I am an international student and interested in the field of engineering with a bias towards computers and / or mechatronics. I have the following admits so far
I am not sure which of these will be best for me. I am looking for a very good engineering degree with lots of hands on projects and exposure.
Need some help here to take a final decision
I can’t really speak to the other three, but I know a decent amount about Purdue as I’m an admitted engineering prospective, and went to an engineering camp there over the summer. From my knowledge, Purdue has a fantastic computer engineering/computer science department HOWEVER it is through the engineering school, not the polytechnic school. The polytechnic school is a lot less theoretical and more hands on/practical. It’s like the difference between fixing computers and coding/understanding fully how computers work in an advanced theoretical sense. If you’re looking to code and get a good computer engineering degree Purdue is a fantastic option through the Engineering school. Of course, you could already know all of this information and I’m wasting your time. Just trying to help.
I don’t know how your specific programs differ at these schools. Generally, I would say that NC State, Va. Tech, and Penn State have similar academic reputations as flagship state science/engineering universities. Penn State probably has a slightly higher national profile, but generally similar.
Do you have a preference where you want to live? Penn State is a huge football school. It’s located in a very small community very far from other cities. It’s very cold there in the winter (though not this year). But alumni seem to have loved their experience there. Va. Tech is also in a small town, but it is a great college town. The school’s architecture is pretty impressive. Va. Tech alums also seem to love their experience there. NC State, by contrast, is in Raleigh, which is a very vibrant city. It is more cosmopolitan than the other two communities. There are lots of tech companies in the area (Research Triangle). The weather would be much warmer here than at Penn State. Sports are also big here, basketball perhaps more so than football.
These schools offer an education similar to Purdue University’s College of Engineering, especially Va. Tech and NC State. I don’t know much about Purdue Polytech, but it appears it does not offer the same type full-blown engineering education as these highly regarded national universities. I believe it teaches more applied knowledge, which is important, and probably lucrative, just not the same thing.
Thanks Capitalboi. I had requested purdue for change of major ( into engineering school) but they have refused. So Purdue is not an option anymore.
Thanks TTG.