<p>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. </p>
<ol>
<li>Better social atmosphere. </li>
</ol>
<p>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.</p>
<p>I personally was top 5%, 35 ACT, and very strong extra curriculars</p>
<p>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</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Cheaper. If you live in Illinois, save the cash, go to UIUC especially for engineering.</p></li>
<li><p>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</p></li>
<li><p>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. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>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. </p>
<p>I hope you figure out what is best for you. I hope this helps.</p>