Rating a couple Public Universities

<p>Hey guys! My college plans have changed quite a bit over this past summer. Originally, I was going to apply to NYU, BU, American, etc...but then I realized that paying for those universities would be a challenge. So then I decided to stick to UMKC because it is an in state school. NOW, I have decided to search for some decent out of state public universities because paying for them is not nearly as daunting as paying for private schools (especially if I get waived as an in-state student :D). </p>

<p>So far I have only come up with a few schools. I'm looking for a fairly large school (20,000+) in an urban setting. I would like it to have a strong mathematics department. I would also like it to be gay friendly. A decent library would also be nice :P</p>

<p>Now, I was wondering if you could rate the following schools based on my criteria and your knowledge/opinion of the school. Also, if you happen to know of any schools that are well suited for me, feel free to tell me about it :)</p>

<p>-University of Illinois -- Urbana Champaign: I have read a lot of EXCELLENT things about this school. Apparently it is one of the top 15 public universities in the country. It also seems pretty diverse. My only issue is the size of the city in which it is located :/</p>

<p>-University of South Florida: This school does seem terribly prestigious, but it is in freakin' Tampa, Florida. That place is like..gay city. It also has a respectable math department from what I have read..</p>

<p>-University of Minnesota: I don't know anything about this one :P</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for your feedback! :D</p>

<p>Unless you’re an Illinois resident, don’t even think about UIUC unless you and/or your parents are prepared to write a check for close to the total OOS COA - $45,000 (or more, depending on your field of study). There may be some small merit scholarships for OOS residents with stratospheric stats, and you can certainly borrow the $5500 Stafford limit, but in general, OOS students pay the full freight.</p>

<p>Why not University of Missouri–Columbia?</p>