<p>Hey y'all! I'm stuck in a difficult position. I am from Illinois, so, if I go to UIUC, I'll be getting in-state tuition. I will accumulate about 10k more debt each year by going to UMich. I have gotten into both engineering programs (duh), but I am wondering what is the best option for the ultimate goal of a hopeful transfer or admit into MIT grad (please no bashing on my goal haha). Like which school looks better in the eyes of an MIT admissions officer? That would mean which school has better research opportunities/is more highly revered. To be honest, I think I love both schools equally, and this is probably the toughest decision I have ever had to make. Thanks CCers!</p>
<p>Which engineering field(s) are you most likely to major in?</p>
<p>Maybe materials science, but, then again, I’m not 100% sure.</p>
<p>USNews & World report ranks UIUC #4 for undergrad engineering “at engineering schools whose highest degree is a doctorate” (tied with CalTech and Georgia Tech). U. Mich-Ann Arbor is ranked 7th.</p>
<p>Given that you will save $40,000 by attending the higher-ranked UIUC, I don’t see how this is really even a debate.</p>
<p>By the way, congratulations Vhiremath4 – you have two great choices! I remember your posts, and it’s good to know you will land in a good place.</p>
<p>Off the top of my head, Michigan is better at EE, UIUC is better at chem E. </p>
<p>Overall, a Michigan degree has more cache’; maybe not in engineering, though. But if finances are important, that may not be worth it.</p>
<p>In-state UIUC pretty much demolishes any other option for engineering, even MIT. I came to MIT for the college experience, not because I thought I’d get a significantly better (or even notably better) education (I also got into UIUC in-state). That being said, UIUC is in the middle of nowhere, and Michigan is in a more exciting area - if this is important to you, then you should consider it. But if you think you’d be totally happy in either place, you should definitely go to UIUC.</p>
<p>While the profs may be comparable, the undergraduate education at U. of Illinois vs. MIT is not remotely similar.</p>
<p>Thanks for the quick replies! I’m thinking UIUC is the better choice for me at this point.</p>
<p>@CalAlum</p>
<p>Thanks so much!</p>
<p>collegealum, have you actually attended both schools? Because as a current MIT student who sat in on UIUC classes when she was deciding, they’re honestly pretty similar. I probably have more large lecture classes at MIT than I would have if I had attended UIUC for bioengineering (I’m a CS major), and most of the personal attention in classes has been from my section TAs, which is also pretty much the same deal. But then again, most of what you learn at college will happen outside the classroom.</p>
<p>You can’t tell by sitting in on a class. I’ve either taught at or attended other Big 10 schools with comparable or better reputations than U. of Illinois, and there was no comparison to MIT. </p>
<p>I also know a ton of people who went to U. of Illinois for undergrad and majored in science or engineering. They didn’t think it was that tough. I’m not saying it’s not a worthwhile education, but it’s not in the same league of difficulty or intensity. Just trust me on this one. </p>
<p>Ask the U. of Illinois profs if the undergrad education is comparable to MIT. I doubt that you’d find any that would say it was, mainly because the typical U. of Illinois science/engineering major couldn’t do the work at MIT.</p>
<p>“mainly because the typical U. of Illinois science/engineering major couldn’t do the work at MIT.”</p>
<p>Ouch. I personally think I’m capable of doing the work at MIT. :-(</p>
<p>^ I’m not sure the typical UCBerkeley undergraduate science/engineering major could handle the work at MIT. Many are “weeded out” of their programs in the freshman and sophomore years. But the strongest students there, like the strongest engineering students at UIUC, are sought after by companies here in Silicon Valley.</p>
<p>There are always students who would have done well at MIT but are denied admission for one reason or another; such students can thrive at well-regarded programs elsewhere and end up as successful as an MIT grad.</p>
<p>Vhiremath4, let that comment just roll off you, like water off the back of a duck. It doesn’t apply to you.</p>
<p>Yeah, exactly, that wasn’t meant to be a slam. The talent at state schools, even good ones like UIUC, is more varied. Arguably the smartest guy in my high school went to U. of Illinois and got honorable mention on the Putnam. But obviously the average science/engineering student there is not like that. And the curriculum has to be geared so that the average student can get something out of it.</p>
<p>Haha thanks. So I take it I should figure out a way to show MIT that I can handle their work, since the work at UIUC will not be as great?</p>
<p>Honestly, you should really just go to UIUC and make the most of it. It’s a great school and I’m sure you will meet lots of interesting and engaging people. You won’t be able to have an awesome time if you’re constantly thinking of how to transfer out. Transferring into MIT is really, really difficult to begin with, so you should really focus on getting everything out of UIUC that you can get.</p>
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<p>For transferring: Don’t try to split the atom in order to get in. Just do your classes freshman and sophomore year. Go ahead and do research during the summer, but I wouldn’t do it during the year.<br>
If you want to get a headstart, I guess you could do research of some kind before freshman year, but you may be limited in what you are capable of doing. It takes a year or so before you even start taking classes in engineering, typically.</p>
<p>For MIT grad school: Just be a star in the classroom. Study as if you are trying to be the best person in your major. After junior year, do some research and try to end up with a publication. U. of Illinois engineering and science profs are giants in their field, so impressing them will go a long way. You can do research earlier on if you want, but it may not be necessary and you may only be so much before you learn it in class. It’s also possible you may be able to apply to do summer research for a prof at MIT. I knew a guy that went to U. Michigan in chem E, did research his junior year summer at MIT, and got into grad school. This was key; the prof he worked for told him he could work for him in grad school–meaning that admissions was a formality. He had a 3.9/4.0 at U. Michigan, and that was part of what got him the summer position probably. My feeling is that your GPA should be around that number.</p>
<p>Distinguishing yourself in computer science may work somewhat differently because it is so different from other engineering fields. But for EE, mat. sci., chem E, it’s pretty straightforward what you need to do. </p>
<p>Again, don’t try to overload yourself trying to distinguish yourself. Acing your classes will likely be enough, and it will also help you in research.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>@k4r3n2 and collegealum</p>
<p>Thanks so much! I think I just may nix the whole idea of transferring k4r3n2, for several reasons other than it will be a total buzz kill on my college experience (which is a big reason haha). Thanks for all the info collegealum!</p>
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<p>My impression is at state schools with very distinguished faculty but a student body consisting of some weaker students who managed to squeeze their way in amidst a much stronger pool, the faculty may teach to the level they please, and the students can go weep, flunk out, or do whatever else, and things aren’t going to change :D</p>
<p>Usually students who can’t cope with this level are destroyed in the earlier classes and know they can’t do it, and just have to do something else.</p>
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<p>My impression is that U. of Illinois is not like that. I’ve heard Georgia Tech is like that, though. I’ve also heard Purdue is a very sink-or-swim school.</p>
<p>^ Obviously I know only about my own school, so that’s where I was drawing the example from :)</p>
<p>And yes, Purdue is like that, coming from someone I know who attended and did very well there.</p>