Wellesley v. UC Berkeley v. UIUC

College Search & Lists
1

Hello all! I just got into my top three schools, and now I have to decide which one I want to go to. I want to major in physics and get a graduate degree in astrophysics. I also want to go to grad school on the East coast, and want to use college not just for a stellar education but also for new experiences. I want to do research early and often. Here are the stats:
Wellesley: small class sizes, beautiful campus, all women (plus), liberal arts (?), $60k + per year, cold weather, can take classes at MIT, housing all four years, accepts no AP credits, fell in love with the school when visited it over the summer

UCB: larger classes, not as nice campus, diverse (plus), research university, $60+ k a year, beautiful weather, highly acreditdd institution, housing only for freshman year, local housing shortage (very expensive cost of living), very liberal (plus), good amount of AP credit, dream school

UIUC: larger than UCB, accepts most AP credits of all 3, I was acccepted into the LAS Honors College, $36k per year, in the Midwest (downside- live here and not a fan), decent climate, average campus, college town, frat heavy (downside), easier to stand out from the crowd and develop relationship with professors, an actually good safety school.

I’ve got a month to decide (just like everyone else) and right now I am very stuck! My parents say to not concern myself too much with cost, but it is still a factor. Any advice or insight from a more impartial perspective? Thanks so much!!!

2

I don’t see the point of going to Berkeley over Illinois with that cost differential. At the undergraduate level, the academics at Illinois are just as good as the academics at Berkeley. So you would be paying that price differential just to be in California, but for a completely equivalent education in quality and reputation.

Now, there is quite a big difference in the quality of education at an elite LAC and a public flagship. At Illinois/Berkeley nearly all of the classes for the first 2 years will be very large lecture classes in which the professor show up and lectures for 3 hours, but all the office hours, discussions, grading, etc is done by poorly paid graduate students (some of whom are excellent scholars, some, not so much). You won’t get any individual attention until junior/senior year, and even in a small major like astro, there will still be some competition. The reality is, faculty at Berkeley ad Illinois are focused on their post-docs and grad students and writing grant proposals. At Wellesley, undergraduates are 100% the focus. That said, $100,000 over 4 years is A LOT of money… I would go with Wellesley ONLY if it is relatively EASY for your parents to afford. If it will be even a moderate struggle, go to Illinois.