Hi I’m currently studying in Manchester in the UK but have the opportunity to do a year studying abroad in my third year. The three US univeristies I’ve narrowed it down to out those Manchester has exchange programmes with (other than Berkley which I have a very very slim chance of getting into) are the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Rutgers New Brunswick and Umass Amherst. Just wandering which one out of these three anyone would recommend, my fees will be the same for each so other than cost of living the money is not an issue. Coming from Manchester which is quite a large and lively city, I am concerned at the size of these college towns and whether there is plenty of stuff to do in and around the towns.
What major would you be studying.? For engineering, UIUC> Amherst> Rutgers, but UIUC and Amherst are not in big cities but are remote towns near Chicago and Boson. Location wise Rutgers might be the most accessible.
Chicago is an easily accessible train trip, or bus trip from UIUC where you can leave in the morning, and be back by dinner. And…Chicago is amazing.