I am currently in a pretty happy dilemma choosing between these few schools. I am hoping to go into private equity or consulting as a future career. Details of my acceptances:
UIUC: Business (James Scholar), high chance of finishing in 3 years due to A Level credits
UW Madison: Letters and Science, need to transfer to business school after freshmen/sophomore year, high chance of finishing in 3 years. (Cheapest)
University of Virginia: Arts and Science, definitely need to spend 4 years as Mcintire School of Commerce requires it. Extremely competitive to get into Mcintire. Most expensive --> 100k USD more than UIUC or UW Madison due to 4 year requirement/ higher tuition fees. Alternatively, I can study economics and try to graduate in 3 years, although it will still be slightly more expensive than the two other schools.
Btw I am an international student from Singapore, and financial cost is a very important factor in my decision. UVA is probably the most prestigious among the 3 schools, but I am wary about the additional cost involved in attending UVA. Any opinions will be greatly appreciated! Really hope those who are attending UIUC can comment on the social life, career prospects as well as academic rigour/reputation in UIUC as compared to the other 2 schools. Thanks!!
I am currently a sophomore at UW Madison hoping to transfer to UIUC…though I greatly appreciate everything UW has taught me and all of the experiences that I’ve had, UIUC has a far better business program with better connections than UW does. Also, UW is NOT a city, despite what many people believe. It is a medium-sized town, therefore the atmosphere does not differ much from UIUC. Illinois has a much better looking campus as well and a better student environment.
@acro2015 Hi! Thanks for the feedback! I was actually under the impression that UW and UIUC business school are generally on the same level in terms of both academic reputation and jobs placement. Mind if you elaborate more on how UIUC has a better program? Also I have always thought that Madison is a more interesting and suitable place for college (The two lakes seems really gorgeous) haha although I do think that both look pretty great. Unfortunately I can’t visit both schools since I am half a world away
@YCYC99 UW just has a tendency to network primarily with companies in Milwaukee and Minneapolis, and a little bit of Chicago, so if you want a job outside of those areas it’s a bit harder. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great school, but Illinois has always had a better international reputation from what i’ve heard and read. As far as the area in Madison, the lakes are beautiful, but at the same time, it is extremely cold for the majority of the year, so you can really only enjoy it in the summer, and the first and last few weeks of the school year. One thing that turns me off about UW’s campus is that the buildings itself are ugly and mis-matched (they are all very different from each other, yet located in the same general area), so it’s not a pretty area. Also, it does not have the feeling of a campus. The buildings are so spread out that it really does not feel like a college campus except in a few areas. But at the same time, it can be viewed as a good thing because you feel like you are part of the town more.
My d toured all three campuses in the last year and completely agrees that Illinois has a much nicer campus than UW. The layout and everything is easy to walk thru and the bus system on campus and off is very straightforward. It is a flat campus and there are many people who have bikes. UW is much more hilly.
Most students prefer UW’s campus and town setting to that of UIUC’s. That is a primary reason why UW sees a great many applicants from Illinois each year, as opposed to the reverse. I would choose based upon cost and fit. Try to gain as much background info. for each as possible, since you cannot visit. Best of luck-
Edited to say that in your case, I’d narrow down to UIUC / UW. Those costs for UVa are not really sustainable, unless you have unlimited finances.
Really appreciate all the feedback, and I guess I will be mainly considering between UIUC and UW now. Leaning towards UIUC since I am in their James Scholar Honors program so I will have access to priority registration which is quite essential for large state schools like UIUC and UW. School environment might be slightly better at UW, depending on different people, but since both are quite decent I guess it won’t be the main deciding factor.
Hi! I was admitted to UIUC (cheaper) business and UW (Letters). I have ultimately chosen UIUC because of their amazing business program. If I went to UW I wouldn’t be able to apply for the business program until sophmore year. That’s a whole 2ish years of loss of instruction. At my visit to UIUC the people were telling me about how during the second month of school they start interview skills and things like that. I believe that is more valuable than a view of the lake (UW definitely has a better location). I’m not a James Scholar, so I can’t speak about it, but it sounds fantastic. Good luck! Maybe I’ll see you next year!
@rebecca83097 Hey! After thinking and discussing with many people… I am most likely going to UIUC! Unless some big miracle happens and one of the other school gives me a substantial scholarship which is not possible at all lol. So will probably see you around in August
