I got in to Virginia Techs general engineering program, and got in to Purdue’s undecided program. If I decide to go to Purdue, I will be going towards the engineering route, so to choose between the two, where should I go?
As a person trying to go as ME,
I am looking for a school that has a better reputation, and I’m already aware that the two schools have similar engineering programs.
What is the undecided program at Purdue? Exploratory studies? If so, you will need a high GPA to be able to declare an engineering major after freshman year. If you’ve already been accepted into engineering at VT, that may be a safer decision. Is cost a factor? Purdue’s engineering program is ranked higher but I wouldn’t based my decision on that. Both have solid programs.
If you weren’t accepted into FYE at Purdue you will need to find out from an academic counselor if you will be allowed to take the FYE classes. Also, review the process for transferring into Engineering, specifically what the GPA requirements are. Be aware grading is very tough at Purdue for FYEs. TBH, if I were you, and all other factors were equal (money, for example), I would select VA Tech. You will be fighting an uphill battle at Purdue.
Thanks for an honest reply, as an IB student who took Math HL and Physics HL, my advisor said it won’t be as tough… is that true?
I cannot say what will be tough for you and I am not familiar with IB levels.
The engineering labs and resources at Purdue are outstanding but FYE grading is tough. I will give you an example - in the most recent Physics exam, the class average was less than 40%. Most FYE’s take this class. Will they scale at the end of the semester? Likely, but there are no guarantees. They really put the students through the wringer the first year, but supposedly it gets much better after that if you survive and meet the GPA requirements for an engineering major. My son is doing reasonably well, but a lot of his friends are struggling and very anxious about getting into their top choice engineering major.
If you really are set on attending Purdue, please do a lot of research about eligibility for taking FYE classes and really understand the requirements for transferring into an engineering from the undecided program. Ask them what % are successful.
You got into engineering at VT, it’s a good program, they seem to have good internship and job placement, and all the students I know who attend are very happy there.
My daughter was deciding between engineering programs, with Cornell and VT being her top choices. Cost for us was the biggest factor, but besides that, we had only seen and heard happy people and stories at VT. Students literally turned around when they heard us talking about the programs, and talked to us and answered questions as if they had nothing better to do on an April Saturday. We talked to a senior (engineering/neuroscience) girl who was going to CalTech in the fall, a freshman in engineering who offered a tour of her dorm room, a couple at dinner who were alums and whose son was a freshman engineernjn the Corps of Cadets…we got phone numbers! Because they all want to know her decision!!!..talked with a HS friend who was a soph in MechE and he said “there is a lot of work, but everyone kind of works together to lift each other up”. When she asked what was the best thing about VT, he said “the people. Everyone is just SO NICE”
Then we went to Cornell, and everyone was doing their best to sell the program, but the students seemed so glum or stressed or resigned? They talked a lot about “the importance of learning to fail”, and “getting used to not being in the top 50% of the class”, And a lot of the answers to “what can a parent do for their daughter” were “if she calls and cries for two hours, let her” “if she is tired and upset and failed a test, tell her to wash her face and go to bed”
I told my D, you could go to either school and be an engineer. Some schools might make you feel like a failure; you may even drop out of engineering. It just sounds like one is a lot less miserable than the other. Why wouldn’t you choose a place where people are happy?
Thank you for the thoughtful comment! I decided few days ago to attend Vtech CoE!!!
Thank you for your comment Gudmom. Looking for a couple of schools to add to DS list where we think he has a good chance of getting in. Va Tech was my suggestion as I have had the same experience with their alums. They all seem to think it is great:). I have the same thought process - while he has a good chance of getting into a pressure cooker school why would he want to go there.? We are in state for Ga Tech but need other options as Ga Tech is no longer a sure thing for anyone!
@Gudmom Great comment. Have been resistant to add any more schools for D19, but might have to swing up to visit this summer. My daughter is just not enamored with GTech, even having done multiple programs and workshops there.
My daughter really really wanted to apply to GT, and I talked her out of it, based on exactly the same reason- seems more intense for the exact same education. Friends son was there and really stressed out the first year. Also, although I LOVE Atlanta, I was concerned about housing, as I wasn’t sure I wanted her off-campus in downtown Atlanta.
I sort of adopted this view from a friend whose daughter was pre-med. They chose a school with fantastic med school
Placement, but ALSO high retention in premed studies. He said a lot of programs have a “look to your left,
Look to your right, only one of you will still be in this program at graduation” sort of philosophy. He said, she wants to be a doctor. Shouldn’t she go to a school that wants to help her get there?
So that helped. Engineering, pre-med…these are very demanding courses of study. So to me, a school with good outcomes AND good support seems to make sense.