Help:( UIUC or UW-Madison? Major?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Wisconsin
1

<p>Took this from the college search forum because I figured you guys might be able to help me out more. </p>

<p>So I don't really even know what I want to major in. I'm a senior in high school right now and all I know is I love math. I'm taking Calculus 3 with my high school enrolled at U of I, as well as AP Statistics. I got a 5 on my BC Calc exam and therefore a 5 on my AB subscore as well.
I've always kind of planned on being an actuary, and I'm interested in finance, at the same time, math is my strongest asset and I don't want to not ever take another math class after Calc III. I see U of I offers courses like linear algebra applied to finance and things like that- I dont know what kind of major would involve that class but that's the type of thing that interests me. Basically my major and minor would probably be some combination of Actuarial Sciences, Finance, Mathematics, or Statistics.</p>

<p>I want to have fun in college, and I know they're both alright schools party-wise but obviously Madison takes the cake there.</p>

<p>Then again, I live in Illinois and my parents locked in the tuition rates for UIUC a couple years back which is a HUGE factor, but they want the best possible college for me so it's not a determining one.</p>

<p>Think I can get any scholarships to either place? I'm well off but I have a 35 ACT (36superscored) and over a 4.0 - only real extracurricular though is rugby...</p>

<p>I'd REALLLYYY appreciate any insight.</p>

<p>What other schools do you recommend I apply to???</p>

<p>I'd really appreciate any suggestions in or around the Midwest.</p>

<p>Is Michigan a good option? </p>

<p>Financial situation:
Basically my family is probably comfortable paying maybe 11k a year for me? My dad did not do a 529 plan he invested in what's called 'College Illinois!' which meant he pretty much prepaid for college 5 years ago, when tuition rates were nearly identical between illinois public colleges, so now I can go to any college in Illinois for that 6k a year or whatever it was that he paid 5 years ago even though U of I, for example is way more expensive than that now. The program doesn't work like that anymore, so we kind of got lucky if I do decide to go in Illinois.</p>

<p>The thing is, I would TOTALLY be willing to take out student loans to make up the difference of whatever my family can't cover, I really don't want to rule anything out because of money:/ I want to choose the perfect college.</p>

<p>My family makes ~120k a year</p>

<p>I DEFINITELY prefer large with sports. I've visited U of I and Madison and I like both campuses but UWM is prettier for sure, and I love the environment there ( don't get me wrong I don't mind U of I) </p>

<p>Did some tuition research, am i right in thinking that UW-M is like 10k more expensive for me a year as a non-resident? </p>

<p>Do you think there's any chance I could attain this scholarship to Wisconsin based on my somewhat lacking credentials? I'm guessing I need more than a 35 ACT and rugby to be considered. </p>

<p>Scholarships@UW-Madison</a> - Scholarship Detail</p>

<p>I was wondering, though, if my sister battling cancer for a few years now would play into any scholarship or aid benefits? Like I seriously hate to "milk" my families situation but it really has been a really tough experience for me and my family and obviously it's effected us financially (not so much that I think I would qualify for aid) and made me grow. Just wondering. </p>

<p>Thanks ahead of time,
Joe</p>

2

<p>As much as I like UW I will not tell you it is a better choice for you simply due to the financial burden. It is not worth giving up the instate tuition to attend UW over UIUC for you. Both schools are strong in math and at the undergrad level both will give you good courses in the fields you mention. Regardless of your stats you can’t count on any merit aid at UW. Your sister’s health will impact your family finances and not give you the edge in getting more aid from UW than UIUC. Michigan is likely to be more costly for you than UW. The tuition you would pay instate makes it the favored choice.</p>

<p>Since the cost of applying isn’t huge you could apply to UW as well as UIUC. Later you can find out how much and in what form any aid would be and make the financial decision based on that. I wouldn’t borrow significant funds since your instate school is comparable.</p>

<p>With your credentials you may even want to see if you can get a similar cost at some of the elite private schools. Places with strong math such as MIT might even be within your reach- no guarantees of acceptance, however. Discuss options with your HS guidance counselor soon as application deadlines come up sooner for those schools. A look at the USN&WR rankings for grad school math programs will tell you some good schools to consider for your undergrad education.</p>

3

<p>Wow, Joe, a dilemma but in the end, trust me–the result will be good either way. No bad choice here.</p>

<p>Both my D’s were accepted to UIUC in-state. D1 decided to attend Iowa–she loved it and is in med school now, and the other is presently a sophomore at UW-Madison, and she is equally happy there. In fact, I would venture to say that for D2–a very talented, driven non-follower type–Wisconsin was a perfect fit.</p>

<p>Would they have done well academically at UIUC? Probably, they’re both high achievers. But for whatever reason, neither felt a connection to the campus and/or the town. And each of them had many friends there as well.</p>

<p>No doubt, as a parent speaking, I could have saved tens of thousands of dollars–maybe approaching six figures–by forcing them to attend UIUC, which is really a great institution in many ways. But wife & I worked hard, sacrificed vacations, etc., so that they COULD have a choice. And so far it’s worked out.</p>

<p>Only you, Joe, can determine if UW-Madison is worth the extra dough. And you’re basically correct in that UW-Madison OOS is 10K/yr more than UIUC in-state, maybe a little more in that UIUC locks in tuition costs for freshmen. If it’s down to those 2 schools, I would advise making multiple trips to Champaign & Madison, in different weather & during the week sometimes if you can, to help you with your decision, and you’ve got a few months since the “drop-dead” date is May 1. You will have to place dorm deposits down at each place, though. Apply to both and read everything closely. </p>

<p>Good luck to you, and with your family situation as well.</p>

4

<p>Go to Illinois and save your money for graduate school. You won’t regret it.</p>

5

<p>Or putting it another way, the only reason to choose UI over UW would be to save money.</p>

6

<p>You can apply to UW see what scholarhips you are offered, and be sure to see which you have to be proactive to apply to, but in the end if you are talking $40 or $50k it is a nobrainer to go to UIUC and did you say it is alreay paid for to boot? Sounds like you could be headed to grad school, UIUC will get you there-- and UW is a great option for that if it fits your grad school aims, and I know you will have choices at other schools too, and if your father saves that much on UG, he can help you with grad school.</p>