ExplorerCY

I am considering going to Purdue next year for aerospace engineering. i have noticed that, even though it is high in rankings, it gets very little respect in threads and forums.
When talking about schools on the same level as Cornell and MIT, Purdue (UIUC as well) is usually reluctantly listed. why is that?

aibarr

It's well-respected. Nobody's reluctant in giving respect to UIUC or Purdue. You're on a college admissions forum! Most of the folks who register for and join a college admissions forum are hyper-competitive perfectionists who are blinded by the auras of the (sometimes overrated) HYPSM cluster. They've even developed an acronym for it: HYPSM.

You'll end up with plenty of job opportunities. Purdue is a very good school. Nobody's going to disrespect your degree in the real world. This is the Internet.

cptofthehouse

Purdue is better known in the midwest. The east coast schools tend to be the ones that get the most attention. Purdue gets a lot of respect from the engineering field and is very well known in the midwest.

Blah2009

Maybe because its not on the same level as MIT and Cornell?....
Purdue is good for cranking out people who do well in industry. But to be frank, its not a good school for research which is what powerhouses like Cornell excel at in addition to providing a good education. UIUC on the other hand is comparable to both in education and research. It merely lags behind MIT and Cornell due to having less accomplished undergrads.

ExplorerCY

i would say Cornell is overrated. being an ivy pads the stats a little bit. i would call stanford and mit a "powerhouse" but not cornell.
in aero, mech, civil, and industrial engineering Purdue is ranked over Cornell in USNWR.
selectivity does not equal excellence...


...I just made a club and no one is invited

xjis

it's because,

it's very easy to get into purdue. acceptance rate of 79%...

so ppl won't go wow at you just because you goto purdue.

i know this sounds very superficial and 'not right' but that's just how this all works.

pmrlcomm

I actually think very highly of Purdue engineering. My daughter is at Vandy studying ChemE and my some will go somewhere to study CivilE. Neither will go to Purdue (I would really like them to btw) because we are OOS and the need-based aid will not be good enough. Plain and simple. If they were a school that gave more money they would likely get more play.

mydegisunacred

So you're not even in college yet, and you're in here spouting "MIT is on a level of its own?"

Don't complain about a school not getting respect around here, when you yourself are spreading hype accumulated throughout your travels of the intranets.

ExplorerCY

^^^what do you know about me or the research that i've done. I am not spreading hype, I am asking a question that should be considered. people equate high acceptance rates with a terrible education. that stigma is the source of your "hype."

keefer

i think purdue is great for engineering. It has a very stellar reputation in the midwest among engineering/manufacturing industries. But the problem with Purdue is that it's not great at anything else, and almost all engineering students from Purdue end up in the pure technical jobs or manufacturing jobs, which isn't that glamourous to many students.

Also as someone mentioned selectivity is an issue, not many enroll from outside of the midwest region. But the final product, the Purdue engineer that graduates will be just as good as the Cornell engineer.

ExplorerCY

do Purdue grads still get into top grad schools (i.e. MIT, GaTech)

aibarr

Yes, they do. Try to get some undergraduate research experience and you'll be fine.

boneh3ad

Purdue can not only send people to top grad schools, it IS a top grad school. Heck, I have a professor here at UIUC whose grad work was at Purdue, and he is well-respected in his field.

explodapop

purdue/UIUC and i guess to some extent michigan are more akin to a platoon than MIT/stanford/cornell/CM/other private unis; entrance requirements a little lower + personal stuff like essays/teacher reqs/EC not that important if you have the points. you can volunteer, but it's gonna be one hell of a ride, and there will be casualites. acheiving the degree is indeed a mission.

then you have the private schools where if you get in, you're much more likely to stay in, as you have been hand picked by admission officials (ofc, they give you mad work aswell, not disputing that fact ;-) ).

i suppose you are at a huge disadvantage if you want to go into another field than engineering, where your actual coursework has no relevance.. just school brand + showing that you can think

PS: Here in Norway, UIUC is well respected in the academia (at least that's the impressions i've been getting from the professors at my current uni).

ele902

What kind of respect are you talking about? I'm sure it's a good engineering school, but it's not the kind of engineering school that will shock and awe anyone.