UMN vs. UIUC

Hi! So, after some encouragement from a friend, I decided to post on here to see if I’ve missed anything so far in the college selection process. I’m still waiting on a few reach schools, but it has really come down to Minnesota Twin Cities vs. Illinois @ Urbana Champaign for chemical engineering.

UMN: Pros are 20k/year scholarship that will essentially let me graduate with 40k in my pocket from my parents for law school, honors community, it’s great for ChemE and I really love the campus. Cons are that it’s not so strong in other areas of engineering (which matters because I might change majors and grad/professional school is never a guarantee), the student body in CSE didn’t really match that of UIUC in terms of diversity and overall “vibe”, a really defined list of courses that are only offered in certain semesters (fall or spring) that might make studying abroad as an upperclassman difficult, and they don’t freeze tuition, so I don’t know how much I’ll actually be paying for four years.

UIUC: Not sure how much scholarship money I’ll be getting, if any, but my parents can comfortably cover the entire cost of attendance (I’m in state). Pros are a solid engineering program that’s super renowned in the Midwest, a community of friends that I know and love (though I totally plan to meet new people, it’s nice to see familiar faces–I plan to hopefully live with people I already know I’m a good fit with, which is reassuring), unique clubs that perfectly fit my interest, a better opportunity to get jobs in Chicago just due to proximity, study abroad opportunities, two honors programs, a campus I like but isn’t as hustle-bustle as the Twin Cities, though I love downtown Urbana and Champaign, and it’s 3 hours from home. Cons–it’s three hours from home, lol. I really want to use college as this whole independence-seeking endeavor, but I feel like I can do that anywhere if I try. The cons are really not having the 40k and the novelty of being in a brand new place and living “on my own” haha.

As you said, Chem Eng is extremely strong at UMN and the rest of Engineering is definitely better than you are giving credit for. That with a scholarship and the Twin Cities makes it a nice option for you.

You’re right about the difference in diversity but that also is a contributing factor to the generally overall more competitive feel at UIUC. Depends on which type of environment you thrive better in. I know UMN’s OOS have gone up considerably so what would be the difference in cost for the schools. My S is at UMN in a double major in CS and Economics - he’s loving it there.

Three hours away is far enough that you will feel independent. You probably won’t go home more than twice a semester.