Illinois State University vs. University of Illinois (Chicago) vs. DePaul University? (HELP PLEASE)!

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Well, right now I'm in community college, going the route of saving money by taking gen. eds and then transferring over to a 4 year school. I want to major in FINANCE. My family immigrated from South Africa (they were originally from the Soviet Union) to the United States about 6 years ago. We never really knew the customs of college selection in the United States since SA only had like 2 big universities. My sister went straight to DePaul university without applying anywhere else because not a lot of other places had an Actuarial Science degree. She didn't do any college visits, didn't compare with other schools, just went straight there. I, with the same mentality, didn't visit any colleges or anything during highschool and only now do I see my mistakes...</p>

<p>DEPAUL UNIVERSITY - Promised my sister job opportunities, she didn't get anything. She said the professors didn't really care to help the students (similar to big state school stereotypes) since they were more devoted to their research. Only pleasant thing I've heard from her is that the campus is pretty and in a comfortable location. The school never gave her any good connections or internships. She had to find all those on her own even though that is what this school promised. The internet has mixed views about this school. BUT IT COSTS $34,790.00! Only getting bigger every year..</p>

<p>So now I'm conflicted. Every single penny of my college tuition will be part of a loan that I will have to pay off. I obviously want the cheapest choice but with a good education as well. So I started researching other colleges...</p>

<p>UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS (CHICAGO) - I look at the ratings, and they are almost the same as DePaul! Some even claim that this school is better than DePaul! But I heard that this place looks like a jail cell with teachers that don't care about their students (but why does it matter if DePaul teachers are supposedly the same?). They refer to this place as a glorified community college. Their website looks like it was designed by a highschool freshman. Other people say that this college is more worth the price than DePaul, and the difference in education quality and rating is not worth paying almost triple the price for DePaul. The price of this college is about: $13,000.</p>

<p>But then I look at US NEWS. Behold, ISU somehow gets a higher spot that UIC! I start digging further...</p>

<p>ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY - I avoided researching this school altogether because of the negative nickname that it got in highschool. They said the abbreviation ISU really meant "I screwed up." I believed that this school was for people below mediocrity that just needed kind of degree but were really looking for an institution to get high, drunk, and party. But somehow this school got ahead of UIC in rating on US News for 2015. But then on Forbes, this school is like 200 spots below UIC. Logic? This college also costs about $13,000.</p>

<p>Generally speaking, I am pretty sure that DePaul University is still the best choice out of these 3 schools. It is private, classrooms are smaller, and the campus is prettier with more activities and events. BUT, if I go to DePaul I will have a hefty loan on my back right out of college. Furthermore, my parents refuse to take a loan out for me to live at or near DePaul because of the high price. This means I would have to commute for about 1.25 hours. They WOULD however take out a living loan if I go to schools that cost as cheap as ISU or UIC. So I'm wondering if DePaul is really worth that price tag for what it offers compared to its cheaper counterparts? Is the difference between DePaul and these 2 state schools really that great? Is it worth the commute and a tuition that costs double? But lastly, how would you compare specifically ISU and UIC since people's and website's opinions vary GREATLY depending on where you look?</p>

<p>I will appreciate any input that you give. Thank you.</p>

2

<p>I have the same question. My son applied to UIC with early action and was accepted. But now I am also wondering about Illinois State because they have gone up in the rankings. We need to keep costs low which is why UIC seemed like a wise choice. We visited their open house and didn’t feel that it looked like a jail cell. The students there appeared quite happy in fact. Also may consider Bradley if offered any discounts. Does anyone here have any thoughts on UIC who currently attend or have recently visited? Or a recent opinion of Illinois State? I feel DePaul is why outside our budget. Thank you.</p>

3

<p>Full disclosure: I go to University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Depaul is not in the same ballpark as UIC and ISU and you should thus expect to pay significantly more. However, your job prospects will be significantly better. Depaul is only second to basically UChicago and Northwestern in terms of recruitment and neither of those schools have undergraduate business programs. Thus, you will almost certainly find a solid job at DePaul. </p>

<p>After that, I would definitely lean highly toward UIC. Your job prospects are going to come from Chicago most likely and being right in the city is an enormous networking advantage. For example, I have friends that intern for fortune 500 companies and the big four while they attend school - not only is the money significantly better than what you would make working a typical campus job but you also can end up turning that into an opportunity. DePaul and UIC both have that advantage over a school such as UIUC that has a much stronger brand yet is a 2-hour drive from Chicago.</p>

4

<p>If you do not want to pay for DePaul, look at Northern Illinois in DeKalb. It is the same price as ISU and UIC, and the business department, particularly accounting, is higher ranked. There are plenty of NIU business grads working in the loop.</p>

5

UIC’s b-school is ranked slightly higher than DePaul, though slighter lower in the overall rankings. On the whole, the buildings might be nicer at DePaul and classes might be smaller, but I wouldn’t consider UIC’s buildings “jail-like”. Their business building is actually pretty nice. Neither school can guarantee you a job or an internship, but you’ll have similar opportunities either of them. I don’t think ISU is well known for business.

6

I had a similar situation. ISU had a horrible reputation, and alot of people I knew transferred from there. UIC and Depaul are more adult or career oriented campuses for what you may be looking for. Depaul seemed like a great campus. But that’s where the jobs and internships are going to be. UIUC would also be a great choice…If you put in the work and work you’re butt off lol. The downside is it’s more competitive going to big ten school to get that internship in Chicago…I’ve been there haha.