Simple Googling confirmed that Purdue is highly ranked in international ratings and others are not. If I was an international parent, I would pay only for Purdue from your list. Campus does not matter. Degree would be from Purdue.
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Rose-Hulman is a small engineering college of about 2000 students. It offers bachelorās and masterās degrees but not a PhD. For schools of this type - no PhD, small, engineering focused - it is generally considered #1 of its kind in the USA, certainly one of the top 3 or 4. It offers a superb education and has excellent facilities. Since your daughter prefers a small school, she really canāt do any better than this.
It is located about 200 miles south of Chicago and about an hour (65 miles) west of the international airport in Indianapolis, a city of a little under a million people. It is located in the small city of Terre-Haute, which has a population of about 60,000 people.
Spelman College has only about 100 students in their computer science program and therefore would probably not serve your daughterās interests well.
Drexel is a private research university of about 12,000 undergraduate students, located in Philadelphia, the sixth largest city in USA and therefore one of the easier ones to fly in and out of. Drexel offers a robust program in computer science and engineering. About 30% of their students pursue degrees in engineering and computer science.
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RHIT scares me for a foreign student. Itās not really in Terre Haute. Itās a few miles east of society when we visited.
Unless they want isolated, Iād think the city schools would be better. Since they want small, thatās Spelman.
At the same time, @momsearcheng makes great points about the Purdue name.
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Is she specifically interested in a Historically Black College? This is a significant aspect of the experience at Spelman. (In contrast, fewer than 4% of Rose-Hulman students are Black, so these two colleges, while both small, are at opposite extremes both in terms of racial and gender demographics, as well as urban-adjacency vs rural remoteness.)
Spelman offers a small-college experience with access to a major US city and international travel hub. In addition, Spelman students can cross-register at Georgia Tech, which could enhance her CS education. (Although, sheād be getting the benefit of the educational experience without the reputational clout of a GT degree.) Has she applied for this summer bridge program? Computer Science | Spelman College | Atlanta, GA
With the US economy faltering, I would be a little worried about the ability of CS students at co-op schools like Drexel to secure co-op placements, and further worried that international students could be the first to be impacted. On the other hand, if they can get co-ops, that could give them a leg upā¦ so youād have to weigh the risk-reward landscape there.
I agree that the Purdue name is the strongest here, by far, in terms of international reputation. But Iām not sure what the experience would be like, given the high percentage of commuter students. Purdue Indianapolis has a relatively small enrollment, so it looks small on paper, but until recently it was a joint institution with IU Indianapolis which has many more students. I donāt know how the decoupling of the joint venture has impacted the student experience. Overall, if the student had family in the area or some other support structure, this might be the best option, but Iād do a lot more digging about what her experience would be before having her venture there alone.
RHIT offers a great educational experience. The question is whether the small, rural campus, the racial homogeneity, the gender imbalance, and the relative lack of āreachā in terms of being known overseas outweigh the quality of the education.
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Just to note that there is a gender imbalance at any engineering school - including Purdue.
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True; there just arenāt a lot of other students around, at RHIT. Purdue Indy has IU Indy right there, with 17K undergraduates, 63% of whom are women. So even if the smaller Purdue Indy population skews male, that isnāt all there is in terms of local student population. (That said, RHIT is primarily residential whereas the Indy students are predominantly commuters, so thereās that.) Likewise, Drexel has pretty even gender parity overall, even if not in engineering. Of course, opinions may differ as to whether itās more important to have gender balance in the larger student community, or in oneās particular classes.
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thank you so much. will discuss with my D and make a decision
thanks Bill. So many perspectivesā¦adding this to our things to consider
it isnāt as straightforward as that from what I see
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no, you get the campus in your offer for admission letter
There are a number of foreign students at Rose and it is a very inclusive environment. While Rose is not in downtown Terre Haute, there are plenty of kids on campus who have cars. Additionally, they offer a ton of things for the kids to do on campus, so itās not nearly as isolating as one might think.
It seems to me that Rose checks all of the boxes from a āwantsā standpoint - small school, great CS program, excellent overall education with amazing graduation stats. The school offers three job fairs a year and has a great career office.
I wouldnāt focus on ratings. Focus on the education. I work with engineers in the mid-west and they have all told me that they would rather hire a Rose graduate than a Purdue graduate. While itās not a huge sample, the fact that Iāve heard it again and again is telling.
Good luck with your decision!
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thanks so much! ah! the agony of these choicesā¦iI and hubby are conflicted and poor child is just hoveringā¦will make a decision and close out.
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soā¦as an update,We decided to go with Rose! I am more at ease with my myself now. I think she will thrive there. Thanks so much guys for wading in ā¦for the insight and advice. I had no idea it was going to be so tough.
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Congratulations on coming to a decision. I know this was tough.
Rose-Hulman is a small school with small classes. Your daughter will never see a large lecture hall there. I agree with you that this is the kind of school where she is most likely to thrive.
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Congratulations! My son went to Rose. He got a great education and really liked the school. The small classes and personal relationships with professors were a huge benefit!
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Congrats!
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Rose Hillman is in Brazil, IN, very near Terre Haute but not in it. Terre Haute does have a state college that is a good size with sports and activities that college kids like. It is definitely a mid-west feel to the towns with high school football ruling Friday nights and craft fairs and festivals every weekend. No one would mistake Brazil for Atlanta or Philly, but Terre Haute has all the regular stuff like shopping malls and all kinds of restaurants, and Indy has professional sports and concerts and the Indy 500.
The road from the Indy airport to Brazil (I-70) could use a little work.
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Do you live near Rose-Hulman, @twoinanddone?
My daughter lived in Brazil for a short time (her husband lived in Terre Haute and now her MIL lives in Brazil) and she got married there last year. Brazil is a little town but has its own access to I-70, so is a little closer to the Indy Airport than Terre Haute. There is a āback wayā to get from Rose HIllman to Terre Haute without using the highway.
I found it nice and not too remote. Brazil has a small downtown area, a few restaurants, and even a McDonalds but Iād guess that if students wanted to ādo somethingā theyād go to Terre Haute or even one of the other college towns. Bloomington isnāt that far away and the weekend my daughter was married was an Indiana/Nebraska game and the hotels were full of Nebraska fans.
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I will have to disagree with you. My son went to Rose and all of his mail was definitely addressed to Terre Haute. Rose is on the eastern outskirts of Terre Haute. Brazil is 11 miles further east.
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