I have been accepted to both Rose Hulman and University of Illinois for Chemical Engineering, and I have gotten scholarships to where Rose Hulman is only $3k more than U of I (in-state). I am aware of the physical differences between the schools, (small school vs very large school, class size, etc,) but it is unclear as to which school would set me up to be more successful in my future. I hope to attend grad school someday and perhaps do something research-related in the Biochemistry field. There aren’t very clear comparisons of the schools that I could find online in terms of prestige, quality of education, or starting salaries, so I was wondering if someone might be able to provide some opinions of the two schools.
Thanks!
UIUC is a powerhouse school for chemistry. Top five in the world. It has a national reputation and very strong chemical engineering programs. If you are leaning towards biochemistry, I might choose UIUC, as long as you do not mind large lectures,are self motivated, and can find your own research projects by advocating for yourself.
Rose Hulman is not really well known outside of the midwest but very very well respected in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Texas etc. It is on the quarter system, so be prepared to work hard. You will have a lot of individual attention at Rose Hullman. There are no PhD students so there is a lot less research on campus. You will get a fine engineering job and can get into graduate school, but if you want a PhD I might pick UIUC for the overall research focus.
UIUC is much more of a party school, but has plenty of very serious students too. You will be more on your own to figure out what to do at UIUC.
Rose Hulman, no one falls through the cracks. Students are very well supported. There is a balance of theoretical and hands on work. You may learn the basics better at Rose Hullman if you tend to
be unfocused.
If you are razor focused, know what you want, and can advocate for yourself to find research on campus, UIUC may suit you.
Thank you so much–that is really helpful!