<p>Haha, I understand why you’re freaked out, but UIUC is well known. Out of 7 real-life engineers (electrical, civil, and mechanical,) all of them, including my dad, had heard of Illinois when I mentioned that I was applying there. It has an outstanding reputation among Civil and Elec/Comp engineers, and many alumni have gone on to do great things, as was already outlined in this thread.</p>
<p>I’d say the problem is more of general publicity. Half of the people I mention “Caltech” to at school don’t even know what it is (I’m from Texas). If i asked the same engineers that knew about Illinois, though, they would (and have) responded enthusiastically when I bring it up. ‘General’ prestige is always nice to have, but it really is not indicative of the quality of your education, or the job opportunities upon graduation. I recommend asking some people in the field you’re interested in that have pursued higher level degrees (all of the ones I asked had Ph. D’s, but none of them had attended Illinois), and ask them what they have heard of the school. I’m sure that will put your mind at ease.</p>