There could be many things at play there.
- Some have the goal of a UC
- There’s many schools besides Purdue - and perhaps they’re choosing UC on cost
- In the case of Purdue, all start in First Year Engineering - a major isn’t assured - that could scare some off. It would me!!
- Distance - it’s easy to say, I’m willing to move from California to near DC but when one starts thinking about it, it can be daunting for an 18 year old.
- Some believe they’ll only find a job where they go to school - so if they want to live at home, they choose near home.
In the end, you have to do what’s best for you.
UMD will definitely be more than a UC as will UW. Rutgers is too but there’s a chance for decent merit. They both have - as does Purdue and UW - big 10 sports. You won’t get that level of sports at a mid tier UC - does that matter?
Purdue has raised cost on OOS kids and don’t forget, Engineering costs more there. So it’s about $45Kish for tuition, room and board. Of course, some of the UCs cost a ton for housing - so yeah could be similar. But then you have to get to Purdue - fly to Indy (that has a price) or Chicago I suppose - and then figure out how to get there from the airport - yes, there’s ways.
Sometimes it’s just more “familiar” to stay home.
I went across the country but grew up with one parent and was more independent. For some of my friends, they tried and had to go home - couldn’t handle.
It’s a lot for an 18 year old.
Will UMD or Purdue get you a better job than UCR? Maybe? Maybe not.
My son turned down Purdue for Alabama. Why - got his own dorm room - and secondarily I think wanted to be closer to mom and his school was half the distance.
He interned with kids from Ga Tech, had 5 offers by xmas on 19 interviews and his intern company offered later. And in his current job he was hired in a large cohort with Purdue, Michigan, UW, Case Western and more kids but also W Michigan, Akron, Buffalo, Utah, etc. The comment thread - ABET accreditation.
So again, it’s easy to get caught up in what US News or what others say - but they are trying to sell their product.
I personally believe kids who chase, who are persistent, will find success regardless of where they go and kids that may be stud students but aren’t salesman…don’t sell themselves may struggle - and maybe that’s part of the UCB stat I showed earlier…that and a down job market.
In the end, it’s truly a personal call - and I hope a lot more goes into it than a rank by a 3rd party. btw - go look at how US News ranks engineering disciplines - it’s a popularity contest. There’s no hard data used but opinions of academics from other schools.
Summary - figure out what’s important to you - outside of a rank. Visit schools if you can. And then that’s where I’d go - the one that feels right. After all, you need to step foot on campus for four years, day after day. A rank doesn’t cure that if you’re unhappy.
Hope that helps.
Best of luck.