Anonymous wrote:My kid loved loved the hustle and bustle of central campus. But was going in as engineering major- strip mall city nearby. Really turned him off.
Happily at UMd now.
Had he not been engineering major, he’d be at Michigan.
(We are happy to be saving $$$)

Maryland’s campus turned him on? It’s a ten minute bus ride between the campuses in A2. He could have majored in business and had been placed in a dorm on north campus.

Anonymous wrote:My DC is at Purdue for mechanical engineering and loves it. When talking about bang for the buck, please check tuition rates. Purdue has frozen tuition going to 13(?) years. No idea how long it will continue. But it is an OOS bargain! Almost same as instate VT when you add in the extra fees as an engineering major (PS - check on that if you don’t know - schools add additional fees for certain majors). I can’t say enough good things about it. And PP is right - easier in theory to get into, hard to get out of. It’s a highly regarded program because it is rigorous and the rankings reflect that. Good luck to all your students applying; difficult but exciting time

It’s on my daughter’s list to apply for engineering. Can you elaborate why your son picked it over other well regarded programs?

My kid loved loved the hustle and bustle of central campus. But was going in as engineering major- strip mall city nearby. Really turned him off.
Happily at UMd now.
Had he not been engineering major, he’d be at Michigan.
(We are happy to be saving $$$)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s more of an anecdote; a statement more about the idea that it’s easy to get into, but really hard once there and that it is a very difficult program. A PP had mentioned it, and I tend to agree….Purdue seems to be one of the “easier” engineering schools to get an acceptance, but with it being so incredibly difficult in rigor, some kids don’t finish with the degree. I will say that it’s been pretty difficult for my DC, but doable. My DC came from a fairly rigorous NoVA public high school so felt very prepared for the level and difficulty of classes.

I think this accounts for the perception that it’s an easier admit - more serious kids tend to apply and fewer have it on their list as a “why not add another option” if the location or rigor does not appeal.

I'll add that Purdue prides itself on being rigorous. They brag about failing Neil Armstrong in calc and just a few years ago at commencement their president said the "antonym of “snowflake” is “Boilermaker." My engineering student loves Purdue, but it was also his dream school, so feeling privileged to be there could account for some of his happiness.

“…do not apply.”

Anonymous wrote:It’s more of an anecdote; a statement more about the idea that it’s easy to get into, but really hard once there and that it is a very difficult program. A PP had mentioned it, and I tend to agree….Purdue seems to be one of the “easier” engineering schools to get an acceptance, but with it being so incredibly difficult in rigor, some kids don’t finish with the degree. I will say that it’s been pretty difficult for my DC, but doable. My DC came from a fairly rigorous NoVA public high school so felt very prepared for the level and difficulty of classes.

I think this accounts for the perception that it’s an easier admit - more serious kids tend to apply and fewer have it on their list as a “why not add another option” if the location or rigor does not appeal.

It’s more of an anecdote; a statement more about the idea that it’s easy to get into, but really hard once there and that it is a very difficult program. A PP had mentioned it, and I tend to agree….Purdue seems to be one of the “easier” engineering schools to get an acceptance, but with it being so incredibly difficult in rigor, some kids don’t finish with the degree. I will say that it’s been pretty difficult for my DC, but doable. My DC came from a fairly rigorous NoVA public high school so felt very prepared for the level and difficulty of classes.

Anonymous wrote:My DC is at Purdue for mechanical engineering and loves it. When talking about bang for the buck, please check tuition rates. Purdue has frozen tuition going to 13(?) years. No idea how long it will continue. But it is an OOS bargain! Almost same as instate VT when you add in the extra fees as an engineering major (PS - check on that if you don’t know - schools add additional fees for certain majors). I can’t say enough good things about it. And PP is right - easier in theory to get into, hard to get out of. It’s a highly regarded program because it is rigorous and the rankings reflect that. Good luck to all your students applying; difficult but exciting time

Can you please elaborate further on this?

My DC is at Purdue for mechanical engineering and loves it. When talking about bang for the buck, please check tuition rates. Purdue has frozen tuition going to 13(?) years. No idea how long it will continue. But it is an OOS bargain! Almost same as instate VT when you add in the extra fees as an engineering major (PS - check on that if you don’t know - schools add additional fees for certain majors). I can’t say enough good things about it. And PP is right - easier in theory to get into, hard to get out of. It’s a highly regarded program because it is rigorous and the rankings reflect that. Good luck to all your students applying; difficult but exciting time

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:so is vtech and uva eng better than purdue?

God no

Engineering rankings:
Purdue #8
Va Tech #14
...
UVA #35

Purdue is generally a more difficult engineering admit than Virginia Tech unless you are an Indiana resident, where the acceptance rate is around 60%. For out‑of‑state applicants, the acceptance rate is closer to 30%.

Virginia Tech can be an extremely tough admit from certain high schools in Virginia, which is why Purdue can sometimes appear to be, and in some cases is, an easier engineering admit than VT. If you are applying OOS to both schools, then VT typically has a higher, and sometimes much higher, acceptance rate.

VT is also test‑optional and uses weighted GPA, which likely helps some applicants. Purdue Engineering has a reputation for being one of the most rigorous engineering programs in the country. UVA and VT are strong, but generally not regarded as being as rigorous as Purdue

VT is a tough admit in-state because it’s President, TIm Sands, went super woke and pledge to make VT 40% First generation/URM. This he succeeded at. This resulted in many white and Asian In-state Virginians not being accepted to VT and having to go OSS. I know at least a dozen such families. That’s why TJ’s numbers at VT dropped. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2022/09/admissions-fall-census-2022.html.

Affirmative action in college admissions was struck down almost three years ago. Those students didn't get their spots at VT taken from them because of some woke agenda. They just didn't get in. Period.

+1

+2

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:so is vtech and uva eng better than purdue?

God no

Engineering rankings:
Purdue #8
Va Tech #14
...
UVA #35

Purdue is generally a more difficult engineering admit than Virginia Tech unless you are an Indiana resident, where the acceptance rate is around 60%. For out‑of‑state applicants, the acceptance rate is closer to 30%.

Virginia Tech can be an extremely tough admit from certain high schools in Virginia, which is why Purdue can sometimes appear to be, and in some cases is, an easier engineering admit than VT. If you are applying OOS to both schools, then VT typically has a higher, and sometimes much higher, acceptance rate.

VT is also test‑optional and uses weighted GPA, which likely helps some applicants. Purdue Engineering has a reputation for being one of the most rigorous engineering programs in the country. UVA and VT are strong, but generally not regarded as being as rigorous as Purdue

VT is a tough admit in-state because it’s President, TIm Sands, went super woke and pledge to make VT 40% First generation/URM. This he succeeded at. This resulted in many white and Asian In-state Virginians not being accepted to VT and having to go OSS. I know at least a dozen such families. That’s why TJ’s numbers at VT dropped. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2022/09/admissions-fall-census-2022.html.

Affirmative action in college admissions was struck down almost three years ago. Those students didn't get their spots at VT taken from them because of some woke agenda. They just didn't get in. Period.

+1

Anonymous wrote:[twitter]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:so is vtech and uva eng better than purdue?

God no

Engineering rankings:
Purdue #8
Va Tech #14
...
UVA #35

Purdue is generally a more difficult engineering admit than Virginia Tech unless you are an Indiana resident, where the acceptance rate is around 60%. For out‑of‑state applicants, the acceptance rate is closer to 30%.

Virginia Tech can be an extremely tough admit from certain high schools in Virginia, which is why Purdue can sometimes appear to be, and in some cases is, an easier engineering admit than VT. If you are applying OOS to both schools, then VT typically has a higher, and sometimes much higher, acceptance rate.

VT is also test‑optional and uses weighted GPA, which likely helps some applicants. Purdue Engineering has a reputation for being one of the most rigorous engineering programs in the country. UVA and VT are strong, but generally not regarded as being as rigorous as Purdue

VT is a tough admit in-state because it’s President, TIm Sands, went super woke and pledge to make VT 40% First generation/URM. This he succeeded at. This resulted in many white and Asian In-state Virginians not being accepted to VT and having to go OSS. I know at least a dozen such families. That’s why TJ’s numbers at VT dropped. https://news.vt.edu/articles/2022/09/admissions-fall-census-2022.html.

Affirmative action in college admissions was struck down almost three years ago. Those students didn't get their spots at VT taken from them because of some woke agenda. They just didn't get in. Period.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Visited MI and vibes are work hard-play hard (from tour guide) so I think many social opportunities. One thing to note is that the engineering section of campus is separate from the main campus. Kids can easily take buses for core humanities and such so they have worked this out and while I would not say it should dissuade anyone, it's something to know about before you decide. Ann Arbor looks very fun with a lively restaurant scene.

Thanks. I wasn't aware of that.

Am reading this for my younger kid but I’ll note that my older kid is at NU and going back and forth between ends of campus for humanities and stem classes has been challenging — the buses aren’t frequent so she typically rides bike but that’s challenging when temps are well below freezing (the gears and brakes freeze) plus hard to find good gloves etc. so I would consider the weather and look at the bus schedule.

PP. Regarding the Michigan shuttle bus between campuses, I'd say it's reasonably frequent even late into the night. As I explained above, there is a river valley in between. And comparatively few bridges across the river. And you'd be biking down hills then up hills. It's not an easy walk either. So in bad weather, few would choose this. You can track campus buses by the app and the stops are close to major buildings. Unless there's something unusual going on, I'd say there's be no more than a 10-15 minute wait.

Chicago is colder than Ann Arbor and I'd assume it's windier.

Also...freshman engineers do have a lot of their classes on Central Campus. Because they are taking math and science classes. Those are LSA departments.

I do see kids complaining about getting North Campus dorms. But I think that's just complaining. I don't think it's a reason to choose or not choose a school. If anyone knows Penn State, I think it's much a better location than East Halls at Penn State.

If you want excruciating details, I did see kids on r/uofm telling each other to leave earlier to get the buses on midterm days. Because the buses get packed and you don't want to be ten minutes late to an AM midterm. To me that's common sense but other people might find this an inconvenience.

UIUC's engineering/CS school is also at the far side of campus. I think this is pretty typical for engineering schools as engineering is a more modern study and space is needed for civil engineering and other lab spaces

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Visited MI and vibes are work hard-play hard (from tour guide) so I think many social opportunities. One thing to note is that the engineering section of campus is separate from the main campus. Kids can easily take buses for core humanities and such so they have worked this out and while I would not say it should dissuade anyone, it's something to know about before you decide. Ann Arbor looks very fun with a lively restaurant scene.

Thanks. I wasn't aware of that.

Am reading this for my younger kid but I’ll note that my older kid is at NU and going back and forth between ends of campus for humanities and stem classes has been challenging — the buses aren’t frequent so she typically rides bike but that’s challenging when temps are well below freezing (the gears and brakes freeze) plus hard to find good gloves etc. so I would consider the weather and look at the bus schedule.

Is this for Northwestern, or Northeastern?