Hi all,
I realize this may be somewhat biased posting in this forum, but I have narrowed down my college choices from Butler, Marquette, Nebraska, USC (in LA), BC, and Northwestern (last 3 aren’t released till April-ish) to Arizona and UIUC.
Finances are huge in my college decision, and I have received $30,000 from Arizona and $11,000 from Illinois (plus, in state). I’ve lived in the Chicagoland area my whole life, and was hoping to hear some thoughts from similar attendees who have hated/loved the idea of staying local vs going away? Also, while I was rejected from the BHP at UIUC, I am a James scholar (the lesser of the two honors programs on campus 
Chancellor’s is highest) and was invited to apply to ELITE (an Arizona program) and am applying to the Arizona honors college.
Academically, I’ve assumed that Arizona would be less rigorous in general. I’ve received direct admission to both the Gies College of Business and the Eller College of Management and intend to pursue either an Accounting or Actuarial Science degree, although my long term plans involve hopefully becoming a CPA. Also, there is the general issue of internships and I wasn’t sure whether there would be a vast difference in opportunities between Tucson and Urbana/Champaign or the Chicago area.
Has anyone else been in the same situation choosing between the two? I’m not huge on partying and intend on taking academics seriously (definitely not rushing), yet simultaneously don’t want to get incredibly dragged down by my academic life. I realize this is pretty general, but just thought I’d ask since I’m sure there’s others who have good tips on how to compare the two.
(On a side note, I’m also a Christian, and wasn’t sure about the difference in the general atmosphere for religion at these schools. Also, I’ve done orchestra in high school as a string musician, and would like to continue that as a hobby in college, so if anyone has any experience with these particulars, I’d love to hear about it!)
Thanks!