Just to throw out a few points to consider:
Here in MA state colleges are the schools of choice for teachers in training. They actually offer better-targeted training and placement along with lower cost.
Your daughter can start at NIU and if she doesn’t like it, or starts to feel it’s limited, she can always transfer to UIUC or another larger university. Or, if she decides she doesn’t want to teach, then she can transfer for a better school for her major. Sort of the community college cost reducing approach but with a good 4 year college.
Have you talked to UIUC about NIU’s more generous offer? They may offer something to close the gap if you/she just don’t feel comfortable “settling” for NIU.
As for Spanish, it’s a terrific choice for teaching, since it’s the most popular foreign language offered. And, she should definitely look into bilingual education certification too to be more versatile.
I doubt that UIUC is going to even consider NIU’s offer to her. There are a gazillion high-stats kids ready and willing to pay full price at UIUC - UIUC doesn’t need to negotiate with one of the smaller state schools for their high-stats students. .
And NIU is not “settling”. Plenty of students in the Chicago area go to NIU and graduate and get good jobs afterward.
NIU is a good school! Most people in the Chicago area know this - I really doubt a degree from NIU, in education, or anything else, really, is going to hold anyone back.
I’m puzzled – what do you think that UIUC would offer her that she can’t get at NIU?
My son is a graduate of a Cal State campus (the 2nd tier, directional colleges her in California). He was a NM Finalist and started out at an elite private, turning down a spot in at the flagship campus (UC Berkeley) - but that didn’t work out and he later took ended up at the Cal State as a transfer. He ended up with an incredible opportunity with a competitive selection process there that he could not have gotten and would never have been selected for at another campus – sometimes it is very good to be in a setting where a reasonably strong but not amazing student has the ability to stand out.
We could not ever have anticipated that going in --but the point is, the “best” school in terms of reputation is not always the “best” in terms of the quality of education the individual student would get.
Seems to me that all arrows in your d’s case are pointing one way, and your daughter obviously pretty smart in figuring that out. Send her to NIU and be proud. She is not “settling” --she has been presented with a good opportunity and is making a very smart choice. (And yes, do visit UIUC again …it will help your daughter get closure when she visits again and can look around for all the reasons she is glad she is not going there. )
NIU has many alums teaching in Illinois - it is a very decent school. Sure, it is not the flagship but in size and research reputation, it is on par in some rankings with some states’ flagships. There is a cute downtown with surprisingly good restaurants.
Her teachers are giving her good advice. In my state there are fewer young people going into teaching and they are getting jobs right out of college. I would not advise anyone to attend an expensive school to pursue an education degree unless they were able to get a very large merit award. If your daughter really likes the less expensive school, it should be an easy decision to send her there.
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