<p>I have been accepted to both Carleton College and the UIC Honors College. I want to major in psychology, and I am also pretty interested in women and gender studies. Campus involvement means a lot to me. I really want to be a part of organizations on campus and contribute to causes that I am passionate about...dance, diversity awareness, and gender equality to name a few. However, distance from home is also an equally huge factor for me. I live in a Chicago suburb, so UIC will be only about 1.5 hrs. away (and I don't want to commute) while Carleton will be about 6.5 hrs. away. Any comments and/or suggestions? Quickly please!</p>
<p>Do you refer to UIUC (Urbana-Champaign)? I have daughters at each though not currently UIUC honors college and we are also Chicago suburbs. </p>
<p>The schools are totally different but a great fit for each. Carleton kids are involved and always have something to do. My daughter there likes that its small enough that there is a place for her in dance (Semaphore, Ebony, some required PE which can be fulfilled with dance class). Southwest is now flying to the Twin Cities so prices have come down for now and there are shuttle buses for breaks. We just have to drive up in Sept. and pick her up in June. I tease her that her friends are from Singapore and California and Massachusetts and Texas and Minnesota…</p>
<p>My UIUC daughter can come home easier, driving or on the shuttles that drop off at the local mall. On the other hand all of her friends (and her entire dorm) seems to be suburban Chicago. She seems to be happy about her academics so far but hasn’t really been a joiner of organizations.</p>
<p>Fit and $$$…that’s where the difference is.</p>
<p>There are some pretty big differences between the two schools. According to the college navigator website, Carleton has about 2,000 students, whereas UIC has over 25,000. The 75th percentile for composite ACT scores at Carleton is 33, whereas UIC’s is 26. Overall graduation rate at Carleton is 98%, whereas it’s 66% at UIC. </p>
<p>Ultimately though, what it boils down to is where you feel most comfortable.</p>
<p>You should also look at the financial aspect of the degree. A B.S. in Psychology is not that marketable. They have one of the lowest average starting incomes at about $31-33k. In general, going to a private school will not mean a higher starting income.</p>
<p>A lot of students at UIC commute. A number also rent nearby apartments or live on campus.</p>
<p>First of all, I did mean UIC (in Chicago of course)
And as far as price goes, Carleton is a little cheaper right now; but considering that if I go to UIC, I probably will rent an off-campus apartment or something after my freshman year, the prices will be more or less the same.</p>
<p>Carleton’s actually cheaper than UIC honors for you? Then definitely Carleton. You’ll find it very easy to get involved in campus organizations. Semaphore (selective modern dance troupe, some course credit) and Ebony (charmingly unselective dance organization with hundreds of students involved) sound right up your alley. I’m not sure to what extent distance is a consideration for you, but it’s fairly easy for Chicago-area students to go home during mid-term break each term, especially with all the carpools that get organized through the campus classifieds (NNB). It’s also tough to get homesick when Carleton’s schedule forces you to spend Thanksgiving through New Year’s with your folks with no academic obligations…</p>
<p>UIC serves a great need providing solid academics in Chicago’s downtown. But as Nova10 point out and I’m sure your realize, it is a commuter school of 15,000 undergraduates. The difference will be night and day between your experience there and the much more personal experience that will come living 24/7 on a residential campus with a much smaller, tight knit student body. </p>
<p>You don’t state why the distance to home is so important. Certainly, an ill family member or some other critical family dynamic may have to take priority. But if this isn’t the case, remember that at Carleton and most other colleges and universities around the country of its caliber, students travel from all 50 states and internationally to attend. It is, in part, this distance from home and the forming of a new collegiate family that so contributes to the wonderful bonding and interconnectedness that takes place over four years and lingers long after graduation. Hope you get to experience that.</p>
<p>Distance from home is very important for me simply because I am very attached to my family. I have a younger sister in just 2nd grade who I am very close to, and I don’t want to ruin this bond. I don’t want to just leave her and go away, especially since this is her childhood and I want to fulfill my duty of being a good “big sister.”</p>
<p>Wow. I well now understand the “family dynamic” and your concerns are wonderfully (and refreshingly) selfless. The choice you face is not all or nothing though, making the decision that much more difficult. And no matter what you do, the dynamics within the family are going to (have to) change. </p>
<p>Suggestion: Forget abstractions or vague ideas of the what the future looks like. Try to think very precisely about what it will mean to leave the Chicago area. </p>
<p>At Carleton: 10 weeks away (fall term), 6 weeks home (Nov-Jan break), 10 weeks away (winter term), 1-2 weeks home (Spring break), 10 weeks away (spring term), 3 months home (summer). When away for those 10 week terms, contact with your sister will take the form of texting/cell phoning/IMing/Facebooking and yes, even web-camming.</p>
<p>Is this enough? Are you comfortable relying on technology to connect the two of you 60% of the time? If you head to UIC, will you realisticallly be able to get home often? Will you have meaningful free time commuting back on weekends or will academic responsibilities interfere? What of the social sacrifices you’ll make?</p>
<p>College is a once in a lifetime offer. Whatever choice you make here will involve compromise. Good luck with whichever path you choose.</p>
<p>@1190
I believe UIC has dorms, so I would not refer to as a commuter school. And like any other school in a metropolitan area, like Depaul or U of C, they have some commuters but I’m sure they have students who are involved.
Thank You</p>
<p>UIC does have dorms, but there are only enough spaces for about 4000 students, and there are about 25000 students, all levels. The last numbers I’ve heard is that for freshman about 50% live on or near campus. Overall, I believe about a quarter to a third live on or near campus. Near campus is defined as living within one mile of campus. Once you consider UIC has two campuses, that is actually a large area. It includes almost all of the near West Side and northern Pilsen.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!
Can you please let me know about how stressful each of the schools will be? Which one will require more rigorous, challenging work? And will this work be manageable, or will it be really stressful?</p>
<p>I don’t want to end up somewhere that has great academics, but that requires me to waste away in my room or the library all the time doing homework only. I want to enjoy college life thoroughly! Please respond soon!</p>
<p>UIC does not have grade inflation. 50% of the class will probably get Cs in the intro classes. Your courses are considered to be some of the easiest courses. If you go to UIC, for your science requirement do not take physics. UIC is into research and writing.</p>