<p>I've been admitted to umich for computer engineering and UIUC for aerospace engineering. </p>
<p>Computer engineering is my first choice major, and I know UIUC is better for that, but I've heard the first year is just general engineering for everyone so I may be able to switch majors.</p>
<p>Which college would be best for me and how hard would it be to switch majors at UIUC (keeping in mind they're both some of the most competitive courses at the college)</p>
<p>I would also like to know which school has better on campus recruitment and college life etc.</p>
<p>Have you toured either? Is there a cost factor to consider?</p>
<p>I haven’t toured UMich but did tour UIUC. Spoke to a Dean there and got the sense that changing majors within engineering was possible, but I also suspect that the difficulty of switching into computer engineering will increase as this major is becoming more popular. If you are set on Computer Engineering that would tip you towards UMich. </p>
<p>I believe both schools have good recruitment. College life will depend on who you are. I’ve heard Ann Arbor is a great college town, but if you are not the type to take advantage of off campus opportunities it won’t matter. The layout of the campuses is quite different. UIUC is big, but the LAS quad and the Engineering quad are proximal to one another. At Michigan, the Engineering campus is a 25 minute bus ride from LAS. </p>
<p>What I hear repeatedly is that UMich students are some of the happiest students, that the place really knows how to get ugs to enjoy their time there and value their experience. Perhaps asking Admissions at both schools to put you in touch with engineers would help you decide. </p>
<p>What are the costs to you, including loans? </p>
<p>“At Michigan, the Engineering campus is a 25 minute bus ride from LAS.”</p>
<p>LOL. You obviously haven’t toured Michigan. Why would you make such a ridiculous statement without knowing any facts? FYI the bus ride take about 10 minutes, at most, between the central and north campuses. </p>
<p>“I’ve heard Ann Arbor is a great college town, but if you are not the type to take advantage of off campus opportunities it won’t matter.”</p>
<p>Huh? That makes no sense at all. Ann Arbor and the university are intertwined. </p>
<p>Both are great schools. Umich is only slightly behind UIUC in computer engineering, according to US News, which I’m still wondering why people take so damn seriously. </p>
<p>You should definitely decide based on non-academic factors. Side note: I hear it is actually extremely difficult to transfer to certain engineering majors at UIUC. </p>
<p>If you want personal opinion, Michigan is better. I’ve actually applied as a transfer (ME) to both schools. Got into UIUC, still waiting on Michigan decision. I loved Ann Arbor when I visited.</p>
<p>Premised on the assumption (and let me be clear its just that) that changing engineering majors at UIUC is not guaranteed I’d stick with UMich. Here’s the deal. A lot of students hit a rough patch at the start of college. They aren’t used to the workload, the intensity of the classes, etc. This is doubly true in the hard sciences and engineering. Now suppose you are at UMich. It won’t matter. You’re in the major; pick up your grades after the first semester or so and nobody is going to blink an eye down the road when you’re looking for internships or jobs. But at UIUC it might be different. If they screen requests to change majors by GPA (which the UC schools in CA definitely do) then that rough start might mean that soph year you can’t change into Computer engineering, which means you won’t be a Computer engineer even though had you been let in you might have done just fine. </p>
<p>I’d also ask how you know UIUC is “better”. Since you’re asking you clearly don’t know about employer recruitment or college life, two things many people would consider paramount in deciding which college is better. I hope you haven’t put blind faith into US News rankings, but I suppose you wouldn’t be the first.</p>
<p>i pretty much went by usnews 
(sorryyy)
thank you for all the help though everybody 
Im going to look a little more into the on campus recruitment at both places, but im pretty sure ill go with umich</p>
<p>Why would it be harder to switch majors at UIUC compared to UMich? I would lean towards Michigan for the better college experience.</p>
<p>
I think you read thru the thread a bit too quickly. The OP is in the major she/he wants at UMich, so no need to change majors there. At UIUC the major is not the one she/he wants, so there is a need to switch.</p>