<p>I'm really interested in 2 universities, but I'm having difficulty differentiating my likes/dislikes between them. Could anyone give some current student/alumni feedback?</p>
<p>I'm looking at:
1. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Honors Bioengineering)</p>
<ol>
<li>Lehigh University (Bioengineering)</li>
</ol>
<p>Here's a quick bio of me:</p>
<p>As you can see, I'm interested in science and engineering, but in my future, I definitely want to go into business (grad school and career.) For some reason, the corporate world entices me. I absolutely LOVE traveling and am obsessed with discovering and immersing myself into new cultures, so a strong study abroad program is important to me. Also, in terms of proximity, Lehigh is the closest school to me, while UIUC is 10+ hours away. Distance of the schools is a bigger factor for my parents, but I still have to consider it. I want to have a truly enlightening academic experience in college, mostly because I feel high school hasn't matured me enough as an individual and hasn't granted me enough opportunities to truly express myself and understand what really makes me tick. I also care a lot about recruiting, because I want a good job out of college as soon as I can (of course, not always a guarantee.) And lastly, I care about a good social scene. I'm not the type of person who locks himself in his room 24/7 to study, I want to meet new people and enjoy life like you're supposed to in college. Even if I want to make academic success a priority for the next 4 years, I still want to have fun in college and cherish the "best years of my life." </p>
<p>Thank you so much, all your advice is GREATLY appreciated.</p>
<p>For Engineering I see no reason to pass on UIUC unless Lehigh is lest costly. Getting away from home and experiencing a different environment would be great for growing as a person and Urbana-Champaign is a cool college town with frats/sororities on the one hand and a “hippie ghetto” nearby on the other. Big 10 sports (if you are into that) are also available and a pretty cool music/college radio scene.</p>
<p>Go with the Illini, if you aren’t afraid of big schools. UIUC is an awesome school with a fabulous engineering program. Did they accept you into their Bioengineering program? It is very difficult to get into as a freshmen, and impossible to transfer into later. UIUC is also encouraging engineering students to study abroad. Did they send you an application to apply for reduced tuition while abroad? If you plan to study engineering and graduate in four years, you need to discuss with your advisor asap and be sure to take the right classes beginning with your first semester freshmen year! UIUC has mostly in-state kids, but midwestern people are extremely friendly and down to earth. Engineering deans are great and easy to talk to. No elitism at this school.</p>
<p>Yes! I got accepted into the Honors Bioengineering program, and I applied to the international engineers study abroad scholarship. UIUC is about $7k cheaper than Lehigh, so that’s a big plus. I want to do engineering in undergrad, but I really want to do business post-grad and for my graduate studies. Another BIG factor is job recruitment, I know I’ll have a good chance of getting a job getting out of Lehigh or UIUC, but what type of companies recruit out of those schools? Does anyone know or know where I can find that information?</p>