<p>Hello,Everyone
I’m an international student and am admitted by above and their honors programs
I’m really into liberal arts education like philosophy,psych,sociology and love theatres and museums…
As far as I know purdue seems to do more with tech,while AU’s IR is wonderful in D.C,but what i wanna know is that is AU’s liberal arts education really strong besides IR? coz from the academic ranking i’ve got,AU is not in a very nice position.I know rank isn’t everything but it tells sth, right?And I’ve seen other posts in CC said AU is a little too laid back,is it?
How about the internship?
My parents are also concerned about the fame since i’d like to come back to my homeland.
Many thanks!^^</p>
<p>I don’t think either institution carries much prestige overseas (maybe Purdue has a bit more name recognition, but I don’t think anybody’s ‘impressed’ with a Purdue degree), so I don’t think that’s a big issue.</p>
<p>Introductory AU courses are generally laid back. Of course, there are courses that are challenging rewarding, but for the most part, I’m not a huge fan of AU’s gen-ed system. Some of the courses seem rather pointless as well.</p>
<p>And you are right that Purdue is very tech-focused while AU puts emphasis on IR and Poli Sci. While I cannot say much about Purdue’s liberal arts, I cannot imagine it being significantly better than AU’s. First of all, it is a huge school. I think small class setting is essential for liberal arts education. AU can offer you that. I am a philosophy double major and am happy with the philosophy department here. The department carries a family-like vibe due to its small size.</p>
<p>If you like theatres and museums, DC hands down wins over Indiana. From numerous local theatres to Strathmore to Kennedy Center, there are many top-quality performance venues around the town. Museum wise, I think “Smithsonian” suffices further explanation.</p>
<p>But with that said, since you are an international, if you think Purdue degree brings you fame and recognition while AU degree doesn’t deliver, by all means go to Purdue. Nothing matters more than prestige outside the US.</p>
<p>i can’t imagine much prestige associated with Purdue, but then again making a decision to go ANYWHERE based on prestige…whatever that means… seems shallow, and likely to cause personal disappointment if that is your basis for selection. agree wirh swmass about theater and museums…NO CONTEST DC wins.( have you ever seen Indiana?) also, a comment on what you’re calling “Rankings” . you probably mean the now becoming notorious US News and World Report…please add some others …read the increasingly strong commentary on colleges turning away from US News and their exposed way of unfairly assigning rank.best of luck.</p>
<p>blowers daughter~ sorry, but i had to be sure i was thinking correctly about Purdue, and i am. just checked college ******* and collegeboard.com as a quick reference. i see NO comparison to AU. Purdue appears to be a school one can just walk into…they take 85% of applicants ! and they’re still taking some SATs in the 400s. how can that possibly help you in your homeland?</p>
<p>oops…that’s college pr<em>wl</em>r !</p>
<p>I hope you are talking about the prestige level of the liberal arts program, HCM, Purdue has a very strong engineering program. In regards to overseas, i doubt either university has much prestige outside the US</p>
<p>I think everyone is wrong in terms of prestige outside of the US. Purdue is much more well known than AU in the near and far east due to its good engineering program. A lot of internationals pursue those careers due to good paying jobs in their home countries. This is another reason why schools like University of Michigan and Wisconsin hold so much weight overseas. AU doesn’t even have a reputation in its own city let alone the world. </p>
<p>You need to look at what is best for you. I think AU will provide you more diversity but also less of a focus on research and quantitative study if that is what you are looking for. IR is a very liberal and abstract field in general(certainly how it is taught here) so I think you may have more fun here but be disappointed in the education.</p>
<p>I beg to differ on the prestige issue. AU is recognized as a strong international program outside the US. As far as internship, AU offers many opportunities for interships (not sure about Perdue). AU is noted for its internship programs. I was able to obtain one as a freshman. Also, you cannot beat the location as this area offers a magnitude of history and cultural arts.</p>
<p>yes, purdue is known for engineering, but really ONLY engineering. actually they report with the exception of engineering students, most kids are from indiana, if that is any concern to new students. its overall academic profile is low, and there is controversy about the way they choose their students…heavily use ranking above all else which then would admit weaker students from schools where some form of standardization doesn’t neutralize the inflated grades rampant at many US high schools. also, if location is an issue, AU…big city, Pursue, very rural, isolated.</p>
<p>Let’s get back to the question as AU threads seem to always deviate from the topic. Perdue vs. AU for LIBERAL ARTS, not engineering. Based on statistics, AU far exceeds Perdue’s reputation for liberal arts. I would think one would want to benefit from a better school than the actual name reputation of a college. Good luck to you – hope you make the right choice.</p>
<p>connies,</p>
<p>I would agree with you completely if blowers intended to stay in the US after graduation. However, since she is set on going back to her home country after college, I think prestige (or just mere recognition of the name) matters a lot. While nobody is very impressed with a degree from Purdue, it is likely that more citizens of other countries have heard of the institution compared to American (due to Purdue’s famous engineering school). I don’t think many people from other countries would bother looking into the actual quality of education of colleges in the US. Having heard of the name provides them some sort of assurance.</p>
<p>American is well-known in the field of IR, yes, but its name recognition is somewhat limited to academic society. Most people out in the real world are not well-informed about this school.</p>
<p>Connies, your post reminds me of one of my favorite professors at AU, Gregg Ivers in the School of Public Affairs. When someone was slacking off in class, he would ask, “Are you here to learn, or are you just here to be credentialed?” That’s the heart of the question that blowers daughter needs to ask herself.</p>
<p>pswillia - thanks and I agree 100%. Big difference in being there for the acadamics versus being there for the fame. I can only hope that students are not basing their life decision on fame. Fame fades fast!</p>
<p>thanks for the insightful posts, pswillia and connies ! :)</p>
<p>Thank you all for your thoughtful and helpful posts!
I come for liberal arts education to know who I am;it’s my parents who think of fame but I make the decison.
Thank you very much!</p>
<p>blowers daughter…good luck to you! DO IT FOR YOU!</p>
<p>A final note to blowers daughter, I cannot imagine that Purdue would offer more or better internship opportunities. Not only is AU well situated for internships, there is staff dedicated to helping you find internships. </p>
<p>Good luck! And I agree that AU has many fine liberal arts departments, as well. Fundamentally, it is a liberal arts school.</p>
<p>awesome internships with awesome staff as help!!!</p>
<p>thank you all!I’m really touched by your enthusiasm and kindness;I believe AU to be a friendly and wonderful community!</p>