I am an international student and I was admitted by UMass Amherst and UIUC. I want to hear your advice!
UMass Amherst
pros: Directly admitted to computer science major(top 25 nationally ranked) and the Commonwealth Honors College with 12,000/yr merit aid. Might cost about 35k~38k/yr.
Cons: Not overall ranked well. May not well recognized if I come back to my country.
UIUC
Pros: CS ranked top 5. Internationally recognized.
Cons: Admitted to Stats&CS major in College of Liberal Arts and Science instead of CS in College of Engineering. Might seek internal transfer. Cost around 56k/yr.
Money is important so I wonder if the extra cost in UIUC would worth it in terms of job placement, education and etc.
UMass is cheaper and you’re already in the major you want. I don’t really see a benefit of going to UIUC, particularly if you have low chances of transferring into the major later.
Stats and CS is the next best option to CS at UIUC. However, I’ve heard that courses are hard to come by (too much demand, not enough classes) so I would confirm that you would get the same priority and access to classes as a CS student enrolled in COE (or any COE student). The additional cost may be worthwhile if affordable (no debt).
If your main concern is how well your degree is recognized back in your home country, then I would pick UIUC. It most likely will not matter to your employer that your degree was from CS in A&L instead of CS in SoE.
If your main concern is the quality of your education and/or you plan to go to go to grad school in the US, I would pick UMass as you’re in the major you want, it’s cheaper, and going to UIUC won’t help you get into grad school.
PS. Grad school rankings do NOT reflect the quality of the undergraduate programs.
“Grad school rankings do NOT reflect the quality of the undergraduate programs.” (#6)
They are certainly not designed to do so or stated as doing so by those who compose them. In some ways, they are among the most misleading rankings reported in this forum.
To me it’s a no-brainer: UMass Amherst CS is very strong AND you got Commonwealth Honors college.
The price differential isn’t worth it - you’ll have every opportunity to succeed there.
In addition, UIUC is going through financial problems, meaning larger classes and cutbacks on the number of sections ie., registration issues for those not in the major and not in Honors.
Will industries in your country only look at the university’s name, or will they consider your internships and individual achievements?
If the 80K difference won’t come from loans your parents take for you, then you can look at it differently. Can you parents pay this amount “out of pocket” (without loans)? Will that difference affect siblings’ choices?
In any case:
Congratulations! Those are two awesome programs you got into
@MYOS1634 Yes, money is important but my family is able to afford it, though lower costs would be great. I suppose they are both big, public schools so the class size may be similar. Since I am in an interdisciplinary major which includes CS at UIUC, I could still take courses in that field, perhaps without the priority of an CS student at C of Engineering. I wonder if the “big brand name” of UIUC would draw more career/research opportunities such as company recruiting at career fair. BTW, thank you for your comments!
Commonwealth Honors makes the difference though in my opinion: smaller, interactive classes, better dorm, priority registration.
If you have neither priority registration nor major designation, your odds of being able to take the classes you want are low. Illinois has not had a budget in 8 months. Cuts are being made, meaning larger classes and even greater competition to get into the major you want. Right now you’re one of many " undecideds", which is good if you are indeed undecided but not good if you want a specific major where you’ll have to compete for the few remaining spots, with a high likelihood of not getting it. In my opinion it’s safer to take CD at Umass: the program enjoys an enviable reputation on the East Coast, you’re in, and you have Commonwealth Honors.
UIUC and UMass are both excellent for computer science. Neither could really be said to be better than the other. However, you have been directly admitted to the program of your choice at UMass.
For computer engineering, UICC is extremely highly regarded, but this is not an expressed interest of yours.
Both schools are categorized as "more selective" by USNWR. Within this general category, UIUC appears to be significantly more selective than UMass.
Princeton Review has decided that UICC is the number one party school in the nation.
