<p>i recently got accepted to both the university of alabama and the university of illinois urbana champaign
im an out of state for both however university of alabama is giving me a full ride + honors
right now i am listed as a chemical engineering major and i was wondering which one would be more beneficial to my future and is paying out of state tuition for illinois worth it </p>
<p>also does the surrounding atmosphere of the college matter? sports and social aspects </p>
<p>thank you!</p>
<p>I would pick alabama. Not sure about tuition hikes at uiuc but Illinois (the state) is in debt big time so it might be likely. Plus, I always say go with the school that appreciates you the most. Being in honors opens some doors for you. Atmosphere always comes after education, but you want to be happy. Have you calculated how much uiuc would cost. You could do two years at alabama and transfer if you were not satisfied. That’s mainly your gen Ed’s and a taste of your major. Personally, if you have to graduate with huge debt I don’t believe it’s worth it.</p>
<p>UIUC tuition is locked in at the rate you start freshman year, does not increase year-to-year. They have a scholarship given to many OOS students with high stats that covers most of the difference between in-state and OOS called ‘university achievement’- 12K/yr, however the tuition is pretty high for a state school even if you get that. UIUC also has engineering dept scholarships that stack with the OOS money, some of which are quire large, but they have so many top engineering students that you need to be really top applicant to get one of those.You should contact UIUC FA/scholarship office to ask if that money has already been awarded or might you still get one or both of those. Alabama is likely to be much cheaper even if you get money from UIUC, but the contrast wouldn’t be so stark.</p>
<p>Both schools have vibrant sports traditions. You know that if you get into honors at UIUC it is not a residential program? UIUC engineering is supposed to be about as good as it gets, but I’m sure Alabama has a fine program too. Have you visited either school? If not, that should be the next step.</p>
<p>i havent been to either school but i have a friend at alabama and she loves it. i would love to attend either school but im worried about the job opportunities after college
if i attended illinois wouldnt that open more doors for me or no?</p>
<p>Chem E at UIUC is truly superb, a world-class program. Yes, it might open additional doors for you. However, that doesn’t mean it’s worth $200,000 more (or whatever the total price differential would be). Would your parents pay the difference, or would you have to borrow? How much?</p>
<p>Both schools have a very traditional sports/social scene with a heavy emphasis on Greek life. As an engineer, you’d probably find more low-key alternatives quite easily if you wanted them.</p>
<p>What you do in college is more important than where you go, ultimately. Without the burden of debt at Alabama you might be freer to take unpaid internships over the summer, or lower-paid part-time jobs/internships during the school year. You may also be freer to take a more personally fulfilling but less remunerative position after college - perhaps not as much of a concern with engineering. Also, consider the possibility that you may change your major - 25% of STEM students change to a non-STEM major in college, and a number sometimes switch from engineering to a non-engineering STEM major. Would you be okay going in debt that much if you weren’t a chem E major?</p>
<p>Also, consider that the most you - as an undergrad - can borrow is $31,000. You can’t borrow full price for UIUC unless you have a co-signer on private educational loans (VERY bad idea) or your parents are borrowing PLUS loans for you.</p>
<p>Alabama is a great and well-reputed university, and you shouldn’t have any problems getting a job from there.</p>
<p>My younger son just graduated from Alabama last May with his degree in ChemE. Although he went right to med school, his ChemE friends were IMMEDIATELY hired into highly paid positions ranging from $80k-90k per year. Most had their jobs all lined up long before they graduated. </p>
<p>Can you visit Alabama? You should. It may relieve any concerns. Bama has a brand new mega-sized STEM Complex…900,000 square feet.</p>
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<p>Note that attrition rate out of engineering tends to correlate with a school’s admissions selectivity. Alabama has a fairly high attrition rate out of engineering (see <a href=“http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5671/screen/20?school_name=The+University+of+Alabama”>http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5671/screen/20?school_name=The+University+of+Alabama</a> ), while UIUC has a lower attrition rate (see <a href=“http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5611/screen/20?school_name=University+of+Illinois+at+Urbana-Champaign”>http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5611/screen/20?school_name=University+of+Illinois+at+Urbana-Champaign</a> ). Note: the upper class numbers may increase due to incoming transfer students, particularly at state universities.</p>
<p>But since the OP is a top scholarship student at Alabama and an admit at UIUC, the OP’s likelihood of staying in the major is probably more like that of UIUC students than Alabama students, regardless of which school s/he attends.</p>
<p>professor wise, at which school do you think i would get a more personalized education? </p>
<p>Alabama DOES have a high attrition rate for eng’g, but that there’s a logical reason for that. ANY accepted student CAN start in eng’g if he/she wants to. You don’t “apply” to eng’g at Bama. So, naturally, some students who really do NOT have the chops for eng’g (and the math) enter the program and are quickly weeded out. </p>
<p>Yes, you will see some lowly ACT kids starting in eng’g (likely because they think it’s the path to a highly paid career or their parents push them in) and then Calc or Physics-with-Calc or similar quickly weeds them out.</p>
<p>THIS student has the Presidential Scholarship (full tuition plus 2500 eng’g), so he has an ACT 32+ or equivalent SAT. This student would NOT likely be weeded out unless he just totally flakes or decides he prefers another career path. </p>
<p>I liken the attrition rate to that of premeds. At many/most schools only about 25-50% of the frosh who are “premed” ever apply to med school.</p>
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<p>Ummm, didn’t I just write that in the last paragraph two posts above?</p>
<p>^</p>
<p>yes, you did. I should have said, Like Ucb mentioned… </p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>At UIUC, do students apply to the CoE?</p>
<p>@PirateKate17</p>
<p>I know that you’re OOS for UIUC so you’d be paying a LOT to go there. It may interest you to know that many INSTATE Illinois students choose Bama over UIUC because of cost (and their costs are lower). You can meet a number of them on the Bama forum here on CC.</p>
<p>The state of Illinois sends a LOT of students to Bama. </p>
<p><a href=“University of Alabama - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-alabama/</a></p>
<p>Yes, they apply as engineers, and it’s very selective.</p>
<p>I don’t think professor-wise personalization is necessarily a strength of either school. I would visit and talk to current students about that if you can.</p>