<p>Hello everybody, I have been accepted to the University of Alabama as a Presidential Scholar and to UIUC as an instate student with no additional aid. If I go to Alabama I will be looking to attend graduate school, and if I got to UIUC I will be either only going undergraduate or maybe graduate school. My parents can pay for UIUC, but probably not graduate school after that. Which school should I go to? What are the prospects of going to a good graduate school after attending the University of Alabama?</p>
<p>If you are interested in a Phd program it should be funded by the university.</p>
<p>I wasn’t thinking a Phd, more like an MS.</p>
<p>uaoruiuc: A little off topic, but… Have you visited UA? Have you met with Dean Sharp or Allison at the UA Honors College? Of course UIUC is a great school – but you should at least visit UA if you have not done so (and if you don’t mind being several hours from home). It’s an amazingly beautiful, well-laid out campus, and feels a lot smaller than the sprawling U of I campus (though I think they are roughly the same size). UA makes you feel wanted and welcome! Not sure what major you are seeking, but keep the grades up nicely and you shouldn’t have any issues getting into graduate school. The UA forum on CC can help you…lots of parents there will gladly answer any questions you have!</p>
<p>It seems simple to me - if you’re truly into computer science then go to UIUC, one of the top 3 programs in the US. If you’re not 100% certain then maybe the money enters into it. If you rock your undergrad at UIUC you will not have to pay for grad school - a top GPA from that program should have schools bringing grad scholarship money. That said - our S was accepted into the math/comp sci degree there and chose to go elsewhere because he really wasn’t 100% focused on computers, more on game design, and UIUC was loans-only aid.</p>
<p>CS at UIUC is top notch, as you certainly know. How much would it cost you
(tuition+ R&B) - (grants+scholarships) = ?
What’s your parents’ budget?
UA Honors would certainly give you lots of perks and I don’t think CS majors hurt for jobs, but UIUC’s CS is still considered a standard of excellence. Of course, you’d have to deal with the 2/3 of classes not in your major without the perks of honors college… UNLESS you were also admitted to the honors college at UIUC, which would make it the clear winner here.</p>
<p>I was not admitted into the Honor’s College at UIUC. My parents can pay for UIUC, but not grad school after UIUC without some serious aid given. I assume that I would stick with CS, but to be honest I just can’t be sure. I have not yet made it out to Tuscaloosa so I’m not sure about campus feel. UIUC does feel a little too big, but I could certainly deal.</p>
<p>how much will each cost you, including loans?</p>
<p>Alabama will cost probably around 35k-50k in total (depending on housing rates and travel), which is amazingly affordable for my family. UIUC is about 35k (around) per year, which we can afford, but with no grad school without fantastic scholarships.</p>
<p>PHD programs are usually funded: you don’t pay tuition and you get stipend to teach undergrads (like yourself next year 
) </p>
<p>University of Alabama at $50k vs UIUC at $140k for $90k difference. Will UIUC give you connections that are worth $90k? At the undergraduate level, I think you will find the education remarkably similar between the two schools.</p>