I'm planning ahead for a likely choice that I'll have to make in the next month or so. Basically, I'll have to decide between UIUC and Michigan for engineering.
Here are some things to consider:
-I'll pay about 15,000 dollars less at UIUC per year, I'd have to pay full OOS tuition at UMich. My parents can afford the extra cost, though.
-I'm not really sure which engineering program I want to go into. It will probably end up being Aerospace, mechanical, environmental, material science, or computer science.
-I also would either want a double major, minor, or take as many business classes as possible.
I have visited both, and I liked the feel (students, layout, etc.) of UMich better. The major concern I have with Illinois is that I got the impression that I am virtually stuck in the engineering school I applied into (MatSe) and can't really switch into other majors, especially the popular ones. I don't think this would be a problem at Michigan, because I'll have my entire freshman year to decide my major, right? But would I be able to take a lot of classes in the Ross business school (for example) even if I wasn't admitted there?
One thing I noticed at UIUC is their job-placement was amazing, is that generally true at UMich as well? And am I crazy for thinking about turning down UIUC engineering for a more expensive UMich education? Any help is greatly appreciated.
Last edited by Senior0991; 03-17-2009 at 07:45 PM.
Michigan job placement is definitely better than UIUC's based on prestige factor, not for engineering firms, but for financial and consulting opportunities. You realize in engineering career fairs, I saw Bain, Mckinsey, BCG, UBS, Morgan Stanley and the likes, you probably wont find that in an engineering career fair in UIUC. but is it worth the extra money? I think not.
You wont be able to take a lot of classes in Ross unless you go for EGL.
From everything that I have seen is that both the schools are almost dead even in egineering. You need to figure out if the overall "better feel" of Michigan is really worth $15,000. The other thing that you should look at is how set you are on egineering, if its what you want to automatically do then I would honestly suggest going to Illinois because youll be saving $60,000, but if you arent so sure everything else about Michigan is much better than Illinois.
Michigan job placement is definitely better than UIUC's based on prestige factor, not for engineering firms, but for financial and consulting opportunities. You realize in engineering career fairs, I saw Bain, Mckinsey, BCG, UBS, Morgan Stanley and the likes, you probably wont find that in an engineering career fair in UIUC. but is it worth the extra money? I think not.
Some of the companies you have listed above recruits at UIUC. I personally have interviewed with UBS and Morgan Stanley, while I know others who have interviewed with Bain.
I don't think most would dispute that Michigan has the edge in recruiting, but UIUC does surprisingly well. After going through the recruiting process for trading internships, I've found UIUC grads are all over the place at the top prop trading firms in Chicago.
Anyways, it seems like Michigan is obviously the better fit for you. The main question is how much does $60,000 matter to your parents.
lol sorry about the earlier post, i was programming for 13 hours straight and I was still speaking in visual basic when I typed.
What I mean is, I am saying is, those companies recruit specifically at the engineering career fair, not just the general career fair, while my engineering friends at UIUC has to go over to the general career fair to get those opportunities
goto UIUC and save your money if you want to stay in the midwest. goto Michigan if you would like to move out to the east or west coasts, or at least have that option. UIUC recruiting is much more regional based.
Why should the OP save his money if his parents can afford to send him to Michigan? Michigan is the better overall school and he likes the general feeling of the campus more.
Your decision should be based on the $60,000 you can save by attending UIUC. It is really that simple. Academically, Michigan and UIUC are peers in Engineering, UIUC is stronger in the Sciences (not including Biological Sciences) but Michigan is stronger in all other fields of study, including the Humanities, Social Sciences, Business etc...Michigan is also more prestigious and diverse, if that matters. Finally, Ann Arbor is a nicer town than UC. So if the extra $60k your folks would have to spend to send you to Michigan would put a big dent in their savings, I would recommend you go to UIUC because the UIUC is a top university in its own right. If your folks are well off and $60k is not that significant a difference to them, I would say go to Michigan.
