Sorry for the repost - first one got posted before I finished typing
I am a future psych major (perhaps with English double-major) and am having an especially difficult time deciding between UIUC (campus honors program) and WashU. Both have undergrad psych programs that are ranked highly, but it is hard to discern relative quality of instruction at both schools. I want a program with lots of academic rigor and opportunities to research with professors. WashU has a reputation for being academically rigorous and I had originally made the assumption that the academics at a larger state school like UIUC would be more general and less demanding, but the UIUC psych students to whom I have talked say that the UIUC curriculum is very enriching as well. I am hesitant because UIUC is definitely an engineering-focused university, and I am not sure that the psych program will have the same resources allocated. I also feel like resources will be thinly spread across the undergrad population at such a massive university.
I was leaning towards WashU because it seems to have a culture of learning and innovation, but the more I look into campus culture, I run into students expressing that they feel like they are living in a conformist bubble. WashU definitely has a reputation for lacking socioeconomic diversity, and this has made my enthusiasm for this college waver as well. I want to be a part of a vibrant, open-minded community, and I am unsure if WashU will provide exposure to as many different perspectives as UIUC will.
I plan to apply to top-tier grad schools for my PhD and know that the prestige of my undergrad program could play a small roll in my acceptance to those programs, but overall I care more about quality of education than relative prestige. I know that WashU has a beautiful campus and the housing/food situation is probably better than UIUC, but WashU is also around $15,000 more expensive per year.
I also plan to study abroad (hopefully in Senegal) during my undergrad years, but both schools seem to have accessible study abroad offices and scholarship opportunities. Research is another activity I plan to be involved it, but the students I have talked to at both schools say that research is abundant.
Please feel free to offer any insights/suggestions/comments on my thought process! Overall, I don’t want to live in an ideologically/economically insulated community, but I also really desire a space that has a heavy focus on academics. Any help is greatly appreciated! 