I was admitted to Iowa state University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, University of Iowa.
And still waiting a decision from Virginia Tech, Penn state, University of Minnesota.
I think that I will defer university of iowa because it is expensive and not worth it.
Iowa state and U of Nebraska are the cheapest (20k-25k including room and board), which do you think is better?
What should I choose between penn state, Virginia Tech, and University of Minnesota if I was accepted to all of them?
Are penn state, Virginia tech, or university of Minnesota worth paying 10k-15k per year more than Iowa state or U of Nebraska?
Have you even visited these schools? There is a big difference in these campuses. I’ve been to Penn State, Virginia Tech and Nebraska. Can’t say much about the others. Winters in Minnesota are going to be a lot different than Penn State or Virginia Tech. Settings of these schools is quite different as well. Penn State is sort of in the middle of nowhere and Minnesota is in the middle of a city.
Very hard for others to offer up anything but their opinion because outside of the program of studies only you know what is important to you in a school If you don’t tolerate sub zero temperatures very well then you may want to pass on Minnesota. If one schools program of studies is stronger then you should visit the campus and make sure that campus life will be a fit.
Pass on Minnesota.
What do you think is better since you have been to there: Virginia Tech or Penn state? (Student life, internships, Job prospect)
Is Nebraska comparable with Virginia and penn? Will there be a big difference if I go to Nebraska instead of Virginia or penn (Job opportunities I will have and internships).
if $$$ is a big issue then i would also pick Iowa State over the others, as it is a really good value for a strong engineering program. @CyclonesGrad would probably be happy to tell you more about ISU
Academically, Virginia Tech and Penn State are better than Minnesota which is better than Iowa state which is better than Nebraska. However in terms of location for an internship, Minnesota is better than all of them. Iowa state is your happy medium I’d say.
i have read that ISU has the largest engineering job fair in the country. are PSU, UMTC, and VT really worth $40K-$60K more than a US News Top-40 Undergrad Engineering school? i don’t think so IMO.
Between VT and PSU, my personal preference would be PSU. When I say I’ve been there its been for visits not as a student. I’ve been to VT a few times for football games many years ago. PSU I just visited with my D this fall. I can’t really speak to overall experiences but on my limited experience I just liked PSU better.
For engineering majors, some of the schools on your list admit to a pre-engineering program, where you must earn a high college GPA in order to get into your desired engineering major. You should check each school to see if this is the case, and how high the GPA is for the major you are interested in.
Minnesota will be about the same temperature as Iowa State and Nebraska, so don’t eliminate UMN based on that. Both IA and NE get a lot more tornadoes than MN.
If rankings matter to you, US News ranks VT #16 for undergrad engineering schools, and their grad school ranks #8 in civil engineering and #16 for mechanical. Internships are widely available for both VT and Penn State students, and both do well with job placement for engineering graduates.
The 3 you are waiting on are all excellent schools, but you really need to visit to get a feel for them. They are different in many ways. UM is urban and very large and yes, quite cold in the winter. Next to it is Dinky Town, a small college-catering neighborhood. Penn State (University Park) is next in size, moderately large. VT is mid-sized - about half the undergrad population of Penn State. Penn State and VT have some similarities - rural, lots of college spirit, big sports schools. Both VT and Penn State abut college towns (Blacksburg and State College, respectively) about the size of their student populations; both are nice and cater to the student population. VT would have the warmest climate, but it does get snow in the winter, being near the Blue Ridge mountains. I don’t know about job placement for Penn State, but VT ranks high for its graduate’s median annual earnings.
I agree that weather alone is an insufficient reason to cross out UMN compared to Nebraska. Even Penn State will be cold. Only Virginia Tech has better weather.
At VT, if you are admitted to the College of Engineering (general engineering), changing from general to a specific major (civil/mech/etc) requires a 2.0 gpa, 3.0 guaranteed admittance. If admitted to VT as a non-engineering major, transferring to a specific engineering major requires a 3.2.
I am going to choose one of the 3 top colleges (PSU, VT, UMTC)
I think Minnesota is 5k per year cheaper than VT and PSU, but the weather still restricts me. It is also ranked #4 best chemical engineering school in the US.
I think that I am likely to get admitted to VT and Penn state, but Minnesota, my scores were in the average side (so 50% 50%)
I think that I will choose UMTC over VT and PSU if I was admitted, but If not,
What should I choose VT or PSU ? (Thought I will have 2+2 plan in penn state—2 years in Harrisburg and then 2 years in university park)
If you are put on the 2+2 plan at psu you’re not getting into umn for chemical engineering nor at Virginia Tech.
Between Nebraska and Iowa State I’d pick Iowa State - overall better, and cheaper.