University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

I major in finance and am currently attending a California Community College (starting 3rd semester this spring), and I decide to try schools outside CA since the tuition would be just the same for me. (intl’ student btw)

I think that the school actually meets my criteria. Diversity, campus town, and great parties on weekends won’t hurt.

Now I’m just wondering how hard is it to get there, I’m predicting somewhere around 3.8 when I graduated from the community college. Will a high GPA be enough?

and also, I’ve heard that the school was for engineering majors, but also know that they offer business (finance emphasis) program as well. How does the school compare to a particular UC? (tied to which UC school)

Well, according to my rating system, it is tied with UCSB and UCSD. UIUC is a great school, one that’s not at all easy to gain admittance to OOS. The business program is highly-ranked, as are the engineering and sciences programs. Your high GPA should hopefully be enough.

UIUC has a very good business school. For Chicago, it is not quite quite as marketable as Northwestern, UChicago or Notre Dame, but very close, and they offer finance which some of the other Chicago schools do not offer to undergraduates. However, the cost is very high for OOS, and it will be difficult to transfer in. DePaul in Chicago is another good regional school for business.

Indiana has a superior business school to U of I, and it’d probably be cheaper for an out of stater. U of I is still a great option, but Kelley is simply better.

ACT: 33 - Best subscores: (Math: 35, Reading: 32, English: 35, Science: 29)
SAT: 2050
Unweighted GPA: 3.4
Weighted GPA: 3.8

Sports: Tennis - JV 2 years, Varsity 2 years
Clubs: 1.Mu Alpha Theta(Math Honors Society) - Helped volunteer with many middle school competitions and other math type events.
2. BPA(Business Professionals of America): All 4 years, but made it to state 2 years, and nationals 2 years
3. Scholastic Bowl - 2 years - JV 1 year, Varsity 1 year
Volunteering: Alive community Center in Naperville, and feed my starving children
Can I get chanced for computer engineering at uiuc and Purdue? Thanks

@Zinhead: yeah i’m an intl and doesnt necessarily have to go to Illinois at all but the school casts me interest in attending.

@jpamsel: I think IU’s Kelley School of Business might be their favorite, but UIUC is higher ranked nationally, also that the OOS tuition is slightly cheaper at UIUC so we’ll see, but I am actually swaying there, more suggestions?

@illini23: please don’t post your question on my thread. thanks.

Kelley is ranked higher by a considerable margin in every index I’ve looked at? I’ve never seen UIUC up with Georgetown, Cornell, and Emory, which is around where Kelley is ranked. Also, Indiana is extremely generous with OOS scholarships, whereas UIUC is not. I got 11,000 a year with an average GPA and high GPA.

I won’t try to convince you that UIUC is better than IU (Kelley), because you can do some research and make up your own mind. However I will share my family’s feelings on the subject.

I live in a suburb of Chicago with a very strong school district. Both of my children are strong students with great resumes. My daughter (who is the older of the two) did not consider IU because she liked UIUC better and had little doubt she would be accepted at Illinois. My son applied to Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. He was accepted to all 3. Michigan did not offer any merit $s, so he crossed it off his list. (It would not be worth an extra $100K in our opinion.)

Indiana/Kelley offered him merit $s that would have made it less expensive to attend than UIUC. However after attending the Kelley direct admit day, he chose Illinois for several reasons.

First, at least in our area, UIUC is more highly regarded for business than IU. At his school only a handful of students will get direct admitted into UIUC’s College of Business. Anecdotally the students ,who end up at Kelley, did not get into the CoB at Illinois. They prefer the guarantee of a business major at IU, over the risk of not being able to transfer into their desired major. Does it mean UIUC is better? Probably not, but you can’t help but notice which students go where.

Second, we noticed the significant difference in size of the undergraduate business programs. Kelley, I believe, has around 500 more students per grade level than Illinois’s business school. (I’m going by memory here, but you can check it out. I think it was about 700 versus 1200.) Is that a good or bad thing? We considered the pros and cons. You should too.

Third, we got the impression that some of the rankings we looked at might be due to a “trickle-down effect” from their respective MBA programs. Indiana, without a doubt, has a stronger MBA program.

Fourth, my son is not interested in investment banking. (in part, due to his father’s experience with lifestyle sacrifices with that career path) Right now, as a freshman, he is looking to double major in accounting and finance with a possible Technology and Management minor in the future.

Illinois is VERY strong in accounting…and engineering (T&M) for that matter. Indiana has a strong IB program. What matters to you?

Lastly, we have some familiarity with Illinois since it is our flagship and our daughter is a junior in Business there. The study abroad program is wonderful through UIUC…she loved her semester (Spring sophomore yr) in Europe. She made good friends with some Kelley students, but said that after talking with them, she has absolutely no regrets.

My daughter also feels UIUC’s Business Career Services does an excellent job of assisting students in internship/job placement. She got a very good internship between her sophomore and junior year in the Chicago area. And she has another one lined up for this summer, out of state.<<< although I admit I don’t know how that works for internationals.

To the OP, I suggest you talk with someone to ascertain how many credit hours will transfer for you and how long it would take you to complete your degree. UIUC is a great school with a wonderful campus. I wish you well.

FYI - Just saw on Twitter that UIUC College of Business received over 4,000 applications for Fall 2016!

Let me be a little bit more specific now.

I mentioned that I am an international student (Indonesian). I will finish my bachelor then return to my home town for good and work there. I am not planning to take any MBA after a few years of working experience. Here are some aspects that would be parts of my consideration:

  • I'm from an Asian country, diversity matters a lot to me, and UIUC seems to offer more diversity compared to IU. I don't wanna miss a chance for college experience. I prioritise my career over all things, but I need the parties as well as great education.
  • UIUC is ranked higher nationally (at least for the undergraduate program)
  • I need great networks. American graduate is highly regarded in my home country and has more chance to earn higher paying job, therefore, school's reputation is crucial.
  • I've heard that Kelley offers better business programs.

Question:
1.) Which one has better reputation for someone who will work overseas, especially in FINANCE? i’m not considering ACCY or any other B.A. branches.
2.) Which will create better networks for me later on?
3.) If I decide to take MBA in a more prestigious school (say NYU or USC for example) in the next few years, which has better access to these top-tier schools?