<p>So, it’s still early in the decision rounds, but so far I’ve been accepted to my safety school (Purdue CS) and differed from Case Western CS and University of Michigan CS at the LSA. I know a deferral isn’t all bad, but, just looking at my options as of now, will going to Purdue limit my opportunities? </p>
<p>I know that question is ambiguous, as it depends on my goals, so I’ll lay them out. Ideally, I will double major during my undergraduate years and get a CS degree and a math degree (SAT math was only 630, but I want to work incredibly hard to gain knowledge and mastering math is part of that) and I want to go on to grad school and get an advanced degree, most likely in CS, math, Econ, finance, or possibly an MBA in some type of data analysis.</p>
<p>My main goal here is basically to attend a high-caliber grad school (HS grades and SATs are somewhat limiting for undergrad, I haven’t been diligent) and go on to do very high-level work, such as research in CS/tech, think tank consulting, analyst roles, or possibly become a professor. Will going to the lowest ranked (but still great, imo) school I applied to hurt my chances for all or any of that? </p>
<p>Are you seriously asking if your academic career would be compromised if you go to Purdue? I think you will do fine, though that is coming from someone who will be going to lower caliber school than that, so I’m envious. </p>
<p>@albert69 certainly not compromised, that’s a ludicrous thought. I’m just wondering if it will limit my future access to those things I want to achieve in any way, because those are some lofty goals!</p>
<p>No, WHAT you are as an undergrad is far more important for grad school than WHERE you are. Too many people have the idea (and believe I was [and in some ways still am] like this) that getting into a prestigious name school will guarantee success through the rest of life. Now granted, getting into grad schools is certainly easier if you go to Harvard or Yale, but usually that’s because of what the students of these schools do while at those institutions. Same with you. Purdue may not be the biggest name or most prestigious university out there, but you will surely be afforded opportunities that you can take advantage of. The work you do in college (research, jobs, internship, study abroad, etc.) are far superior than any name. As long as you work hard, get high marks, and do real-world study, you will be fine. And in any case, there is always the option to transfer should you so choose.</p>
<p>@PurpleTitan I will definitely wait before I place any deposits or give any guarantees, but it’s likely I’ll attend Purdue (it’s in-state) so the question kind of extends to: “will this school I’m very likely to attend limit me?” Instead of “oh no, got deferred, am I screwed?!” </p>
<p>@Smithg1227 with that advice in mind, do you think it would be more beneficial to have great grades and two majors, or excellent grades in one? Im thinking I can focus enough on two and it would broaden my knowledge base for grad school, but I don’t want to miss taking any possible opportunities I do have available because I’m swamped, right? </p>
<p>If you think you can handle it, I would definitely take the two majors. Having a wide array of knowledge and skills can only help in grad school and beyond (I currently have a major and double minor and may add a second major haha so I understand).</p>
<p>@Catria I didn’t mean limit dramatically, as in it’ll ruin my future opportunities or something. I was only wondering if it would look worse than the other two mentioned for grad school admissions and the like. And thank you! That’s definitely valid. I checked it out and Math is in the same college (sciences) as CS at Purdue, so it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle to do. I’m unsure about overlap though. </p>
<p>You can certainly meet those goals out of Purdue. My concern would be whether you will truly pick up your game in college. It is harder than high school to start with… and if you weren’t motivated or didn’t have the study skills in high school to do well, those traits often carry over into college.</p>
<p>Purdue is an excellent program and you can go to just a bout any graduate school from there as long as you perform well academically with as rigorous a set of courses as you can take and get involved in meaningful research. However, I agree with @intparent about getting serious about your coursework in college. I also agree completely that you should first of all focus on your CS courses and not plan on a second major right from the start. There is very little benefit in a second major if you are planning to go to graduate school. The only reason you might consider it is if you can do both in 4 years and still maintain your academics. It would be much better to spend your extra time on research.</p>
<p>@intparent that’s very true, thank you for pointing that out. I haven’t had poor study skills or anything like that recently, my total GPA is just pulled down from a lazy first year and a half (3 semesters) before I really cared about my academics. I did alight, because my parents hounded me, but those first three were low enough (passing, but 3.0 averages or so) to stop my later grades from pulling me up nicely. </p>
<p>Now, I understand Purdue has essentially no grade inflation and it will be difficult, but as someone who often self-studies things I am interested in, I think I’ll be just fine in the right major. </p>
<p>@mom2collegekids feel free to show him! I mean no disrespect or anything to Purdue, I’m super excited I got in! I was just unfairly concerned about how it would affect grad school admissions and the like based on its rankings (I think this and other research has taught me that I should ignore most of those rankings)</p>
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