I was accepted to both Purdue and Notre Dame for engineering. I received the Lilly Scholarship at Purdue, which provides full tuition and also a paid internship with Eli Lilly. However, with my ND financial aid, it would be about the same price as Purdue. I think I would do better at ND because of the smaller, community like feel and all of the sports, but I feel like I can’t turn down an internship at one of the top engineering school. What should I do?
Congrats on your acceptances and your Lilly – that is a big deal!
Purdue’s Engineering is significantly stronger than ND’s, plus the Lilly provides internship and research opportunities throughout college, not just tuition. If you are committed to engineering, the Lilly opens doors at Purdue that are game-changers. Can you talk with current Lilly recipients at Purdue? My guess is that being a Lilly means you have access to a small, elite cohort which would make campus smaller. Purdue sports are not going to compete with ND, of course.
edited to add – we knew several Lilly recipients who turned down Northwestern, University of Chicago, Michigan, etc. to take the Lilly at IU and Purdue, and they had amazing experiences and didn’t regret it. (We lived in Indiana).
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Thank you for your advice! I’ll have to look into contacting current Lilly scholars.
Congrats on two wonderful acceptances. Do your research,
revisit both if possible, and choose the college that feels like the best fit.
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I think you have already answered your own Q: you prefer Notre Dame.
If that one fits you best, there you have it.
You can’t go wrong with either…and my engineer applied to neither…but my guess is she would have picked ND because she sought a smaller-cohort engineering program within a university that was overall top25ish so there would be outstanding peers in many areas of study(in case she changed her mind). Purdue is great outside of Engineering but not quite ND level.
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But for Engineering, Purdue is the far better school.
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Do a deep dive in the four year course of study for your major at both schools. They have a very, very different approach to their engineering course structure.
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I know Lilly folks who have gone to Purdue and been very happy. I also know one who chose to study engineering at ND over Purdue and was also thrilled with the experience. He had internships every summer and has done extremely well since graduating.
Yes, ND’s engineering isn’t as strong as Purdue. My own kid was underwhelmed and decided not to apply there after visiting. But he also chose a weaker engineering school over Purdue, due to small cohort and fit (and is thriving). If, after you do some more evaluation of both schools, you still feel that ND is the better fit for you, you have your answer.
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Just saying you can make any school feel small. Contact current engineering students. Ask them to shadow a student if visiting. Look at clubs and activities. If you like the culture /fit at ND then that’s great. But Purdue is engineering plus. But if you like the lilley internship and that’s something you would like to do and it’s paid… That’s alot of opportunity to give up. Nice knowing where your going and don’t have to worry about getting an internship. Just have to study and do well without the pressure. That to me seems like a slam dunk. (Purdue is great at Basketball)
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This is the school for you. Engineering is a far “flatter” landscape than many people realize due to the ABET curriculum; you’ll take the same classes anywhere. There are a few superstar schools (Caltech, MIT, Stanford) but engineering employers view the majority of engineering programs as more-or-less equivalent. You will receive a fine education in engineering at either school, so if you have a reason for favoring one over the other that is the tipping factor IMO.
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Purdue will have the engineering reputation - and having a guaranteed paid internship - because there are no guarantees in life - is awesome…but are you interested in pharmaceuticals? I truly believe there is nothing more important to full employment than an internship - no matter where you attend. Those who intern get hired (somewhere, maybe not where they interned) as experience begets experience. So having assured experience is a HUGE WIN.
That said - they are vastly different schools - sharing only a state.
Which school do you prefer when you walk on campus? See the buildings, the dorms? Which has a curriculum you prefer? Are you religious - ie. into the religious aspects of Notre Dame - which from those who post on here is a very special place.
There are positives in both situations - and both are likely wonderful - but only you can determine - where is it that I want to spend four years?
It’s like picking between the Beatles and Rolling Stones - sorry to date myself - but you get the idea - Beyonce or Drake…I can’t use Taylor Swift - she’s at another level.
In other words, Heads you win. Tails you win.
Good luck to you. That’s very impressive.
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thank you!!
Congratulations on your great options! Tough decision to make but in general I would advise to go for what you want instead of what you are worried about losing. My daughter, also in engineering, had full tuition and full ride scholarships from some great engineering schools but chose Notre Dame (with a higher cost) for the same reasons you cited - small class, community, school spirit. She is very happy with her experience so far as a sophomore and has been able to get an internship for this coming summer. The decision was easier for her to make after we visited all the schools so school visits should help you with your decision.
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Congratulations on your admissions and winning the Lilly Scholarship!
Does Notre Dame have direct admission into your desired major? Purdue does not, so theoretically, you could go to West Lafayette and not get your preferred major if you do not meet the school’s GPA threshold after freshman year. Does the Lilly Scholarship guarantee your preferred major. Just another thing to consider along with rankings, outcomes, campus, social life, fit, etc.
Good luck, whichever school you choose.
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