<p>Why?</p>
<p>He liked that the number of engineering students was smaller at NU. If he had gone to UIUC, the number of EE 1st year class was about equal to the entire 1st year engineering class at NU.</p>
<p>He really liked the Engineering Design/Communication class where teams of 4 Freshman/Sophomores are given real design challenges for real clients. This was his favorite class 1st quarter and as an engineer in industry, I told him that was closest to the kind of work I do. A friend of mine recruits for our company at NU, and he told me the interns/co-ops/new hires come in well prepared. (so do UIUC students, too, by the way).</p>
<p>He liked Evanston and the proximity to Chicago, with all of its opportunities.</p>
<p>They have a good co-op program with a sizeable % of students participating. Many companies, like the one I work for, are hiring a majority of our new hires from our co-op pool.</p>
<p>But I would have been happy for him to attend UIUC, too. It comes down to personal factors, I think.</p>