<p>Has anyone been here? I want to go into Chemical Engineering, how good would this school be? It seems to be ranked high. How is the environment around it?
I'm coming from Illinois, so would it be worth looking into even though it would cost more?</p>
<p>Wisconsin has a very good rep for ChE. It’s known as a big drinking/party school, but maybe an alum can come and enlighten us on the truth of this stereotype.</p>
<p>Have you thought about U Minnesota? They’re amazing for ChE and have cheap OOS tution.</p>
<p>For ChemE, both Wisconsin and Minnesota are top programs - you’d get a great education at either. As for tuition, UM is one of the best bargains in the country for OOS students, but not quite as low as you’d pay in-state to attend UIUC, which is also a top ChemE program.</p>
<p>So, if you want a big school, they’re all excellent choices, and you’ll have to balance the cost factor with what you want from the environment, as there’s a definite difference between all three. Illinois is a huge influence on the surrounding community (though not to the degree of, say, Penn State). Minnesota, for as large as it is, is just another entity in the Twin Cities. Wisconsin is somewhere in between. If you visit all three, you’ll likely form a preference. If UW was your favorite, would its advantages be enough to make the cost differential worth it? Only you can answer that question, but I’d certainly take a look to know what the factors you’re dealing with are. Good luck with your explorations!</p>
<p>One thing to know about UW is that although you’re admitted directly into the college of engineering as a freshman, you must apply again to get into your program of choice. Not sure how competitive this is for ChE but I was there just last week and the numbers for BME are tough: 90 kids applied last semester for 30 spots. It’s no problem to re-apply a second or third time, but at some point this really hampers your ability to finish in 4.5 or 5 years. Again, not sure about you or ChE. Just be aware that this is how they work.</p>
<p>beastman, I’ve heard of that before. I think a lot of schools who do engineering tend to do it that way. I’ll have to look into that.</p>