Penn State, UP OR Univ of illinois, UC--- need tons of help

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I 've never thought that it would be so hard to choose what school to go to AFTER going thru such amount of time applying and preparing for colleges.</p>

<li>well, they are both public schools and i don’t mind as much if the sport teams are good or not ( of course i mind, but as long as the school has its strong school SPIRIT, I am chill)</li>
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<p>but i want to major in business. according to my friend who has this guide book</p>

<li>Penn State is 18th and UIUC is 12th along the lines of osu, Wash U, EMory, few more</li>
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<p>I really care for alumni network, because i believe that especially for business, intern opportunities and alumni network are even more important</p>

<pre><code> Are buildings that important? i heard that Smeal college of business just built a building just for biz, and i don’t know i;ve heard that UIUC has been having some budget issue
</code></pre>

<li><p>well, i guess costs are similar , so we don’t have to worry about that too much. </p></li>
<li><p>weather …hmm i can handle all kinds of weather so not too worry about it</p></li>
<li><p>location - both in kinda small town (according to my research- never been to any of those schools)</p></li>
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<p>supposedly PSU is closed to amish country, UIUC is surrounded by corn field.</p>

<p>so even though I am a big city person, w/e i guess i will have to adopt that</p>

<p>6.reputation after graduating for recruitment and intern ( I really need help on this one!)</p>

<p>i have few more but i didn’t want to scare you guys away by my ignorance and indeciveness.</p>

<p>i listed whole bunch of things and you might say they are pretty self explanatory, but i know that the information that i got are subjective and biased, so I just wanted to hear others’ opinion and plz CORRECT any of them above if they are wrong.</p>

<p>so PLZ PLZ PLZ give me any advice and ANY kind of help would be appreciated thanx</p>

2

<p>Both are excellent choices.</p>

<p>Is one cheaper for you?</p>

<p>I hear Penn State has an awesome honors college...did you get into that?</p>

<p>Where do you want to settle after you graduate? East Coast or Midwest?
If East Coast, I'd choose Penn State. If Midwest, I'd choose UIUC.</p>

<p>Both schools will offer you the same opportunities...they will just be recruited by more regional employers. For instance, if you go to Penn State and want to work for a midwest company, you'll be a competitive applicant, but you'll have to do the leg work vs. the employer coming to your school.</p>

3

<p>i think costs are about the same, so ( i mean they are both expensive, but ) i am not taking that into consideration</p>

<p>i want to settle in business, which are known to flourish in the East Coast ( maybe i am wrong , but it just seems like ), but do companies looking for recuruitment would look for ranking that importanatly? then i would go for UIUC just because it's ranked 12th but otherwise..</p>

<p>i really don't know..</p>

<p>this is really tough i mean i am still waiting for 8 more colleges to hear from so..</p>

<p>but the reason why i am asking peopel for help is that i might not get into most of them.. >.<</p>

4

<p>Don't go by rankings.</p>

5

<p>don't? i am just asking but why would they have ranking system in the first place then?</p>

<p>i kinda sound offensive, but i am not ^^</p>

6

<p>Because the difference between PSU business and UIUC business programs are negligible.</p>

7

<p>ah really? </p>

<p>...hmmm i didn't apply to Penn State honors, because i was too lazy at the time and they required 4 extra essays....darn...</p>

<p>consequences...</p>

8

<p>^ No matter. </p>

<p>If you want to settle on the East Coast after graduation, Penn State is an excellent choice.</p>

9

<p>from your name alone, i am assuming you are a graduate chem major, but I also am thinking about pre- med.. ( i am a really indecisive person)</p>

<p>so are colleges pretty lenient ? because I am an international student and i heard that only citizens can become doctors in the States....so </p>

<p>i am pretty curious on this.</p>

10

<p>^ chemical engineering major, actually.</p>

<p>Some schools it's easier to switch majors than others. I'd suggest asking your specific question in the individual school forums for more targeted feedback.</p>

11

<p>oh ok... another thing is i heard that a lot of people get an engineering degree for undergraduate and go for MBA ( business masters degree) so, do you think going for business for undergraduate and going for MBA again is a good deal?</p>

<p>i mean i am interested in other stuff too. >.<</p>

12

<p>I have an engineering degree and an MBA.</p>

<p>Undergrad business kinda negates the need for an MBA...you'll be learning the same stuff. But for some careers, like finance and consulting, an MBA is minimum for admission.</p>

<p>Engineering + MBA is a golden ticket, IMHO.</p>

13

<p>Have you visited both campuses? If not, do so before making a decision. If you feel more at home at one of the campuses, that's your school.</p>

14

<p>well, it's funny that you say that...haha</p>

<p>becuase i was just talking to my friend too, and he mentioned about Engineering for undergrad and MBA for grad. </p>

<p>how can one do business with engineering?</p>

<p>i am pretty oblivious about this thing, so plz pe patient and explain.</p>

<p>thank you</p>

<p>P.S. so if one would go undergrad business , one wouldn't go to MBA? is that the trend?</p>

15

<p>well, i would love to. But I currently live in Oregon, and my family lives abroad, so money is one thing, and i wouldn't know what to do when i travel there by myself? to very different states</p>

<p>Plus I am aware of the importance of knowing the feel of the campus...so the best think I am doing now is to go to youtube and see real footage of campuses and peopel's vid on their looks ( even though it can be biased sometims)</p>

16

<p>the online tours are good, but in no way a subsititute for a visit. </p>

<p>You will learn a lot by physically visiting the campuses...it's very important to see where you'll likely be spending the next 4 years of your life.</p>

<p>Check for cheap flights or Amtrak and make travel plans to at least your top 2 choices before deciding.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

17

<p>thanx, but can u explain little bit more about </p>

<p>Engineering + MBA for prospective job?</p>

<p>may I ask what you are currently doing now with your degrees?</p>

<p>or what do most of people do with those two degrees?</p>

18

<p>Job prospects are excellent. It gives you a good combination of technical and business training.</p>

<p>I'm currently a business analyst with a major integrated oil company.</p>

<p>Most people will go to work for a company in their respective engineering field for a few years, then want to move up into company management and go for an MBA.</p>

19

<p>Both are good schools, but from what I've noticed, UIUC is taken more seriously. Even though PSU is a great institution, lots of people still see it as nothing but a party school (which is sad).</p>

20

<p>Also, to address your other question, the northeast actually isn't a hotspot for business anymore.</p>

<p>It's all in the south now. Atlanta, Raleigh, and the Texan cities are the booming places for industry.</p>