Northwestern University vs Illinois Tech

Transfer Students
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Hi! Don’t really know where else to ask for advice, but I’m currently a 3rd year college student. Took a gap semester to figure things out.

Some background info: Went to CC, got my associate’s degree in Business/Economics and got accepted to both schools and intended to go to NU this fall 2021 semester. I ended up taking a gap semester instead to figure out what I actually wanted to do. I do want to get my bachelor’s degree in Business and I’m unsure about obtaining my MBA, but maybe sometime far in the future.

NU: I attended the incoming transfer week at NU, made some friends, had a few bad impressions, but overall okay. The impressions that people were giving me because I transferred in from NU sucked, the environment made me realize how privileged people are, and I did not like going on campus. To be fair, I felt like a lot of it was my fault and I left after a week of classes because I had no idea what was going on in my advanced econ classes and had to take a bunch of gen Ed classes after doing that for 2 years and having them count as “fall-through” credits. It felt very useless to me when I just wanted to focus on my major. I also wanted to study Business, but I had to switch over to Economics because they only offer Business Institutions as a minor. I heard the Kellogg Certificates were also hard to get into.

I really liked the campus and it’s beautiful, but it’s an hour and a half by train to get there everyday (and I don’t want to dorm in because of housing costs and I prefer to stay at home). I can drive there, but either way traffic is annoying and it’s just hard to find parking in Evanston, I didn’t feel happy (but then again I felt like I didn’t give it much time at NU). I made a few friends while I was there and it seemed like the students were nice and approachable. My advisors were also really nice too and I could always come back to NU.

Illinois Tech: I’ve been a few times and it’s way closer to me in transportation than NU is. A lot of my friends go there, but I also have a lot of friends at NU. I really like that IIT actually has an undergraduate business program and their IPRO classes, but the only thing that makes me hesitate is how prestige NU is over IIT. The campus definitely isn’t anything comparable to NU as a college campus and I already know what Chicago is like, so that’s not really a big factor for me. The cost is basically the same as attending NU. They count more of my credits as well so I would be taking less gen ed classes and more credits that count towards my major.

The thing I like about Illinois Tech is that I don’t have to be taking useless classes (or at least spend majority of my time at school taking them) and I could just focus on my degree. I also like that it’s way closer in transportation.

I just feel disappointed in myself and feel like I’m disappointing others if I end up not going to NU, but I also feel like I’m capable enough to do it. NU is a really nice school and I know a lot of people would choose it in a heartbeat, but I just feel so hesitant on my decision for both schools. I just want to get my bachelor’s and leave at this point.

tl;dr: Basically I don’t know where to transfer to next semester in the spring (I still have some time to decide) and would like some advice! :slight_smile:

Thank you for all the advice if I do get any lol.

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Edit: I meant transferred in from CC* my bad.

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If you want an undergraduate degree in business, then Illinois Institute of Technology is your only option.

Economics is a very challenging major at Northwestern University.

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There are many schools in between NU and IIT, in terms of selectivity and outcomes.

Have you considered applying to other schools in the Chicagoland area with business majors? DePaul, Loyola, UIC, Lake Forest, NIU could be possible…even for a second semester/next quarter start.

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Hello! Thank you for your reply.

I do want to continue to pursue a degree in business, but the only thing is the prestige stopping me from going to IIT vs NU. Do you think it’s a big deal if I do give up this opportunity especially with a brand school like NU?

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Thank you for your response. I have considered other schools in Chicago, such as those you have listed, but they don’t really appeal to me that much. DePaul is too expensive for me and so is UIC in terms of tuition and scholarships available. Loyola I haven’t really tried to apply to, but it doesn’t really appeal to me and is still quite a distance away commuting.

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Education at IIT is actually excellent. I think that education there is no less than NU, or maybe even better. The problem is this school is not very attractive. Campus is not beautiful, located in the south side where it used to be surrounded by the project housing. You feel like you are in the industrial complex. Rough neighborhood, it’s kind of depressing.
As far as Engineering, this school is very technical, and offers courses that are very unique. I am not sure about Business.

In my opinion, IIT should receive more National recognition. In the 50’s and 60’s IIT was competing with MIT.

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Congratulations on getting into IIT and NU (the latter, in particular, is a strong testament to your achievements and potential). It sounds like you had a less than ideal start at NU and so it is understandable that you feel torn.

What are you hoping to do after college and are you planning to stay in Chicagoland or might you wish to relocate to another part of the country, or even abroad? If, say, you are interested in high finance or strategy consulting, or would like to work in San Francisco, New York City or London, I think NU would open up more opportunities to you.

I am sorry to hear that some NU students were a bit disparaging about your being a transfer student (there are conceited people everywhere and I also experienced the same in graduate school, having gone to a no-name state university for college) but the important thing to remember is that Northwestern administrators see great promise in you. So, I’d suggest that you give NU a chance.

At the same time, I worry that a one-and-half hour commute is not sustainable, as the workload will likely be quite intense and require staying late working with classmates who mostly live on or near campus.

While I understand your disappointment that not all of your GE courses transferred over, you could also view this as an opportunity to 1) reinforce/deepen your understanding of materials you covered in CC courses and 2) explore subjects you’re curious about.

Lastly, don’t hesitate to take advantage of the available resources at NU, both to help with your transition and, if required, academically. And reach out sooner rather than later.

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Since you tried Northwestern and felt overwhelmed academically and uncomfortable socially, and since you want an undergraduate business degree,and because Illinois Tech is more convenient for you, I think that the choice is clear.

Because you are hesitating, I suspect that Northwestern gave you a generous financial aid award and that you are intrigued by the prestige of a Northwestern degree. Assuming that Illinois Tech is equally affordable for you, it seems to be a better fit at this stage of your education.

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Avocado_Llama, If you are interested in business and need to stay in Chicago, I’ll put in a shameless plug for DePaul. It is a commuter school in Lincoln park that focuses on preparing students for jobs rather than “finding themselves”. Many of the students are first generation immigrants, and/or, first in their families to attend college. The school has worked hard to build ties with Chicago employers to build a pipeline of internships and jobs for its students.

My wife ran a business in Chicagoland for nearly twenty years, and she hired a lot of students out of DePaul. They were very successful and moved up within her company, and some were with her for over 10 years. I worked in commercial real estate and attended conferences on industry trends hosted by DePaul where students were able to network with employers. I liken DePaul to a trade school for business… in a good way.

Northwestern, of course, has the cachet and national reputation (you may have seen the “Harvard: The Northwestern Of The Northeast” t-shirts). If you want to get a job in Chicago, IIT and DePaul will serve you well, but if you want to set your sights higher you may want to stick with NU. If you are applying to grad school or a job with a national/multi-national firm a degree from NU will open more doors.

I don’t know about IIT for business, but their engineering program is a feeder for MEPs (the guys who design building mechanical and electrical systems) in Chicago.

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I definitely agree with how the school is considered not very attractive by many. Of course, the only buildings that appealed to me were MTCC and the building for design. I like the conveniency of the campus being near Downtown, by the loop, and near Chinatown.

Many of my friends do say that the campus is depressing, but they try to make the most of it. I do stand by NU having a beautiful campus in comparison.

I know that their engineering and architecture programs are pretty good, but I also don’t have that much information about their business program from external sources. I have a friend currently in the business program and they like it there.

That being said, I do agree that IIT doesn’t have a lot of recognition, so it does make my decision a little hard comparing it to NU. College is just hard to find a good fit, especially with the money involved.

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After college, I might want to stay in Chicago or possibly move to the west coast. Of course, that’s still awhile to think about, but I am applying to internships for this summer and planning to expand my work experience for the next two years.

I thought about that too. The fact that someone at NU looked at my application and believed in me made me hesitate about leaving/taking a gap semester. I feel like I wouldn’t live up to my potential, but what if I go and I still don’t like it? Or what if my GPA falls and I just begin to disappoint others even though I go to a prestigious university? A lot of the time I think about that person that believed in me.

The workload was very intense from the beginning and the professors made it very clear in the beginning, but I thought I was able to do it. I know college isn’t supposed to be a walk in the park, so I’m a little disappointed in myself that I couldn’t even understand the work from day one. It’s also a little hard with the train because the purple line express closes at a certain time, so when I would stay late I would have to make more transfers commuting. :sweat_smile:

I definitely think that NU is flexible with exploring classes and majors, but considering my time starting as a junior, I should be in advanced classes by now and I’m just nervous that I won’t have enough time to complete them considering my scholarship is timed.

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Thank you for the advice! I actually heard of DePaul having a good business program and it was very appealing, but then again, I don’t think they would’ve offered me a lot of financial aid. My sister applied there a few years ago and they didn’t offer her enough in scholarships/grants, so I’d be stuck in the same situation as her financially.

NU is very nice for their name and prestige, and I will consider more of the future aspect of my career as I do make this decision!

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When a school such as NU admits a student, it wants them to succeed. So, NU is on your side but it is also up to you to ask for help if you feel you need it. As an aside, I have taught at top universities and I’ve always wished to see ALL of my students do well, and will happily help a student who is struggling if they reach out and, importantly, will not think any less of them.

I also understand your concern about disappointing others. In school, work and life, you can only try your best and, so long as you do that, you can always hold your head up high. I am repeating myself but remember that you were admitted because NU believes you can be successful there.

Now, if you feel you need to firm up your base knowledge to better handle advanced econ and other courses, perhaps you can defer your formal start date for 1-2 more quarters. This is where I think NU can be helpful - you could potentially jointly devise a plan to enable you (over the next quarter or two) to build a stronger foundation in areas in which you feel less confident, perhaps with guidance from a professor or two.

Edit: Just wanted to add that, at the end of the day, NU might not be the right school for you but before giving up, I’d encourage you to try to make it work. Best wishes!

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You can always attend a school that is a better fit - IIT or DePaul - for undergrad, and after you have worked for a while and have a better idea of what you want apply to a more prestigious school for a graduate degree.

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I agree with LostintheShuffle. The school wants you to be successful, but you will have to reach out. Being said that, I want to add a few thoughts.
Not because you go to NU, you will be successful. There will be a handful of successful NU graduates, but also there are equally a handful of NU graduates not so successful, but you never hear about their stories. Everyone will self doubt at one point or another, but you have to maintain the confidence. I see some very smart students lose confidence while attending colleges, and never be the same even after they finish the schools. My advice for you is just don’t get caught up in names of prestige schools. You can always try again for the grad school.

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A concern with respect to Northwestern University is that OP may not succeed as an economics major since NU economics is a fairly academically intense major loaded with brilliant competitive students.

If OP cannot major in economics at Northwestern, there is no business major, therefore, OP could become lost from an academic standpoint.

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I agree that I’d definitely feel lost if I don’t succeed at NU for their economics major. I did take upper level classes for econ while I was there and I was definitely confused, even though they stated that “You should know this from intro econ!” on their worksheets as a hint.

If I do pursue economics at NU and end up failing, I feel as if I don’t necessarily have something else to lean on considering my scholarships are time-sensitive and it’d be hard to fit in time for the core classes of another major.

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You have already answered your own question. Many find NW quarter system very hard. It’s also a grind school with many intense competitive students. Many are from privledged backgrounds and it doesn’t seem to match you. There are learning centers, professor hours, study groups etc. They have resources to help. But if you feel lost and not the right fit then go to IIT. Rankings and Key Facts | Illinois Institute of Technology

They are a sleeper school in my mind

Why would Howard Tullman be part of it. Look up what he did with 1871 in Chicago https://news.wttw.com/2018/04/17/tech-titan-howard-tullman-lead-new-innovation-institute-iit

I personally know Howard, look up his resume especially 1871. They like IIT and trying to help the school. You will be fine there. Other people are trying to get them on the national map…

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I like the fact that IIT is approaching the Business education in more scientific and technological ways. Probably not so conventional but rather unique and gearing towards the technical field, maybe. I agree that IIT is a sleeper school. Actually IPRO’s collaborative team approach real life type education has been copied to many schools capstone programs these days.

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