UIUC James Scholar vs. UMich engineering (international)

College Search & Selection
1

Hi guys,

I recently got admitted to UIUC Computer engineering with James Scholar honors and also got into UMich engineering. I also have Cornell, CMU, and GaTech for Regular round, but I think I’ll choose between UIUC and UMich.
I feel like their Computer engineering programs are all up there, so no need to compare them academically.

I would choose UIUC over Umich considering that:

  1. I'm in the honors program ( I did more research on this, but I found out that it doesn't have much of a significance tho)
  2. It's cheaper than UMich. (but finance is not my issue, thanks to my parents)
  3. The international community at UIUC is huge-- so I would be able to fit in well.
  4. Their ECE department is famous and well developed

But,

1.I recently learned that UIUC lacks school spirit, which I highly value.
2.It’s in the midst of nowhere

I would choose Umich over UIUC considering that:

1.It’s more prestigious
2.School spirit is a thing at UMich
3.Their sport teams are good
4.They’re located in a suburban area

But,

  1. I learned that UMich's computer engineering department is a mess, since they have such a volume of students, due to their lame policy of declaring major. (above 2.0 can choose any major)
  2. North campus is very annoying, according to students at UMich.

Please help me to decide between these two great schools!!

P.S. I’m seriously not trying to brag-- I just need help in deciding…!!!

Please talk about advantages and disadvantages of both of the schools!

2

In this set of circumstances and the offers specific to you. UIUC.

3

Heckbee, most of your observations are accurate. However, there are a few corrections I would make.

  1. "I learned that UMich's computer engineering department is a mess, since they have such a volume of students, due to their lame policy of declaring major. (above 2.0 can choose any major)"

UIUC’s College of Engineering has 9,000 undergraduate students compared to Michigan’s 7,000, and they have roughly the same number of professors, so I doubt the volume of students will be any less daunting at UIUC.

  1. "North campus is very annoying, according to students at UMich."

Not “very annoying”. It is a nuances to be sure, but the buses connect North Campus to Central campus without too much inconvenience. Buses leave at 10-15 minute intervals, and typically take less than 15 minute to connect North Campus to Central Campus. Most engineers live in Central Campus and take the bus to North Campus in the morning and return to Central Campus in the evening.

  1. Finally, while UIUC is slightly cheaper than Michigan, the difference is negligible (within $5k/year).
4

Some things to think about:

I have not heard that UMich’s program is a mess either.

I’ve also have not heard that UIUC lacks school spirits. From what I’ve seen, they have very enthusiastic fans.

Michigan wins hands down for location/college town. Ann Arbor is one of the best college towns in the country.

My daughter hated the idea of the bus as well so I think that is a valid concern. Our Michigan friends said it only mattered for the first three semesters though because after that, all their classes were on north campus.

What are the perks to the Honors program at UIUC? Is priority scheduling one of them? If so, that’s a big deal at large universities.

Honestly you will get a great education at either school. Just comes down to where you think you’ll fit in the best.