Northwestern vs. UIUC

ownageelite · 04-22-2009, 12:18 PM

i'm having difficulty deciding between northwestern and university of illinois at urbana-champaign. although i'm leaning toward NU, it's still difficult to make the decision. i'm interested in engineering. McCormick seems to have very high standards and offers a superb education. nevertheless, U of I's engineering school is ranked really high. any opinions and advice would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

Sam Lee · 04-22-2009, 03:50 PM

The difference based on 10 spots or so in ranking is gonna be insignificant when comapred to the difference coming from the unique Engineering First curriculum, which I think it superior to most others that still follow the traditional one. Besides, programs like BME, material science or industrial engineering are ranked just as high as UIUC.

arbiter213 · 04-22-2009, 03:56 PM

Which is cheaper? Chicago suburbs sure beats cornfields. Also, you're less likely to be made fun of for being a nerd at NU- it's tacitly acknowledged we all are, whereas from what I hear from UIUC, that's not the case.

SWEETpotatoes210 · 04-22-2009, 07:56 PM

I have the same question but for chemistry. Is NU worth the extra money (I'm getting a full ride from UIUC)? I eventually want to go to medical school, and I've heard that a school's name doesn't matter, but I'm still worried by not going to NU, I'm missing a great opportunity.

ownageelite · 05-06-2009, 08:27 PM

Northwestern is actually WAY more expensive than UIUC. It comes out to $25k/year vs $9k/year at UIUC. I like the school a lot more, but it doesn't seem worth it. It's pretty upsetting too because their financial aid is supposed to be really good. My mother owns a property and even though she owes as much on it as it is worth, they think we're rich. Also, the ridiculous EFC they come up with, based on the collegeboard's calculator won't change with scholarships. They will keep it at what it is and take away grants. ALSO, the director of financial aid wasn't the least bit helpful. I tried to explain that they failed to capture my financial circumstances and I can't afford to go there. She dismissed it, saying that my demonstrated need has been met and said that I should go somewhere else if I can't afford it. Sorry for the rant, but this is really killing me!

NwestvWashU · 07-14-2009, 02:57 PM

Hey, so its funny you posted this question, because i was in the EXACT same situation last year. I got into Wash U, Emory, Northwestern, and UIUC among others. I ended up choosing to go to uiuc for several reasons.

1. Better social atmosphere.

I read someone's comment about people making fu of you for being a nerd....no
thats not true especially in Engineering. Second, there are a great number of kids who surpass the "typical Northwestern student profile" statistics for Average ACT, High School Rank etc.

I personally was top 5%, 35 ACT, and very strong extra curriculars

Moreover, Champaign is awesome. Obivously its not as big as Chicago, but its actually bigger than Evanston where you will be spending most of your time if you choose NU. UIUC studies hard, and parties even harder. If you are into greek life UIUC has the BIGGEST GREEK SCENE in the nation--60 frats 49 sororities. I chose to join a frat, and looking back it is one the best decisions I have made

2. Cheaper. If you live in Illinois, save the cash, go to UIUC especially for engineering.

3. Better recruitment. There are hundreds of examples, but one in particular that caught my eye is that Intel has built a fabrication lab in UIUC. You can build computer chips there from silicone. UIUC is THE ONLY school for which they built such a facility, and Intel hires almost exclusively from UIUC for engineers to build their chips. Go online and just check out the hundred of companies that recruit so heavily from UIUC, and the Engineering EXPO

4. Overall a higher ranked engineering school. This was the most important thing for me when I chose U of I. A previous post mentioned that a few spots in the rankings aren't a big deal, and that is true. US news is not the end all be all....but at the same time, while you are sacrificing the prestige of Northwestern, you are gaining that of UIUC engineering. Employers all know the value of such a degree.

I know I signed to NU last year, even had my roomate and paid the 400 dollar deposit. I was going to live in slivka, and had it all figured out. THe whole summer I thought over my decision and the day before move in day at UIUC I called the office of admission and requested to be reinstated, which they thankfully did.

I hope you figure out what is best for you. I hope this helps.

arbiter213 · 07-14-2009, 05:07 PM

Good, well thought out post, though I do want to refute one thing and point out another:

1. Champaign is not bigger than Evanston. Evanston's population is estimated at ~>100,000 souls, whereas Champaign has a population of ~75,000 (according to a 2007 special census). According to a census from 2003, Evanston was around there, and it has grown substantially since then. Champaign simply isn't comparable, at all.

2. Greek life can't really be a selling point for UIUC over NU- NU's campus is roughly 35% greek overall. The number of houses may be lower, but the percentage can't possibly be much lower.

3. I don't know about your anecdote about recruitment, but I do believe recruitment is roughly comparable between the two schools.

For in state tuition, I'd probably pick UIUC.

NwestvWashU · 07-14-2009, 07:41 PM

1. UIUC stands for University of Illinois at URBANA CHAMPAIGN. Our campus covers Urbana too, as Champaign and Urbana are "sister towns". According to a 2009 census, Champaign is at 66000, and Urbana at 37000. If you add em up, as big if not bigger than Evanston.

2. Yes, Greek Life at UIUC can be a selling point. I promise you we party harder and with more attractive people than Northwestern frats. Hugh Hefner is a UIUC greek alum.

3. Comparable, probably. Regardless, NU is definitely not BETTER recruited for engineers than UIUC.

4. Dont get me wrong, I love NU. Im actually doing research in a lab there this summer. I chose it before I chose UIUC, and turning down such a selective school was difficult for me. That said I think it was a good decision.

srrinath · 09-10-2009, 06:07 AM

UIUC for engineering.

1) Better global reputation as an engineering school

2) Cheaper

3) Any other random arguments above though the two above are probably more important

aabbcc1789 · 09-10-2009, 08:35 AM

Yes, UIUC may be good for engineering but compared to NU in other departments it generally lacks. People who go to college often switch majors at least once, so if you're not sure that engineering is in your future NU is definitely the way to go.