I am from India and I got Into WisconsinMadison and Purdue for Mechanical Engineering. So anyone can help me choosing between these two?
Purdue is better in engineering but overall, Madison is better. Madison’s location and campus are so much more beautiful too.
@HopefulBadgerPlz I think UW is more reputed than Purdue. And the problem is everyone gets into Purdue from India.
Not just from India, but getting into Purdue in general is much easier than UW.
Some nice Indian restaurants in Madison, including one within walking distance of campus. Also grocery stores for familiar foods- snacks (learned since H from India and we would take son when he was at UW). Look not only at the academics but the campus atmosphere. UW is great for academics as well.
@HopefulBadgerPlz that’s so true.
@wis75 That’s a plus. I saw your posts and I think you know well about Wisc Madison. So do you suggest Wisc over Purdue?
Definitely UW- but I’m biased. UW is the state flagship for everything while Indiana divides itself between Purdue and IU with sciences stronger at Purdue and others gravitate to IU. This means you get both at UW and not only engineering. As long as you’re coming to the US why not get the best of everything? The UW campus is nicer in my opinion as well. Madison is a larger city than West Lafayette and I’ll bet offers more. The are surrounding Madison has nicer geography plus at least as easy to get to Chicago. I also like the liberalness of UW compared to other places.
Think- better academics, more variety, known good Indian restaurants and grocery stores… No contest.
Or, you could go to Purdue and let someone else get the better school. More UW alumni all over the country and world.
Life is about so much more than just academics and work. Consider the cultural opportunities as well.
@wis75 I am inclined towards UW Madison
Undergrad? Purdue is ranked much higher than UW-Madison. If that’s a concern, Purdue would be a much better choice.
UW-Madison doesn’t even make the top 10 in undergrad ME.
But it is a much better school overall. There is more to college than just one’s major. btw- grad school rankings versus being an undergrad for mech e. Student body and activities matter so much more for undergrads.
@JiffsMom I think @wis75 is absolutely right. BTW Purdue is ranked 7 in ME while UW is 17 for undergrad. However, according to QS world rankings UW is overall ranked 41while Purdue is 107. So I can ignore 10 ranks but 67… this is too much. Also UW is cheaper.
Yes, Jiffsmom, I think that is a little misleading re: undergrad engineering curriculum – at strong programs such as these, most of the classes will cover very similar material, and all major classes taught by highly-qualified professors. What may slightly distinguish Purdue undergrad mech. engineering is maybe (and just maybe, as it would necessitate a apples-to-apples comparison) more focused job placement and practicum-type experience.
Again, other engineering programs at Wisconsin, such as chemical, materials science and engineering, etc., as well as research parks and patent agreements that rank among the top in the country (I believe UW had 161 patents past calendar year, top 5 in the country, and many related to engineering) balance out the overall engineering reputation and recruiting – so the OP will still benefit from high-ranked resources and recognition. And I also think the OP is correct to take note of overall university ranking: in most, Purdue isn’t close.
And the other posters and OP are right to point out Wisconsin overall has quite an advantage as a well-rounded, research-intensive powerhouse. Nobody denies Purdue’s excellence in engineering, but to claim Wisconsin also doesn’t boast strong engineering programs would be unsupportable.
@anhydrite You got that absolutely correct.
Cheaper?! No brainer- be a Badger!
“@JiffsMom I think @wis75 is absolutely right. BTW Purdue is ranked 7 in ME while UW is 17 for undergrad. However, according to QS world rankings UW is overall ranked 41while Purdue is 107.”
If one were attending to earn a General Studies degree, then yes, you’re correct, UW-Madison would be the better school. But in Engineering, a school’s reputaion and rank matters, and UW-Madison just isn’t where it needs to be in ME. That’s not to say it couldn’t be; it’s just that making it a better degree program is not a priority at UW-Madison, while it is at Purdue.
My son has been accepted to University of Illinois, University of Michigan and University of Texas for Mechanical Engineering, but postponed by UW. Must be awfully selective regarding their OOS applicants. Puzzling.
JiffsMom- did your son ever get into/go to UW? I remember you had several negative posts about UW on this forum a few years ago. Surprised you’re back.
NOONE does a “general studies” degree- at least at UW. Engineering students will take many excellent math and science courses at UW plus breadth electives. They will be exposed to a wide variety of students in the dorms and in their classes. Perhaps a more well rounded experience than Purdue where many of the liberal arts students will have chosen the other main U. Different “flavor” of the campuses as well with the other students.
lee666- students get admitted to the university as a whole at UW, the proposed major doesn’t matter so the competition for places is school wide (perhaps major doesn’t matter at the other schools as well). Also- many, many students are postponed with the decision coming by the end of March. Compare it to private schools without rolling admissions where everyone regular decision has to wait until March. This is not the same as being on a waiting list. UW does the postponement because they promise an answer by January but need to wait to see who applied in January before determining final decisions. Plenty of instate students waiting for the decision as well.
lee6666, all of the schools you mention are excellent. A key to the competitiveness of acceptances may be the OOS tuition – I believe UW is the lowest, though I am not 100% sure on that.
Also, UW is a holistic admissions process; some of those schools are not. For example, I think Texas is a stats-driven admission process, due to the large student population in the state. If he did not make clear that UW is one of his top choices (and it truthfully may or may not be; we don’t know here), that could affect admission as well.
Congratulations. Sounds like your son may still be admitted.
@Jiffsmom, re-reading the commentary and supportive evidence on this thread: if you are trying to construct an argument to convince the OP to attend Purdue, you seem to be waging a losing battle. And there’s a great deal of discussion on this board about the relative rankings of degree programs in engineering, to the effect that engineering rankings do not affect one’s career success in the manner of some other disciplines – especially so when they are so close.