UMD vs Purdue CS

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1

Hey guys. Got accepted to both OOS and would like more insight. My thoughts are below:

** im more focused on future jobs and college experience wise im fine with any experience I get

UMD
pros:
Good location for jobs, recruiting, etc and near DC
Close to home
invited to FIRE research program

cons:
20k more than Purdue
afraid of the CS market and won’t have anything to switch into later
heard it was not safe at night (?)
not very college town vibes

Purdue pros:
good price wise
recently invested 100 mil into CS department
can switch into engineering if CS market is bad in the next few years (CS → engineering should be doable according to rep)
far from home, can experience something new

Purdue cons:
in the middle of no where
male to female ratio…( im f)
housing crisis?
location wise a little isolated for job recruiters

I plan on visiting both, so for now these points are just what I have made from others. Would like to hear more of both schools to help me make a decision.

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In my opinion, you don’t have a bad choice here! Both schools are excellent and very strong in CS! It will come down to a matter of which school you think fits you best.

My daughter had both schools on her list and chose Purdue For engineering (Price was the same for her because of a presidential scholarship from UMD).

She liked the Purdue campus much more and wanted a more rural setting, and liked the co-op emphasis that Purdue had.

I’m happy to answer any Purdue specific questions you may have but again, there’s not a bad choice here!

Congratulations!

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Both will be great.

Recruiting won’t be an issue at each. Companies will come to both but most recruiting will be on line.

If UMD is close to home, a con is that you know the area so won’t experience something new.

Purdue is less $$ as you note but there will be travel expense. But you learn a new region. Do you have budget concerns ?

FIRE is nice but you can do research anywhere. Just ask a prof.

So yes visit both, check into housing at both (not just Purdue). As for gender, check not just the university but the programs themselves.

After you visit, one will speak to you. For my son, it was Purdue and not UMD although he got into both and attended neither.

Given you will visit both, you don’t really need anything else from anyone.

There are no wrong choices here - if you had 100 random people, each would likely get chosen by 50-ish people.

Good luck. And congrats on the admits.

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I believe you can dual major or switch to engineering at UMD as well. My impression was the switch is harder to do at Purdue. What did the rep say?

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…are all important factors to consider.

Have you visited both schools ?

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I am planning to visit both schools in the next few months!

I know that Purdue is more known broadly among different recruiters while UMD is known more in the region (DMV area ). Both have good career outcomes, just don’t know which one may be a better fit for me

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Rep says cs → engienering at purdue is possible, but not guaranteed. engineering → cs is impossible at purdue. I am going to ask more in detail when I go visit!

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Both UMD & Purdue are highly respected for CS.

It is wise to visit both campuses as they are quite different in some respects.

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9

Similar situation for my D25. For those with Purdue CS experience, is grade deflation a factor? I read getting a 3.0 GPA is a big deal. Any input on that will be a great help.

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Correct. UMD is a popular school where I live, and many students I know have switched majors or double-majored. Switching from CS to engineering isn’t hard at UMD (the opposite is).

That’s not true. Both schools are well known nationally and both have great CS programs. Graduates of these programs get recruited by all the well known companies.

Sounds like you need to visit both schools and maybe speak to students or alumni. It’s going to come down to your preferences.

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Two great choices so congrats! If finances are an issue, then Purdue wins on price. If both schools are comfortably affordable (no hardship, no or minimal loans) then go with the one you feel is the better fit. I think visits will help to bring clarity. Assuming affordability, this is a case where two reasonable people could make two different decisions.

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12

In a realistic sense, not really. If you decide by the end of frosh year that you want to switch and you can afford an extra year at Purdue, sure. Or if you’re farther along and willing to start over essentially as an entering frosh then I guess the rep is telling you Purdue may let you.

Take a look at the sample Purdue schedules for CS at Program: Computer Science, BS - Purdue University - Modern Campus Catalog™ and MechE (to use an example of an engineering schedule) at Undergraduate Program Map - Mechanical Engineering - Purdue University The only overlap frosh year that I see for engineering-related courses is both have calculus, and if you’re in CS you’d have to be sure to take the engineering version of calculus (MA 16500/600)

To earn an engineering degree in an ABET approved program means you’ll have to take all the required engineering classes. Starting in CS and switching means you haven’t taken any of them except perhaps the math. Due to the highly sequential nature of engineering where one class is often a prerequisite for the next (e.g. the arrows on the ME chart) it probably will take as much time as starting as a new frosh. Even if you’ve already taken GE classes as a CS major the prereqs mean you can’t double-up on just engineering classes to catch up faster (and it would be an incredibly difficult class load to take nothing but engineering classes each semester)

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13

Crazy thought but just throwing out there since Purdue engineers all take the same sequence first year - could CE be a hybrid possibility with both engineering and CS involved ??

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Anyone know the main difference between both programs wise?

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Look at curriculums. Size of program - UMD bigger.

When you visit, set an appointment with each department.

Let them tell you.

Since you’re going to visit both, let that help you understand.

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Both great- Purdue way better…….especially for the price.

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agree, but parents want me to stay close to home… we will see when I visit both :rofl:

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18

thank you, just very excited!!!

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Is UMD $20k more PER YEAR than Purdue? So a total of $80k more than Purdue?

All things being equal, Purdue for $80k less dollars makes a LOT of sense.

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yes, 20 k more per year…

parents really dont want me to be in the middle of nowhere (DC biased since we are near DMV) but the price tag is kicking our butt. I’m gon see if I qualify for any scholarships, and if not might have to pick up a job…we will see…