Hello everyone! I have applied as a transfer student to the undergraduate business program of these four Illinois universities. If I get admission in all four of these, which college would you recommend, based on:
Assuming the costs are the same, I would go with DePaul or Loyola. Loyola and DePaul are similar institutions, but DePaul has more of a focus on business while Loyola’s focus is more on health care. Both schools have satellite business campus. Loyola’s business school is located in the Gold Coast area, while DePaul is located in the Loop on State Street. Both allow students to work downtown while taking classes.
Bradley is not a bad school but the location in Peoria is a negative IMHO. While the Chicago CBD and certain areas in the city are doing well, downstate Illinois is faring poorly economically.
Finally, I would avoid UIC. The school has major budget issues, and the student body is weak. I know several people who went to UIC, and the job placement has been poor to say the least.
That was a pretty good insight Zinhead. Would you please elaborate on the budget issues you mentioned about UIC? I think it would prevent me from a significant amount of debt that I’d be dealing with, while studying at DePaul or Loyola.
Like other public universities in Illinois, UIC has seen funds cut due from the state and the university has slashed non-essential spending. One of my kids had a summer research position at UIC cancelled at the last minute because of these spending cuts.
The other issue with UIC is that it is not well respected by employers in Chicago. I know about a half dozen recent UIC graduates, and all of them had significant issues finding jobs that utilized their degree, and at least two of them are working jobs that do not require a college degree. IMHO, schools like Illinois State or Northern Illinois are better options than UIC.
That is really alarming! thanks for your cooperation 
My family has sacrificed to send my son to college. He is at UIC and just completed his sophomore year. It’s the only school we could afford and we prefer to get the debt reasonable. Now you are scaring me about the jobs prospects. I hope we didn’t make a bad decision.
The University of Illinois is funded as a unit among the three campuses and their satellites with the exception of UIC’s health science programs who receive a separate stream of funding. The bond rating of the school is of all three of them and not the separate campuses. From what I have heard, the University of Illinois is doing better than most of the other public universities. NIU is having significant budget issues.
Your ability to get a job after graduation is heavily linked to your major. If your child is getting a major in something in demand, there should be no issue with finding a job. Where you went to school, becomes less and less important as you progress through your career. It might mean something for your first job, but by your second or third, it is your experience/references which becomes all important.
UIC is not looked down upon. It is the largest school in Chicago and a high percentage of people in the Chicago area graduated from the school. There are schools which are looked down upon in Chicago, but I have never seen UIC listed as one of them. I am a UIC alum and everything I have heard is this is a period of growth for the school. The graduation rates are at all time highs. The student population has increased significantly over the past decade from about 25k to about 30k.
Just remember issues with school reputation are easily solved with a few years of experience. Debt can take decades to resolve and be a bigger long term issue than where you graduated from.