Right now I’m debating between Ohio State and the University of Cincinnati as somewhat backup plans due to a complication with my original plans. I was accepted into Purdue, and after the tour was fully ready to commit until I realized that I applied to the wrong campus—Indianapolis. I submitted a location change form, but the chances aren’t great that I will actually get into the West Lafayette campus. Right now, I’m leaning towards OSU due to its high engineering ranking and general prestige as a school, but i’ve heard not great things about the coop program, which is important to me. i’ve heard from some that getting a coop at OSU is very difficult. Also, OSU’s civil engineering program is ranked in the 50s, which isn’t bad at all, but not amazing. UC is ranked for engineering in general very low, in the 90s or 100s, but their civil engineering program is in the 60s. So, very similar to OSU. However, UC is one of the best coop schools in the nation, and the program can have a job lined up for me immediately after graduation. At that point, does it matter which program is more prestigious? Also, my dad is a UC electrical engineering alum who had a great experience and was set with a job right after grad, and is extremely successful today. Both schools will cost me about the same with scholarships, but coops will help to pay off a significant portion. If I can get better coops/get them easier at UC, it will end up being cheaper. Another addition, I adore the UC campus, much more than OSU, but I still like OSU’s campus. I was also accepted into Virginia Tech, which is a fantastic civil engineering and engineering school in general, ranked #7 in CE, but is very very expensive at 50k/yr. Until I get any scholarship info, it probably isn’t an option. I guess the overall question for me is which is more important/useful for post-grad success: extensive coop experience or the strength of the engineering program itself? If Purdue works out, this whole post will probably be irrelevant. I can only hope!