International student with no financial aid / scholarships. Parents will need to fully fund.
Programs (both Fall term)
UIUC: BS in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics
USC: BS in Economics Mathematics
Post graduation goals: career in Investment Banking or Quant finance.
Student preferences: not concerned about weather but prefers a location closer to opportunities for internships etc.
Preliminary assessment of each college based on the above.
UIUC is a strong school but USC might be more prestigious (lower acceptance rate). Also, not sure if LA location makes it easier to find opportunities.
Why did you apply to each college you are considering?
UIUC: strong STEM school
USC: good alumni network
UIUC. Its reputation for STEM fields is at least as good if not stronger than USCâs and itâs less expensive so better ROI.
In addition, UIUC tends to enjoy a strong international reputation thanks to its graduate programs (and perhaps its early ranking in the top 10 nationally when USNWR first decided to publish rankings).
As an international it will be difficult from either school to enter IB or quant finance. I agree UIUC likely has a better ROI.
This entire thread may be helpful to you, including the specifics about the difficulties internationals face trying to secure US based IB internships/jobs:
Which is better known in your home country? As an international you cannot assume you will be able to find a post graduation job in the US, especially beyond the OTP period.
From what I can see, hiring has slowed down, especially for quant jobs. There also seems to be less willingness among companies to sponsor international students, making it even harder for non US citizens and PRs to land these jobs.
Fully agree. During President Trumps first term the application process took longer, became more costly and cumbersome but companies persisted. Recently however I know several firms that are actively curtailing sponsorships. Unfortunately I would not currently make any college plans or decisions predicated on future domestic IB careers as an international student.
I would be focused instead on the academic reputation and name recognition in the home country and or the specifics of the curriculum and fit of the school.
I would also potentially consider home country pathways back to the US if IB is the goal. Meaning if you are a European Union resident (for example) which European banks recruit students into programs in the home country and how do they do it.
Unfortunately I donât think I can offer an informed opinion in the absence of a lot of other info. Do you mind sharing home country?
Thanks @Catcherinthetoast
Our home country is India.
FWIW, Iâm a former CIB banker who pivoted to tech
My tech colleges who came from India, to the US, for grad school tell me âeveryone gets into USC, but not UIUCâ. This tells me UIUC is more recognized back home, at least by the techies.
Thanks and sorry if I came off as talking down, I am sure you know how this works.
Unfortunately, being from India I suspect makes it even harder in the current environment to find your way back to the US with an âacquiredâ and âspecificâ skill set via a European CIBs local training program. From what I am seeing those local programs are largely being filled with European nationals.
Given this career ambiguity I would defer to fit and cost and both are very personal. Both options are impressive and rigorous but I canât honestly predict either offering a better IB outcome in my opinion.
In terms of college vibe, what is your kid looking for? Has your student been accepted to both for Fall?
UIUC is a bigger school, students tend to be happy there. Itâs a great community where students of all backgrounds and interests can find their people. UIUC is relatively difficult to get to and not near a major metro area. Weather not as nice as USC. Decent school spirit around sports but probably a bit less than at USC.
USC is in a nice location, and has many affluent students, which can bring an assortment of social pressures. It is work hard party hard. Clubs are overall likely more competitive than at UIUC. Obviously LA offers more big city experiences, and a higher price tag, not just for school but for apartments, food, entertainment. This relatively faster paced experience suits some students more than others.
Kid has admits for fall from both. He committed to UIUC but has been in touch with USC admissions.
Heâs leaning towards USC now, except for the cost difference. If we were to take COA out of equation, would you say USC is a better school? Iâm personally undecided.
For STEM, especially Quantitative Econ, Iâd say UIUC is more established.
USC will be private so more comfortable - not sure itâs worth the price differential though. Potentially some of that money could be used for fun at UIUC (for dinners out, for study abroad..) and youâd still come out with fewer expenses.
If you had to budget for a Masterâs (for a Masterâs F1 visa allowing him to stay an extra year) could you afford to? International students are easy pawns and Iâm concerned about some of the current rhetoric.
We can âstretchâ and pay for USC if itâll potentially lead to better outcomes. Kids could change career goals once they start at college, which is where I personally like UIUC as a stronger STEM school. On the other hand, USC is rigorous too but its USP seems to be the alumni network.
Regarding financials, USC will certainly make some difference into our lifestyle. USC fee increasing YoY (vs UIUC being a locked rate) makes me believe we will end up with at least a $500k undergrad degree. With UIUC, we can fork the difference into a grad school if kid needs to continue college.
Just out of curiousity, what does this mean? USC doesnât use a waitlistâŠdid your kid have spring admission and now offered fall? Or a denial appeal granted? Again, just curious and you definitely donât have to answer!
I also wouldnât say USC is a per se better school. But it might be better for some students. And in this case where the costs arenât equal and budget isnât unlimited, that bears serious consideration. If it were my kid, I would want to assess that they had a good fit there.
UIUC is the better option although not an ideal location for academic year internships (AMTRAK train service takes about 2.5 hours each way to Chicago).
USC has a beautiful campus, but the surrounding area is not nice. However, USC does have 24 hour security. (UCLA is located in a very nice section of LA.)
Save funds for a masterâs degree if that is a possibility.
Is this âifâ because kid is academicky and might want this,or is it plan B in case kid canât get a job (or get one beyond OPT) and a way to stay a bit longer? If the latter, Iâd be inclined to save the rainy day funds.
I would definitely choose UIUC, but the odds of IB or quant as a non-gies, non-CS student are exceedingly rare. If he wants to go to graduate school I would recommend a statistics or math major, or at least going heavy with electives from those departments.
My issue, as a parent, is, if I shell out $100,000 a year for college, will my child have a chance of becoming gainfully employed?
As a non-citizen, and in this current environment, your family needs to consider that thereâs a possibility that he wonât be sponsored. Even if he changes majors, and decides to do a STEM- like discipline, there are no guarantees.
My husband and daughter both work for two different engineering/CS firms. Both are on their hiring teams.
There is no question that they will NOT consider sponsoring anyone who is not a US citizen, nor permanent resident. Itâs on the companiesâ website âCareerâ pages. Even OPT positions are being frozen for now, because some positions are being reduced.
My younger sister went to USC. Itâs a very âdifferentâ environment. Yes, she graduated and she has a great alumni network, but she couldâve gotten that at other schools.
There is a reason it is known as the University of Spoiled Children.
Kid wants to do a masters after working for 2-3 years. If he doesnât find employment post under-grad, the grad school timeline will need to be pulled in.
