Northwestern EECS vs UIUC

Colleges and Universities A-Z Northwestern University
1

<p>I'm hoping to attend either UIUC or NU next year for computer engineering, and was wondering if anyone here had any experience in that particular field of engineering at NU. I really prefer Northwestern, but compE is generally seen as NW's worst engineering study, and it's one of UofI's strongest. I'm really hesitant to drop an extra $120k on a school with a noticeably less prestigious program.</p>

<p>For me, the pro's have been:
Higher overall school quality, should I choose to switch majors.
Smaller class sizes with far fewer ta's than UIUC
Smaller school size and better school atmosphere at NU
Students seem more enthusiastic about attending than UofI's</p>

<p>And the cons:
Lower ECE reputation compared to UofI
Probablly worse job prospects compared to UofI
Paying 55k/yr (minus 2k for National Merit, but still...) at NU vs 25k at UIUC</p>

<p>Any thoughts from current ECE students (preferably upperclassmen/grads). How are the facilities, the professors, the classes?</p>

<p>Thanks for reading/responding.</p>

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<p>Superlaxman - Well, looking at the bright side, you really can’t go wrong. My D narrowed her choice down to U of I and NU also, and decided on NU, for pretty much all the reasons you gave, though she graduated in Chem E not electrical. NU gave her more money, and it was actually cheaper for her to go to NU than U of I. Something to keep in mind, and whatever you decide, good luck.</p>