I have narrowed my top choices to these three, I applied for Electrical Engineering /FYE. My future plans are more inclined towards management and consulting which is why I was originally inclined towards Duke (I read that it’s not uncommon there for Engineering students to get positions in consulting). However, I am an international student and I do have a cousin who goes to UMich and an Aunt that lives in Detroit. I have a good friend going to Purdue next year and another friend who is a sophomore there.
Also, I know that at Purdue I will be able to walk in as a sophomore since I am an IB student, I will easily get 30 credits from my subjects. In Michigan, I will get 22 credits (possibly 26 depending on my performance in finals) but in Duke, I will get almost no course credit.
tl;dr
Purdue: I have a few friends and I can walk in as a sophomore
UMich: I have family nearby and I get a decent amount of Credit
Duke: Aligns with my future plans (as of now) but I get almost no credit
At Michigan you can also get jobs in consulting /management etc. It might be more with IOE (Industrial and Operations Engineering). I would actually talk to the engineering department through email to get the real story on placement. There are lots of opportunities to get these experiences while being a student with clubs, activities,minors etc etc. It is endless. Also all three schools have very strong Alumni. It’s much easier at Michigan to combine and switch majors also.
Michigan is tough on giving credits since they have very high standards for their programs. They are very picky. If you know you can get 26, consider that a win.
Purdue may be your best option if you can complete your degree in three years rather than in four. Use the extra year to get a one year (10 months) masters degree at Duke. This should enhance your academic credentials for a career in consulting.
The difficulty, however, is in getting all of your required courses completed during those three years.
A strong case can be made for Duke as it is the most prestigious of your three options & consulting firms tend to focus on pedigree & prestige.
Michigan is also, like Purdue, offering you substantial credits upon entry. This might enable you to take courses geared toward management & consulting as electives.
Many universities offer certificate programs in management & in other areas that might be helpful to a future manager or consultant. Northwestern University, for example, is one school which does.
If get credit for 1 year at Purdue or Michigan, that’s great because Duke hardly gives any IB/AP credit, except for advanced class placement. For an international student, it is very important to have emotional support, so another plus if u have family and friends nearby. Are you ok with the severe winters in the North?
Duke does have many international students and has a milder climate, but the most expensive option.
You need to weigh in all these issues.
Go where you will feel most comfortable.
I would double check that you would be actually able to graduate early from Purdue. My daughter entered as a second semester sophomore which had perks for scheduling and housing, but because of course sequencing for her major, she won’t be able to graduate early. It really just opens up her schedule for more electives and possibly a minor.
“My future plans are more inclined towards management and consulting which is why I was originally inclined towards Duke (I read that it’s not uncommon there for Engineering students to get positions in consulting).”
Michigan is also heavily recruited by consulting firms. Considering that you will get more credits by going to Michigan, and that you have family in the area, Michigan would seem like a good option.
“Unless you’ve been admitted at all three and received their merit/financial aid offers, which seems unlikely, this is a premature decision.”
warblersrule, Michigan and Purdue typically do not give out FA or merit scholarships. I am not sure about Duke, but my understanding is that Duke is not very generous with international applicants. As such, it is unlikely that Ep1cDeath will receive much, if any, money from those universities.
Very few colleges offer more generous financial aid to international students, though it is obviously quite difficult to be admitted as an international student. USNWR has a list of the top 10 colleges for financial aid for international students.
As @momofsenior1 aptly said, be careful about planning an early exit from any engineering program. The . sequential nature of the curriculum makes it very hard to get out early no matter how much credit you bring in. It’s because the credits eliminate GEs, but not critical engineering courses. My son started in Calc III and Physics II and still couldn’t get out early. He only had 15 quarter hours left his senior year, but he had to take all three Senior Project classes in order. He ended up doing graduate classes to fill out his schedule.
What having that many credits will do at Purdue is allow for a better schedule. You will have 12-15 hour semesters rather than the 17-19 hour semesters many of your classmates will have. It will leave you time for research, adding other classes that may support your degree or even adding a minor relating to your degree. My D came in with 42 credit hours including a year of Calculus and all of the general Physics courses. She was able to jump ahead in some math courses but she still had to complete the FYE curriculum to be able to start her engineering courses. She was able to spend 4 semesters doing research and was a violist in Purdue’s orchestra. Her lighter schedule allowed her to do things she enjoyed or augment her resume. Because of the nature of the engineering schedule it was still necessary to take 8 semesters to complete her degree. Good luck in your decision.
The not getting any credit for IB/AP classes at Duke is not true, specifically for engineering students. My daughter was able to use most of her AP credits for classes at Duke. She skipped right into Organic Chem, she used two of her humanities AP credits to go towards her Social Science/Humanities requirements, her Physics credit makes it to where she only needs 1 Physics course and her math credits got her started at an advanced level. That is 6 courses that she does not have to take. They are more lenient with AP credits for the Pratt students, compared to those in Trinity.
I don’t know what country you’re from but the feeling I get is that international students are more accepted at Purdue or Michigan than Duke. I have not been on Duke’s campus but a few people (mostly Asians) who have gone there on visits from the bay area did not get what we call in the US, warm fuzzies ( a feeling of goodness). They ended up choosing other schools over Duke, mainly for STEM majors like EE.
I’ll repeat what others have said about Purdue. My D and two HS classmates each transferred 20-30 credits to Purdue, but it only really helps in scheduling. Seniors select classes one week, then Juniors, etc., but your class is determined by credits earned. So you would start as at least a Soph. But so will many other students.
Many of your “credits” may be labelled 1xxxxx unclassified. You’d still need to go through the FYE program, the transition to major program, and meet all of the graduation requirements. Ask a lot of questions and be very certain that you would actually graduate early - my experience is that it wouldn’t happen.
Having said that, Purdue and Michigan are about on par as top 10 engineering schools. We liked both. Duke is good at a lot of things, but not quite on par for engineering, IMHO.
Purdue also has one of the largest international student bodies, by % of students.
Duke only offers credit for Higher Level IB subjects (I take Math, Physics and Chemistry) but doesn’t give credit for Physics anymore. Based on that I can only opt out of 3 classes.
I know I won’t be able to graduate early but my friend said that being a sophomore gives me advantages and
preference when choosing classes and for housing
As an international student, I’m not getting much financial aid and I am aware of that
warblersrule, I do not doubt that Duke offers FA to international students, and that when it does, the package is generous. I just think that the odds of receiving a generous package for international students are slim. But I guess Ep1cDeath will find out soon enough.
