Northwestern vs. UIUC Engineering

I was accepted into Northwestern for biomedical engineering and UIUC for bioengineering. I am having difficulty deciding between the two. I am not 100% set on bioengineering and am actually seriously considering switching to computer science instead.

Northwestern:

  • Good biomedical engineering, but not super well-known/good computer science program
  • Prestigious school overall, so if I switch to a completely different major I know I’ll receive a good education no matter what
  • Intelligent environment, which is somewhat important to me
  • Will meet very diverse people from everywhere
  • Competitive?? Worried about social scene
  • Received financial aid, but would have to pay about double compared to UIUC
  • Private university so has a lot of money for research and other opportunities
  • Co-op program seems cool
  • Has been one of my dream schools for so long!

UIUC:

  • In-state student
  • Received $20,000 scholarship & $2,000 for study abroad program
  • Good bioengineering and really good computer science, not sure how hard it is to switch from bioE to CS
  • I was accepted into the James Scholar Honors Program, whatever that means
  • All my AP credits would count (I have one 5, two 4s, and two 3s), so I’d be able to graduate a year early
  • Really big student population… worried about class size, amount of available opportunities, and connecting with my professors – a really important factor for me

** Note that the financial aspects do not play a big role in my decision. My family has college savings for me, so it is not a huge issue.

I also was waitlisted by UPenn, Duke, Rice, and Cornell. Advice on how to get off the waitlists?

Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you!!

I’ve already committed somewhere – disregard this post.