really impressed with tour. Purdue is well known for their engineering program although they have a pretty good business program too. Compared to PSU and VT it is noticeably less diverse, but student life is great. I saw a lot of people outside biking and running and everyone was really friendly. I also like that it is big 10 (just like PSU) so sports are a big part of school life. There is a 96% job placement rate coming out of business and I assume it is similar for engineering. Purdue also has a 3 and 2 program which allows you to get a bachelors in 3 years and masters in 2 years. This has a 100% job placement rate based on last years class.
Virginia Tech I thought had the prettiest campus in my opinion. Food was great, lots of school spirit and a great engineering school. Random but I really liked the dorms because they had sinks in them (which I didn’t see at any other schools). Hokies have a lot of unique traditions that really make the school spirited. VT is like in the middle of nowhere just like Purdue but like that’s fine it really contributes to making Blacksburg a college town. This is also the cheapest out of state compared to the other two I believe.
Overall these schools are very similar. All have a college campus feel (which I didn’t get from city schools). Honestly you can’t go wrong with any of these schools! But I hope my perspective on each one helped and good luck with your decision!
@rockvillegirl28 your views were really helpful. But as I haven’t yet received Purdue’s decision, I have to decide between VT and PSU. But as @daveverdo mentioned, the class size is big for PSU. That just makes things more confusing.
I am an international student, I have applied to VT&Purdue for Eletrical Engineering. Not received any acceptance from both Universities. My brother is an alumni of Vt (MS,ECE) and I had visited the campus while he studied there. Beautiful campus,serious academics,good food and lot of International students. just waiting to hear from Purdue&VT. What is your SAT score & GPA?
