No, because Raikes is not just “business stuff” - mentorship, opportunities, special projects lead to a different resume/profile than “just” UNL CS.
I think that difference is even how OP can consider Raikes vs. UIUC.
I don’t think there’s a debate that CS at UIUC is better - few programs in the US are.
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I’ll throw out a few thoughts:
As others have mentioned, freshman dorms shouldn’t be a major factor in your decision. I understand that housing feels like a big deal to a high school student, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s just 30 weeks of your life. Most freshmen, even in the least desirable dorms, end up enjoying the experience because it’s about the people and the shared journey—not whether you have a private bathroom.
Have you considered whether you might want to go to graduate school? If so, does saving money now make a difference in that decision?
Large introductory classes can seem intimidating at first, but most students adjust well. These courses usually come with built-in support, such as recitations, labs, or both. These smaller group settings help reinforce learning, provide opportunities to ask questions, review material, and apply concepts in a more hands-on way.
Focus on the curriculum (core classes, course offerings, concentrations, requirements), the research opportunities, industry connections, facility expertise (what are the research areas), the reputation of the school, outcomes of graduates. What fits you? Which do you prefer?
Lastly, you want rigor. Hard classes are a good thing — not a negative.
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I am not very concerned about freshman dorms anymore, and I also am not really planning on going to grad school.
I compared the two curriculums, sorry for my atrocious handwriting
Some notable things:
I would not take calc 3, or potentially physics at UNL/ the Raikes school
The Raikes school has a more comprehensive software engineering track, but seems to be considerably less comprehensive with algorithms.
With the amount of free and technical elective I would have at Illinois, I could probably specialize in two or three tracks (AI, Cybersecurity, and perhaps systems). Obviously this is not the case at Raikes because business classes substitute those technical electives. I think I need to assess how much I value having that freedom to specialize in certain tracks of computer science.
However, I think people saying that Raikes is a glorified tech management degree are mistaken. I’m curious to hear people’s opinion with both curriculums laid out in front of them.
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I think you should flip a coin. Heads, Raikes, tails, UIUC. Before you look at the results, which do you hope to see, heads or tails. That’s your answer.
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It’s up to you. What you just wrote.
Clearly Raikes is phenomenal but interdisciplinary and with business.
UIUC is CS.
We cannot decide for you.
Both are winning programs but which is a winning program for you.
Two different people would make two different choices.
It really depends on your interests, not ours.
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Looking at the curriculum it seems one is a quantitative business degree and one is a computer science degree. Both can lead to a successful career.
If I understood your posts correctly, you seem to want computer science. If that is the case, look at the FINAL TWO YEARS of each program. The UNL program is light on computer science classes. The UIUC is very heavy on computer science classes.
Typically the first two years of college are general education courses (English comp, general science, history), foundational courses (calculus and other math would go here), and introductory major courses (computer science 101). It’s the junior and senior years that really get into the meat of the major/program. These are the advanced courses that provide the expertise in the field.
There is nothing wrong with the UNL program, but I think it will put you on a different trajectory. Perhaps more business focused with a strong quantitative background versus a more technical direction. If you want to be a computer scientist, I think UIUC is a better option.
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Do you prefer greater technical depth or more business courses? That is the most important question when deciding between Raikes versus regular CS (at either UIUC or UNL).
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You wrote the above concern about UIUC’s CS major. If a realistic concern, then the U Nebraska Raikes program may be the better option for you since it has 100% job placement at an attractive average starting salary of over $100,000 per year.
CS is a very competitive field flooded with well qualified applicants. If you struggle with the academics at UIUC, your outcome may be disappointing to you when compared to the average outcome for graduates of the Raikes program at UNL.
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^ I think this shouldn’t be discounted.
Only you know the strength of your academic background and how confident you are in your ability to not only pass but do well.
Plus, only you know how much you want to dedicate yourself to CS projects.
Of course you should neither exaggerate potential difficulties nor discount them.
(Since you got into UIUC CS I’ll assume you’re among the top students for Raikes and definitely top 5% at UNL.)
A comparison you might find relevant to check out: not just how does a top graduate from each program do, but how does an average to middling UIUC CS graduate do vs. a top Raikes graduate?
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Do we know UIUC is harder than any other school? I’d imagine CS is hard - period. Higher ranked doesn’t necessarily mean harder.
But some majors are simply hard everywhere.
And no doubt, like engineering, CS will have a huge fail rate.
But if the worst case is pivoting into a major like econ, all would not be lost.
I’d have to think Raikes would have more individual support.
But these are so different and I wish OP would make a decision based on the curriculum or career desires.
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According to the UIUC CS FAQ webpage, the admission rate for the CS program is just 6.7%, meaning they attract outstanding students. This selectivity contributes to the program’s excellence, as students have the opportunity to learn from and be challenged by their peers. If the department admitted the OP, it’s because they believed he was fully capable of succeeding.
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In my opinion, Honors status at UIUC is not important. Youngest son did not have it as an admitted student and never needed or wanted to reapply for it bc it’s not necessary. Middle daughter was in Honors, but really was only helpful for first year dorm selection.
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They may not be directly competing with each other in the labor market. Raikes graduates may be aiming for more “business adjacent” computing jobs, versus other jobs that regular CS graduates may aim for.
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The caliber of students at UIUC CS is significantly higher than students at a “regular” state university CS. Thus, for the same CS class such as Algorithm Analysis, instructors can cover way more material, assign much more challenging homework problems, and give deeper and trickier exam questions. The textbook used at the two places may be the same, the number of credit hours for the two classes may be the same, but the number of topics covered, the speed at which they are covered, the effort required to finish each homework, and the difficulty to score above the class average can all be vastly different.
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When hiring contracts, everyone in a particular sector is competing against everyone else…
Some organizations follow the “best athlete” model. They don’t care about specific knowledge- they want top intrinsics, people who demonstrate that they “have learned how to learn”. Some organizations do the reverse during a recession (or just a moderate downturn)- every single new hire has to demonstrate that they will walk in able to do the job. And some work on a hybrid model- some roles look for “best athlete” (rotational programs, management training cohorts) and some roles require very specific knowledge or experience.
But I think it’s a stretch to say that Raikes grads and UIUC grads would never “compete” against each other. Especially if hiring targets contract significantly- everyone needs to be mindful of who else is out there and what skills they are bringing to the table.
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All true - but we don’t know that to be the case. When i was getting my MBA at ASU and my roomies Wharton MBA Ivy undergrad friend used to call - and his classes were ‘looking for a job.’ It seemed he had little rigor - that was their focus - internship and job obtaining - from day one. Just being at Wharton was enough to get a great gig.
Both my kids have had extreme rigor and at times had their a$$es kicked including withdrawals and both were top hs students who enrolled at not hard to get into colleges.
UIUC may be harder - but we don’t know that for sure - and that’s my point.
The difference in the strength of the student is likely reflected in a much higher completion rate - in engineering, as an example, 50% of the kids don’t make it - but at a Purdue and Michigan, that percentage is likely a lot less not making it then say at Lamar or UT Chattanooga.
UIUC may or may not be more rigorous - but the high rank has the student believing it is.
We don’t know it to be true- and there’s no way to know and it’s likely class specific.
Yes
Higher ranked is based on strength of program, which means higher rigor and more depth. Not all CS programs are the same.
Taking algorithms as just one example (since every CS program includes this class), the content can vary significantly — from simply learning common algorithms to diving deep into the theory, and reading research papers.
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Yes, those of us in the industry do know it to be true.
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There are many of this forum who have knowledge and experience in the CS industry. I want to share my perspective as a mom of 3. I think it’s so unfair that 17 or 18 years should know what careers they think they want even before they graduate from HS. But those are realities we have to work with when considering non-liberal arts degree.
I can’t speak for UNL, but I have 2 graduated and launched in careers and the youngest is in his 3rd year at UIUC in CS at Grainger. He was accepted in the 1 year Masters of CS program this past August. Since he will have completed all his undergrad requirements for CS and gen ed requirements this semester, he will start MCS in the fall and finish by May 2026. Yes, CS classes are hard, but CS classes at most universities are hard. I am sure you’ll be more than capable if you have been accepted to UIUC CS.
This post made me want to share our eldest’s experience. He went to a university that offered engineering with business focused specialty. When applying to most schools, he applied for EE major. This engineering/business focus combo was intriguing to him but I think it became more intriguing bc he received a full tuition merit for 4 years. We were chasing merit awards because he was our first and didn’t know a lot about anything. He did well at the university but he realized the business part wasn’t his passion, but EE definitely was so he carved out his path. Most of his peers in the program were business focused and graduated with Systems Engineering. I think he would have wanted more depth in EE than he was able to get. However, he was able to get depth and hands on experience through SAC club working on the racing cars. His undergrad experience did not limit his work options post graduation. (His internship got cancelled because of COVID.)
One thing you should also consider is what region do you want to land post college. Is living near your hometown important to you? If so, is UNL in your home state? UIUC CS grads are recruited from many regions of the US, but I do think many also land in Chicago. Our middle D went to UIUC and both her internships and post graduation job - all in Chicago.
Lastly, UIUC CS program has a good reputation but it doesn’t mean everyone has excellent outcomes all the time. It is up to each student to seek opportunities. You can’t sit back and wait for it to happen. You have to apply yourself in classes, find appropriate clubs for hands on experience and internships. Doing well in classes is important, but having other experiences add value. Getting that first internship is really hard now esp with the marketing tightening. I do think universities that offer hands on experience outside of the classrooms helps.
There is a big difference in cost between UIUC and UNL. I am sure it’s a factor you and your family are considering. You still have lots of time to consider the pros and cons. Don’t feel like you have to rush into a decision ASAP.
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I teach engineering at a “regular” state school and meet colleagues from various places at research conferences. Sometimes the conversations turn to teaching and the discrepancy in material covered in our classes is clear (and expected).
When I first got to my current school I tried to use the same material from a class I TA’ed for at an institution similar to UIUC, and it didn’t work. I had to reduce the scope, simplify the homework/exam problems, and curve more. Students in my class had (and still have) ACT scores as low as 22 and as high as 35, making it hard to design a class that caters to students from both ends (make the 22 pass at the risk of the 35 feeling bored, or make the 35 feel challenged at the risk of losing the 22 on week three). At places like UIUC engineering/CS, the ACT range is much narrower and centered around 34, so instructors can do more, often a lot more.
You can actually see proofs of the differences yourself by googling Algorithm Analysis and [insert school name] and compare their syllabi, homework problems, and exams (the latter two require technical knowledge). Although a lot of instructors have switched to Canvas and the likes, some still post class material publicly on their personal websites which makes comparison possible.
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