UIUC vs Purdue [psychology, public health]

College Search & Selection
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hi! i am a senior deciding between university of illinois and purdue university. i plan to double major in psych and public health, and after undergrad i intend to get my masters in public health and one day become a professor of researcher. i was also accepted into Emory University, the University of Michigan, and William & Mary, but each of these options proved to be too expensive for my family.

  • i live in illinois, so uiuc is slightly cheaper, but both are very affordable (so cost isn’t really a factor).
  • i have heard and read that purdue’s public health program is better, but i am open to input on this if anyone has had public health experience at either university
  • i love music and performance, and u of i has many more opportunities in this area. for example, they have 9 a cappella groups (compared to purdue’s 3) and they also have student run musicals, etc.
  • i am a super dedicated student, and i get the idea that purdue has more of a nerdy vibe
  • i am not sure which school carries more name recognition or which is considered more prestigious, but i would assume that they are similar
  • i do not intend to join greek life at illinois, so i worry that i will feel out of place in uiuc’s social scene. i have heard that purdue’s greek life is more low key, so i am open to joining it here, but it’s not a must. i would love to hear more input on this—i do not want to feel out of place socially at either school!
  • i am a part of the lgbtq community, so i am worried that purdue’s student body may be more conservative than i am comfortable with
  • i visited both campuses, and i loved them both
  • i am a chancellors scholar, james scholar, and spark undergraduate research student at uiuc, but i am not in the honors program at purdue. i would love any input on these honors programs at uiuc and whether they are beneficial enough to impact my decision (i have heard that james honors is pretty competitive and non enjoyable, but i haven’t heard anything about chancellors scholars since it’s a pretty small group)

in the end, purdue’s academics and overall nerdy vibe seems more in line with what i am interested in, but i love the liberal and music component at uiuc (and the honors opportunities). any input would be greatly appreciated as i make my decision! thanks guys!

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In general, U of I has more name recognition, but not by a huge margin, and for people who know both of them, they have a similar level of prestige.

The majority of students at UIUC do not participate in Greek life. They make up fewer than 25% of the undergraduate population.

Both are LGBTQ friendly, but Illinois is a far more LGBTQ friendly place than Indiana.

Champaign has many shows and performances. When I was a poor graduate student there, I saw shows from top musicians, dance companies, a couple of Broadway shows, and more. It is a pretty common place for well known artists to stop by for a couple of performances.

The Chancellor’s scholars get $1,000 a year, travel funds for helping students study abroad, and $2,000 a year stipend for summer research. There also seem to be better study abroad programs, and they have early registration, meaning that you get first dibs on any course. Since you describe yourself as a super dedicated student, it sounds like this is a good fit for you. I am pretty sure that you would enjoy the honors classes, and the experience in general.

From how you describe yourself and what you are looking for in college, I think that UIUC would be the better fit.

If you had not been accepted as a Chancellor’s scholar, I may have said it was a tossup. However, as I wrote, from the way you describe yourself, that program seems like a good fit, and offers opportunities which you would not have at Purdue.

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Purdue isn’t slightly cheaper, the tuition is double. I would highly recommend UIUC. You’d be in a better situation if a layoff/business failure happens and you had to finish your degree with student loans. You would get financial aid with UIUC…but you’d be on your own with Purdue.

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I got merit money are Purdue, so they really are comparable. But I understand that the financial piece is huge!

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