<p>I have been mulling this question over for the last 2 months now! and I must come to a decision now, if i want to get my visa in time!
I am going for Civil Engg.
Although Austin is ranked higher (#5 - USNews) than NWU (#12 - usnews);
NW is tempting because of its urban locality (Chicago!!!!) and I think with such universities, the quality of education can never be "bad"
If cost is not an issue... which living experience would you rate higher? Austin or Chicago?</p>
<p>You can’t go wrong with either choice. Both are excellent schools for what you are wanting to study. Austin is urban too, just not to the same degree that Chicago is. A huge difference is going to be the weather. Austin will be very hot in the summer and beautiful the rest of the year. Chicago will be bitterly cold and snowy (except this past year, which was very mild) in the winter and generally pleasant the rest of the year. Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>I’ve lived in the Chicago area and I’ve lived in Austin, and I would rate the “living experience” highly in both places. I would personally rate Austin higher than Evanston as a college town (your mileage may vary). The weather is great for most of the school year, there’s stuff going on everywhere and it’s easy to get around, the vibe is laid-back and relaxed, the campus is gorgeous … Nothing against Northwestern or Evanston. But, heck, there’s enough information online to get a feel for the differences between the two places. Austin is plenty urban, as another poster pointed out. I take it you’re an international?</p>
<p>rjag</p>
<p>I have a question for you – in your mind, what is the difference between being ranked #5 in USNWR and being ranked #12? (we need an answer other than “7”). At the end of the day, both are excellent engineering schools. And if we think these numbes do mean anything, how do we factor in that overall as a university, NU is ranked 12 and UT is, I think 46.</p>
<p>(All of this begs the question as to whether USNWR’s ranking methodology is correct to begin with)</p>
<p>The real thing here is that each school has a distinct character, as do Evanston and Austin. I that some would prefer NU and others UT at the end of the day.</p>
<p>@zephyr: The truth is, the coursework at Austin is a little better than that at NW. n yes exactly, while NW is always ranked in 10-20, Austin is ranked anywhere between 3-150!
(In Engineering Grad schools its always in the top 10 though)
But you see, in Indian Grad Students, there is huge hype about UT Austin. Like giving up austin for anything less than Stanford, is almost criminal! 
Hence the hesitation in choosing NW… so would like your opinions on this … :)</p>
<p>@absweetmarie: Yes I am an international. (Mumbai, India) Will be in US for the first time. n Mumbai is a huge city. Although i love small cities (Lucerne, swiss) i am not sure if I will be able to take it for 2-3 years without the buzz and the chaos :D. Hence the inclination towards Chicago (NW).</p>
<p>@Momm : Thanks :)</p>
<p>There’s plenty of buzz in Austin. There’s no way, absolutely no way whatsoever, that you could be bored there. But, yes, the Austin buzz is much different from the buzz of a big urban center such as Chicago. There’s really very little comparison. </p>
<p>Please do understand, though, that Evanston is suburban. It’s a great town in and of itself, and it touches Chicago on the city’s northern border, but parts of Evanston could easily be 10 or 15 miles away from something you might want to do in the city proper.</p>