My daughter is trying to decide between these 2 schools. She is looking at studying Biology or Health Sciences for her Undergrad and then proceeding to Grad school for Pharmacy or Dentistry. U of I seems to have a better overall ranking and reputation than University of Missouri . We live in Illinois and are able to get in-state tuition for U of I, however this does not mean very much because of the high instate tuition rates at U of I. My daughter likes both schools equally. She has been offered a partial scholarship at Missouri that would cover 60% of her costs. So, the cost differential between the 2 schools is about $10,000 a year. As a parent or student, does anyone has any insights or thoughts on this dilemma.
Unless one of those universities has already offered her direct admission into pharmacy or dentistry, you can choose the cheapest one. $10,000 x 4 = $40,000 would help pay for the first year of pharm or dent school. Admission to those grad programs is very much numbers based, and the name of the university on her diploma won’t really matter at all.
UIUC seems to have a significantly more positive reputation these days, in most fields. Consider the terms of maintaining the scholarship at Missouri: are there GPA requirements?
I read awhile back that the demand for Pharmacists is tremendous, such that some Pharmacy undergraduates are getting very attractive offers from companies (think CVS) that guarantee a school stipend and a permanent job after graduation. If that’s true then it probably doesn’t make a lot of difference where you matriculate.
I’m sorry, Missouri was my state flagship in high school and I now live in Illinois. I don’t think there is a comparison between the two schools academically. I think Illinois is far better.
They are both good schools. U of I is expensive, even for us in-staters. Double check the details, but Mizzou gives explicit instructions on how to petition for in-state residency after freshman year. Live in the state including summer, 2k in in-state income, etc. I didn’t look at the numbers but it might end up equivalent or less than 4 years at U of I.
If finances matter, ie any loans or extra work needed to pay for things, go with the least expensive option. If money doesn’t matter have her attend the school she most likes. Remember students often change plans as the mature with college experiences.
I agree with happymomof1. Yet, I would visit both schools if possible.
I would also think about your daughter’s personality and your family dynamic. Will she do well, a long distance from home? We’re from the Chicago area and I have a few friends who have daughters at Mizzou. Their daughters like the school, but all stayed on campus the summer of their freshman year to establish residency. The cost savings was fantastic, but it was hard on the parents, who missed their children. Visits are difficult due to the distance.
Whereas, I am grateful I have been able to visit my daughter periodically. UIUC is close enough to make a day trip - lunch, a possible trip to the mall and a grocery store stop. (2.5 hrs there, visit for ~3 hrs, 2.5 hrs back…LOVE it!!)
honey22. we were in the same boat. daughter wants to attend illinois, got in, got the major she wanted but zero financial aid. the answer was easy for us. now she has to decide between Mizzou and Alabama and she just got Deans Engineering scholarship from Mizzou, so that plus the other two scholarships she received might make that decision easier. We just could not justify 50,000 a year for Illinois even though it may be a better school for Engineering. I think school reputation does play a role in success but so do student personality and desire to achieve.
Additionally, Alabama is 8 hours away and Mizzou is only 1.5, she claims she would be too far from home if she went there… haha we will see about that.
PS she is looking for a room mate at Mizzou if your daughter decides to go there
