<p>I'm from the far west suburbs, St. Charles to be exact, and I'm questioning UIUC, overall educations wise. I've already been accepted and I know that UIUC is great for business and engineering but is it worth attending if you're not in either one (I'm in LAS)? I've been talking to alumni from both UIUC and NIU, which is the closest university to me and I would practically be at home if I attended there, and both are vying for their school, of course. I somewhat feel that NIU offers just as much as UIUC, or so it seems. How does UIUC's student body compare to NIU's?</p>
<p>I feel the same way here. Mostly the good reputations that U of I has is in Eng and Bus, not much in anything else. I myself is a strong student and would love to study among my peers. I dont really know if U of I LAS can give me what I want.</p>
<p>NIU does have an extremely strong Accounting Program (just recently ranked 12 in the nation for CPA scores, beating out Illinois) which is a fine alternative to UIUC's. I must admit, overall, NIU's CoB is gaining steam. I absolutely love the atmosphere at UIUC, and NIU does not compare, but I just hope the LAS program is strong . . . but just overshadowed by the the CoB and engineering. Anyone in LAS that can shed some light?</p>
<p>I'm somewhat in the same situtation.
I applyed to UIUC as an art major.
I know the school has limited to no reputation for it's art. </p>
<p>If you're familar with SIUC, I also applied there as an art major. These are the only two in-state schools I applied to. The rest are out of state and truely art schools.</p>
<p>I'm sure I'd pick any art school over SIUC and UIUC, but if I got into no art schools, it'd fall to the two schools.
The two would probably give me the same education.</p>
<p>I'd choose UIUC over SIUC for a few reasons. UIUC is about 3 hours from me, while SIUC is about an hour. I really feel like I want to get away from my town and be somewhere different, and UIUC seems the better choice of the two. UIUC also has a better general reputation around the area. If I were to apply for a job instate, more people would recognize UIUC over SIUC, even if the SIUC major was better. My final decision for UIUC would be because of the campus, the student life, and my friends. I love the quad and the buildings and the city. I'd also prefer a larger school with good athletics to watch. And lastly, I have a couple good friends who I'd enjoy spending 4 more years with.</p>
<p>Sorry for the lengthy reply. Hopefully it helps. Haha</p>
<p>^ Did you apply to SAIC (School of the Art Institute of Chicago) or Columbia College?</p>
<p>But yea, this kinda sucks. : /</p>
<p>Well currently I haven't applied to any art schools yet.
However on my list are RISD, SMFABoston, MICA, and maybe to RMCAD and UArts.
I decided against SAIC because I've read they have a high acceptance rate, but the freshmen dropout rate is around 70%. You either have to be a teacher's favorite, or just skim through.
As for Columbia, I think I missed the deadline. If I could go bck ,I would have started alot ealier. I would have deffinently went for the Brown/RISD five year degree. That would be amazing.</p>
<p>As for NIU, isn't that in like DeKalb up north? And if your from the St. Charles I think, close to St. Louis, wouldnt NIU be farther away?</p>
<p>Yes, De Kalb is in northern Illinois. I'm from St. Charles, IL which is in Kane County. It's right next to Geneva, West Chicago and Batavia along Rt. 64. After those "exurbs" you reach Boofoo Land, haha.</p>
<p>My brother maybe majoring in accounting and he's in the same situation I am. I know UIUC and NIU are great for accounting, but he doesn't really know which school to choose. Any insights?</p>