<p>Ok, so here's my story: I recently received a full tuition scholarship to Iowa State University and had resigned myself to going there to graduate debt free. But a twist comes and I am admitted to UIUC, a university statistically impossible school for someone with my GPA and ACT scores to get into. I am below the middle 50% ACT wise. My GPA is good but I have mostly taken honors math and science classes, while most of my AP classes are in social studies. So if I were to attend UIUC I would have 20K-30k in loans and would have to get a job. I believe my GPA and ACT scores don't reflect what I am capable of ,however, I am concerned that I may not be capable of graduating with a 3.0 GPA when I hear how tough the classes are and when I see that kids with higher stats being admitted. I just don't know if I could handle the pressure and competition of going to UIUC. SO if you wise CCers could help me come to a conclusion that would be greatly appreciated. Oh and my major is Industrial Engineering.</p>
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<p>Methinks you don’t exactly know what “statistically impossible” means or what a percentile is. 25% of the entire student body (that’s 1 in 4 students at UIUC) fall below that middle 50%. Have a little confidence. Your test scores are apparently as good as 1 in 4 students at UIUC. Also realize that ACT scores are not necessarily a great predictor of academic ability. They are just okay at it.</p>
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<p>Being a UIUC alumnus myself, I am certainly a bit biased toward it, but Iowa State is not exactly a slouch of a school. It is a very good engineering school, so I wouldn’t exactly expect the classes there to be easy. UIUC certainly may be a bit more rigorous with a slightly higher testing undergraduate body, but you will find a lot of quality students at Iowa State, too.</p>
<p>The bigger concern here should be the price. A full ride is nothing to laugh at, especially to a good program like Iowa State. Yes, UIUC may be a “better” school, but going to school scot-free is quite an incentive. $20k to $30k in loans is really not that much in the grand scheme of things, but if you also would have to take a job during school, that’s a lot of time eaten up by working that you could otherwise be studying or enjoying your life with all the friends you will inevitably meet. Is this really something you are willing to do?</p>
<p>Again, I am quite the fan of UIUC for obvious reasons, but you really need to sit there and think about whether it is worth having to take a job or if there is any way to get around doing that. You can likely pay back that $20k to $30k in a few years after graduating if you are smart with your money, so it’s the job during school that would concern me. That said, there were plenty of people that had jobs during school who did just fine, but they were obviously markedly more busy than those of us who didn’t have them.</p>
<p>Is it $20,000 to $30,000 of loans over four years, or per year (total $80,000 to $120,000)?</p>
<p>TBH, even if it was just 30k over four years, not having that debt lifts a tremendous burden. I will grad from my MS next December with a bit over 40K in loans and will be paying at least $500/mth for. like. ever. That’s like a BMW, or a nicer house, or a great vacation. If I would have had the choice w/ no debt, I would have taken it in a heartbeat. I’m IE at NC State btw.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice and yes it is 20-30K over four years. And the main reason I would get a job at UIUC is that the cost of living would be higher not because I would have to pay a bill. Also, I guess I assumed that because UIUC is a top 5, while Iowa State is a top 50 that it would be a harder school. I apologize if I offended anyone. And could any of you talk about the social scene, what professors are like, and the internship/job opportunities at each school?</p>
<p>The issue isn’t that you offended anyone. I am just trying to let you know that it isn’t exactly going to be a cakewalk at Iowa State, either. I’ve never attended ISU, so I have no idea how hard the classes are compared to UIUC, but I know that it is a good school.</p>
<p>I can tell you that the social scene at UIUC is very diverse and you can pretty much find a group of people who share some interests to hang out with no matter what type of person you are. The Greek scene is huge, but contrary to what some people may have you believe, the social scene does not revolve around it and myself and most of my friends were not part of the Greek system and got along just fine and had plenty to do.</p>
<p>Both schools should have plenty of internship opportunities.</p>
<p>As for professors, that will depend a lot on the department, so I don’t really know what to tell you there.</p>
<p>Iowa State has a really strong engineering program. Even though I live and work (as an engineering manager) in NJ, I’ve had several Iowa State EE or CS grads work for me, and they are great engineers. </p>
<p>UIUC obviously is also a great program, and is somewhat better known that Iowa State. I really don’t think you would go wrong either way. Congrats on having two such great choices.</p>
<p>When you say that you would have to work if you went to UIUC, do you mean during the school year? And if so, how many hours per week? Engineering school is very challenging, so I would be hesitant to take on a heavy work load during the semester, since it might interfere with having enough time for your studies.</p>
<p>If you have concerns about either program, also look at what GPA you need to maintain at either school to keep the scholarship moolah flowing. If Iowa wants a 3.0 but UIUC wants, say, 3.25, then… Also, look at moolah for summer since the best way to do it GPA wise is to easen up the load and take one or two classes in the summer (like community college type electives).</p>
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<p>Or you could get an internship, make $10k that summer that you could apply toward school, not pay tuition and get job experience that will be invaluable on your resume when it comes time for graduation.</p>
<p>My uncle, a Stanford PhD, engineering dept. chair and owner of a private sector company was discussing my son’s choices for schools. Although he’s fond of Stanford for graduate work, he basically told my son (who has the credentials to be competitive to get into Stanford) that he’d likely get a higher quality education if he did his undergraduate at an institution with a great reputation for UNDERGRADUATE engineering instruction. He’s a westerner, but the first school out of his mouth was…you guessed it…Iowa State.</p>
<p>I say take the full tuition scholarship. Just be mindful of the scholarship GPA minimum… engineering GPA can be low, especially freshman year. Good luck!</p>
<p>At UIUC I would probably work 10-15 hours a week, but I might even do that at Iowa State as well because I heard students with jobs tend to have higher GPAs because it requires time management skills, something I lack in high school. Also, the full tuition scholarship at Iowa State requires a 2.5 GPA. I talked to my mom and she thinks I should take the money as well because she thinks I will do better there and would make friends easily. She also said that if I really didn’t like it there I could just transfer to UIUC because its not like I would be out anything. So do you know what kind of grades I would need to transfer and whether it would be harder for me? Or should I not worry about that? Anyway, I hope it won’t come to that; all I want out of college is the social life I didn’t have in high school, good academics, good food, and great internship/job prospects.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that transferring is very difficult, especially at UIUC. I believe transfer admission is more difficult than the original admission for engineering at UIUC.</p>
<p>I really don’t think making friends should be a factor here. You will do that fine at either school (and if you already dislike the Hawkeyes, this will be even easier at both schools). This factor is essentially a wash between the two. It all comes down to money, fit, and balancing those with how much you value the school’s reputation.</p>
<p>Have you visited both schools? If not, I suggest you do that.</p>
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You’re misjudging cause and effect. It’s more likely that those that already have time management skills will be successful, not that those with a heavier workload will improve their performance.</p>
<p>As a general rule, success depends on the person far more than on the school. The main strength of top schools is their ability to pick out those that will further their legacy.</p>
<p>I would jump at the Iowa State opportunity in a heartbeat! No debt! No job required! I think you’re underestimating how hard it is to work and go to engineering school at the same time. Yes, I know a lot of people do it, but it’s hard.</p>
<p>I did visit UIUC and I liked the campus, not so much cities. When I went there it was for orange and blue days last year and I liked how the campus felt bustling and all the cool, diverse things available on campus. I did feel a tad overwhelmed with the bus system, but I can appreciate the fact that it will prepare me for life in Chicago, I know I will definitely live there. I will visit again. Anyway, I will also visit ISU in January, weather permitting, but I have seen videos of it and the campus looks nice and it seems like academic buildings are less spread out than UIUC. The biggest things stopping me from choosing ISU is the small town vibe, the distance, lack of diversity, and the feeling like I would be missing out on something great. UIUC was always my dream school and now that I got in I can’t help but feel like this is my chance to shine, to show myself and peers that I can do great things even though I’m not the top of the class. I know this is probably going to sound terrible, but I do want the prestige. But I guess I should stop trying to be a snob. Anyway, I want to say thank you to all that replied, I appreciate your candidness boneh3ad.</p>
<p>Well there’s something to be said about where you’d feel most comfortable, too. Generally you will perform better if you are happy, so if you feel you’d be happier at UIUC, it’s something to seriously consider. Ultimately there is no set equation for how to decide these things. It’s highly personal, especially when talking about “fit”. It sounds like you’d feel more comfortable at UIUC. Only you can properly weigh that fact with the rest of the factors for you. My advice is to visit ISU if possible to get a feel for it. After that if you still feel a lot more comfortable at UIUC, you will be able to make a much more informed decision.</p>
<p>PS: the bus system really isn’t hard after a week or two on campus.</p>
<p>One bigger issue is that the engineering department at UIUC doesn’t follow the same SAT/ACT guidelines as the whole school. When I applied for engineering a couple years back, they told me over the phone that the average engineering ACT score was between 33 and 34.</p>
<p>I agree with post #14 that you are misinterpreting what you might have heard about GPAs and working. You aren’t going to magically get better time management skills just because you have a job. It will take time and effort to build those skills.</p>
<p>Would the job be work-study and hence on-campus, and where your hours would be scheduled based upon not interfering with classes? Or would it be off-campus, requiring additional time for transportation? I think trying to work more than 10 hours/week (counting transportation time) as an engineering student would be risky.</p>
<p>Just a side note here, $20-30k in loans might sound like a lot of money to you now at 17 or 18 years old, but it is relatively trivial once you start working. You’re basically getting a college degree (which will benefit you for the rest of your life) for the price of a modest new car…</p>
<p>I say follow your instincts. Which school do you personally like better? Both are good schools, and both will give you what you need to land a great job. It’s a matter of preference at this point.</p>
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<p>Yes, you should. Snobs deserve no respect in my book.</p>