<p>Hi everyone, I got accepted to both University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and Illinois Institute of Technology and I dont know which one to pick.
I want to study both Computer Science and Japanese ( although it is not offered in IIT and is my deam since I was little to learn this language)
I am leaning more towards UIUC but the thing that is stopping me is the money.
I reciently got my permanent residency and I couldnt file For FAFSA on time so I didnt get
the MAP grant and I got little Financial Aid from the University so in order to attend UIUC I have to get about 12000 in loans the first year ( but I think it will only be for the first year because next year I will aplly for FAFSA on time and get more money), Also UIUC didnt accept me in the college of Engineering ( only in the College of general education) so Im planning on transfering next year.</p>
<p>On the other side IIT is offering me a full ride for the next 4 years!!, although They dont offer Japanese nor the Campus Experience. Also It doesnt have as good ranking in Computer Science as UIUC.</p>
<p>So I dont know What to pick, Is UIUC really worth the loans? ( lets say that I finish my degree with 40000 in loans - a little exagerated)</p>
<p>To me, if finances were not an issue, and unless you want the big city experience, UIUC is such a great school and experience, that to me it would be an easy choice. That said, I knew people who went to IIT, and received a strong education, so I do not think there is a bad choice here, given your financial constraints. On the transfer thing, make sure you go in with your eyes open about possible challenges with transferring. </p>
<p>What about wither doing two years at IIT/UIC/community college and then transferring, or deferring UIUC admission for a year. Taking on $40K of debt is not to be taken lightly. Also, any chance to appeal your financial aid personally to the financial aid office at UIUC?</p>
<p>Disclaimer – I grew up in Chicago (in the city) and went to UIUC…now live in CA. I am not an expert on IIT, so others may want to weigh in. The broad education you get at UIUC, plus the big campus, Big Ten experience amounted to 4 of the best years of my life. </p>
<p>Thanks for your help, I already contacted the Financial Aid office and they said that they cant help me this year, but next year will be different because of my FAFSA, the only thing that they can offer is job inside the campus to help pay for my loans, wile studying.</p>
<p>Also do you think I could make the money to pay that loan fast with a degree in UIUC?</p>
<p>UIUC is a really great school. Since you have residency now perhaps before you go into your second semester is it possible that you can file for FASA again?</p>
<p>I think a degree from UIUC will help, but $40K is a lot to pay off…with interest, paying ~$10,000 per year to pay off in ~5 years (which would require ~$15K of pre-tax income income after taxes) is a lot of income to pay vs the deal you have at IIT. This will be money you could have used to buy your first home. </p>
<p>But if you think your loan is max $40K (you indicate it was exaggerated), it may not be too bad – on my first reading I thought you were OOS and paying that much for 1 year through loans. I think I earned a lot more than an incremental $40K in my career thanks to what I learned at UIUC, and the reputation does not hurt. Also, how do you feel about the IIT experience vs the UIUC experience overall, aside from academics and career futures? IIT may even be a better experience depending on what you like. </p>
<p>You also need to think about how valuable it is to you personally to be able to spend your freshman/sophomore years at a place like UIUC…much easier to meet friends as a freshman. I think a big value is in the UIUC experience if it is what you are looking for, not only in the added income it will bring downstream. From a purely financial perspective, I think your best bet may be to start at IIT and then try to transfer later if still interested, so you get the best overall solution. Being a transfer student is not ideal, but may be the right trade-off for you, and no need to transfer later if you like IIT, which is a fine school. </p>
<p>This is an important decision, so think it through carefully. I’d carefully weigh any other input you receive here. Good Luck…let us know what you decide!</p>