NYU v. Illinois v. Wisconsin v. Alabama

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey, I asked something similar before, but this time I changed some of the schools... I'm getting down to the big choice I think.</p>

<p>The main factors for me are:
Money--I didn't think about this enough at the beginning, but there's a limited amount I can spend.
Attractiveness of campus--My happiness is weighted pretty heavily by this, it's just sort of how I am. I like the outdoors.
Name recognition for future jobs and grad schools--I know, I know, but jobs are important.</p>

<p>Other factors, like quality of education/inspirational professors, are much more important to me, but they are so difficult to measure, I'm not sure I can really use them to compare. Of course, if anyone has any insight on this stuff for the schools I'm looking at, please let me know.</p>

<p>NYU:
PROS: Internships, accepted into honors program, lots to do in the city, good campus culture.
CONS: I'll miss trees and flowers and grass! A lot. I like nature.
MONEY: 25 grand a year (merit scholarship). No debt afterwards, no money for grad school either.</p>

<p>University of Illinois at Urbana Champagne:
PROS: It’s a really good school, as far as state schools go. Large, so good class selection and stuff going on at the campus. Also, wouldn't be hard to get good grades/ high class rank for jobs. Plus, I got into the honors program.
CONS: The campus is really ugly, which is kind of a big deal for me. A lot of people from my school go here and I never wanted to so it's a little painful. Not all that well-known outside of the state. Which could hurt job prospects.
MONEY: 17 grand per year, meaning I won’t be in debt after and will have some grad school money.</p>

<p>University of Alabama:
PROS: Full ride. Attractive enough campus. Warm weather.<br>
CONS: Not great on resume or in my area of interest. I got into better schools, so I don't know, it just seems strange that I'd end up here. </p>

<p>University of Wisconsin-Madison (this may only be a possibility if I can convince them to give me more money, since it's kind of costly out of state):
PROS: Good state school, pretty campus.
CONS: Not sure, but again, may not be able to pay for it.</p>

2

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<p>That’s one of the most laughable things I’ve ever read on this site.</p>

3

<p>Really? I’ve asked people about it from other areas, they just seem to figure it’s a public school in Illinois.</p>

4

<p>I’ll never understand the reason people dismiss state schools…</p>

5

<p>You mean me or the people I asked? Because since three out of the four schools I’m considering are state schools, I’m hardly dismissing them.</p>

6

<p>I didn’t say you were, but it could be insinuated based on this:</p>

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7

<p>UIUC is a great school and is well known all over the country. If 17 grand is manageable I would go there. Even if it was the same scholarship as NYU it would be a tough call, because as great as NYC is, it is freaking expensive to live there. </p>

<p>Having said all this, Wisconsin is #1 here on the list, but not if it costs anymore than UIUC, because UIUC is not that far off.</p>

<p>BTW the reasons you put as con for UIUC (seeing your HS friends and the campus is “ugly” ) are really weak. The campus is big enough were I promise you; you won’t run into HS folks and the campus is actually pretty nice architecturally.</p>

8

<p>It’s worth noting that NYU is about a 20 minute subway ride from Central Park, which has plenty of open space, trees, flowers and grass. Also accessible by subway is the Bronx Zoo, which has plenty of animals.</p>

<p>The cost of living in NYC can be managed somewhat. I started over in NYC from zero. While I was rebuilding my life, I lived in a room which cost $600 per month. Also, many of NYC’s cultural offerings are free or affordable. However, even a bare-bones lifestyle in NYC is still going to be more expensive than Champaign-Urbana, Madison or Alabama.</p>

<p>Internships can be really important when applying for jobs. NYU is the clear winner among these four schools for internship opportunities.</p>

<p>Admission to the Honors Program is a really strong plus. Honors Programs can be academically rewarding. Honors Programs make good schools even better. That said, UIUC also has one, namely the James Scholars program. I don’t know offhand whether Wisconsin and Alabama have one.</p>

9

<p>Also, NYU and UIUC have very different environments. UIUC is in a traditional college town and has a large Greek system. (It’s actually in two college towns, but who’s counting?) NYU is in the heart of New York City and is very diverse. It’s likely that someone who enjoys one of these environments wouldn’t be as fulfilled in the other. (I say this as a current NYC resident who attended UIUC for two semesters.)</p>

<p>Which is a better fit for you?</p>

<p>UIUC and Wisconsin also have somewhat different environments. There are numerous recent threads comparing the two campuses.</p>

10

<p>Famous last words</p>

<p>“Also, wouldn’t be hard to get good grades/ high class rank for jobs”</p>

<p>That’s a laugher.</p>

11

<p>“I didn’t say you were, but it could be insinuated based on this:”</p>

<p>Some private schools are better than state schools, that’s no secret.</p>

12

<p>"Famous last words</p>

<p>“Also, wouldn’t be hard to get good grades/ high class rank for jobs”</p>

<p>That’s a laugher. "</p>

<p>I figure it would be easier to get a higher class rank at a relatively easier school than at a relatively harder school. What’s unlikely about that?</p>

13

<p>Just because UIUC is a state school doesn’t make it easy.</p>

14

<p>Some more highly ranked schools are known for very lax grading (Harvard on down). Also Illinois is filled with bright hard-working kids who want to get ahead in life. A’s are hard to come by–especially in engineering, business, and sciences.</p>

15

<p>You have Bama’ and NYU together on the same list. The schools are polar opposites.</p>

<p>Anyways, I’d choose Bama for the full ride. I’m planning on going to Wisco so that would be my second pick for you. Then Illinois, and then NYU.</p>