Fit fit fit…most important factor to consider for any admitted student.
1 Like
Agreed in principle. “Fit” is something that is easy to assess post-facto. How does a 17/18 year old assess “fit” pre-facto?
I think a lot of it depends on if they can see themselves in that environment and campus. We visited Wash U last year and my husband and I loved it but my son couldn’t stand it. He flat out said I cannot see myself here. End of story and did not apply. Some kids just have a feeling.
1 Like
few ways to determine fit, parent help is needed.
- Visit campus. Do at least remote tour if in person is not feasible.
- Does child like smaller school vs large school?
- Does child prefer urban vs rural setting?
- Based on child major preference, which school is better. Now if there is too much price difference just because few ranks hire, does that price difference justified?
- Talk to seniors from your own high school who are attending that college. Kids can easily relate themselves to their seniors and gets better grasp of college.
- Am I going to fit culturally in that environment? e.g. I can’t think of my son to fit into LA, AL, MS colleges.
Also even school ranking can differ drastically from major to major.
1 Like
I totally agree, we visited Wash U around this time (later April) 2 years ago, absolutely GORGEOUS day (on a Friday afternoon), not ONE single person hanging out on the quad, throwing frisbees, socializing… We went into the library, it was PACKED! We had pulled aside a student and asked whether they had midterms or finals the next week or something, and he exclaimed “Nope! Just an average Saturday”… My son was like, “We’re outta here!” cuz he couldn’t see himself in the library on a Friday…
1 Like
Hi, I was admitted to UT Austin, Purdue, and UIUC for Aerospace Engineering. I would appreciate advice on all three for which is the better school for Aerospace Engineering or better school in general(if cost is not a factor).
Thanks in advance!
I am not a fan of AE at UIUC, go where it is cheaper for you.
any reason why not AE at UIUC? Regardless of cost, then would UT Austin or Purdue be better?
We had a similar experience at WashU…library packed late on friday night (not during midterms/finals either), and again early saturday morning. It’s not like that at UIUC!
I had heard from students about classes size, professor and lab issues.
Son and I will be visiting campus next week and doing a self-guided tour. I read that the campus and neighboring Urbana and Champaign have dockless bike sharing available. Are these bikes pretty easy to find around campus if I get tired from walking (had knee surgery a month ago) and want to tour portions of the campus on bike? Or should I plan on reserving bikes from traditional bike rental shops near campus?
What has been your experience at UIUC?
My D didn’t end up there, but many kids from our HS go and tend to have great experiences, no matter the school they are in Gies, Grainger, LAS, etc.
How do you feel about Comp Sci at UIUC?
It is one of best in nation.
Thank you for confirming that! My daughter will likely commit today to Grainger. Tough to pass up a full scholarship at Pitt and pay nearly full price at UIUC, but the program and outcomes are tough to pass up at UIUC. And while she liked both schools for different reasons, she walked the campus at UIUC and said over and over, “I like it here.”
3 Likes
Hard to turn down Comp Sci at UIUC. My son is a junior studying CE and takes a lot of CS classes. Really loves it there.
1 Like
who knows your D may attend one of CS class where my son would be TA during his MS!
Good to know! We are in the Chicago area so I admittedly do like that it is closer as well! 
Maybe! My daughter says that she thinks the CS 125 class is being split in to two classes in the fall. Any thoughts on that? I think she heard that as a webinar.