Hi guys,
I recently just got my acceptance for U of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for chemical engineering as a transfer student. I also applied for U of Maryland College Park for chemical engineering. My interest is the biomolecular side of chemical engineering. I know I cannot assume that I will be accepted to UMD but my chances are pretty high since the admission said as long as you complete the prereq for engineering and there is space you’re gonna be accepted. And my transfer GPA is considerably higher than the average transfer GPA at UMD.
Here are my thoughts about each of the university. Feel free to correct my thinking and help me to decide!
- Tuition
I am international so I will be paying OOS tuition fee, UIUC’s engineering tuition is about 38-39k per year, Maryland’s is ~30-33k but then they planned to gradually increase the tuition for specific majors like engineering. I don’t know if it is still 30-33k or if it is already changed or if it is gonna be the raised next year. Also, the living cost in DC metro area is higher than in Urbana right? So I guess I will spend a similar amount of money.
- Reputation and Academic
UIUC wins, it is a highly ranked university for engineering worldwide. It is ranked #5 in US news and top ten in several other websites. My teacher who went to UIUC, said they have excellent facilities and that it is a very academically stimulating place to be.
- Location
UMD wins, in DC metro area, while UIUC is in the middle of cornfields. I am worried that I won’t like it at UIUC. I have lived in three different countries, and most of my life I have lived in huge cities with a similar pace of life in Singapore and Tokyo that are like doubled the pace of life where I live right now, Seattle which is considered one of more fast-paced US cities, a tech hub and a place to get things done. I personally think it is still slow lol. I know UIUC is a huge school, I will always find something to do, but I just cannot picture myself being in the middle of cornfields.
But I also heard bad things about College Park like its high crime rate, and UMD is located in a ghetto area.
- Social Life and Diversity
I have no idea. But I researched a bit in UIUC’s forum, I conclude that it is hard to get a good social life without going greek. I know there is a huge international population in UIUC which is good, but not much diversity in their international and domestic student body. They have like more than 5k Chinese students? wtf? that is like more than all international students in UMD combined. Also, I cannot find statistics on the international students enrollment by country at UMD website. Can anyone help me?
Thank you guys any input will be greatly appreciated!
Hi. Couldn’t help but laugh about the cornfields. So, yes UIUC is an excellent school for engineering, but my son didn’t even consider it because of the cornfields (he knew he either wanted to be in a major city or near one).
So, in all seriousness, University of Maryland engineering is an excellent choice for engineering. Let me address your questions as you have them listed.
1.Here is the info on the differential tuition (the added cost for engineering that is being phased in) https://financialaid.umd.edu/osfa/Differential_Tuition_FAQ.pdf. I’m not sure the difference cost of living expenses would apply that heavily as to balance out the difference in tuition…especially if you are living on campus. Going into DC is an inexpensive ride on the metro (a train) that is very easy to do. All the museums in DC are free. As for cost of getting a pizza or “going out” in College Park surroundings, it’s pretty comparable to any other place.
2.Maryland also has an outstanding reputation for engineering, with excellent facilities (we have a neutral buoyancy lab (the only campus in the nation to have one), a wind tunnel, a nuclear training reactor, etc) and plenty of academic stimulation. Here is the 4 year plan for biochemical engineering - scroll to second page to see expanded abbreviation what the class titles are http://www.eng.umd.edu/sites/default/files/images/current/forms/4yrplan/chbe-4yrplan-ge-2015-2016.pdf. I have addressed most of your question of reputation in another thread, so please forgive me for being lazy and referring you to it http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/university-maryland-college-park/1732708-everything-you-want-to-know-about-engineering-at-maryland-p1.html. Be sure to open the links I included for more detail. As for rankings, here are some for Maryland http://www.umdrightnow.umd.edu/university-maryland-rankings but I only put so much stock in rankings. They are helpful to a degree, but the methodology is often flawed and skewed to info that may not be relevant for you, with the differences sometimes being negligible. It’s all about fit for you personally …what you want, where you are most comfortable. The happier you are, the more successful you will be.
- Haha, yeah, college park is not a bucolic college town like some schools, but it isn't a ghetto! First off, they are transforming the area to become the more typical college town, but in it's present state, it's not bad at all if you stay in the immediate area of campus (there are lots of great food options on the route one strip that divides the main campus from frat row/greek life housing); as you travel further off campus (which I'm not sure you would ever need to?), it does get a little seedy/rough.
- You do not need to go greek to have a good social life at Maryland. I have always said that one of Maryland's strengths is its diversity in general. Everyone also has a tremendous amount of school pride/spirit which really does make a difference! Have you seen this site? http://globalmaryland.umd.edu/offices/international-students-scholar-services. In specific to percentage of international students, this has not been updated with 2015 yet, but hopefully this helps https://globalmaryland.umd.edu/sites/default/files/ies/Fall2014Stats.pdf
Let me know if you have any other questions. I’m the mom of a MechE senior and also an alum if that helps to know.