USC vs UIUC

Applying to College
1

Hi Guys!

So I’m an International Student from India applying for engineering to the US. I’ve gotten acceptances from quite a few schools including Purdue, University of Wisconsin Madison, Purdue, Virginia Tech, Boston University, University of California San Diego, University of Illinois- Urbana Champaign and University of Southern California.

I am currently in a pretty happy dilemma choosing between these few schools. I have shortlisted UIUC and USC as my top two schools but am still confused as to which is the better option.

USC is a phenomenal school and is ranked highly in the US-News National University Rankings. It is ranked as a top 25 university in the nation and is well known throughout the world. It is also located in Los Angeles and is known for its strong alumni network.

UIUC is no less with one of the highest ranked Engineering Programs in the Nation with only MIT, Stanford, UCB, Caltech and Gtech being ranked higher. UIUC is located in relatively small cities of Urbana-Champaign and it is relatively less selective.

UIUC has a much better ranked engineering program (#6) as per US News and USC is ranked significantly lower at #24
UIUC seems to be less competitive school with an acceptance rate of 60%. USC is far more selective with an admit rate of about 17%.

The primary factors I want to base my decision on are (in order of importance):

Strength of Engineering School
Job Prospects for International Students
Rating of Engineering Program of UIUC vs USC for admissions to Graduate Programs
Rigor of Engineering Program
Class Size
Student Faculty Ratio
Public Vs Private University
Accessibility of Classes/ Wait-lists for classes as I’ve heard that sometimes students at Public Schools don’t get the classes that they require ( for eg. UCLA)
Prestige
Type of Students
Location
Social life

USC is probably the more prestigious overall among the two schools, but its engineering program isn’t as highly ranked as that of UIUC. Will this affect job prospects and placements later on??/ I have been admitted to both schools for Mechanical Engineering.

Any opinions will be greatly appreciated! Really hope those who are attending UIUC and USC can comment on the social life, career prospects as well as academic rigor/reputation of both schools. Thanks!!!

2

I would go for UIUC. I have a friend who goes there, and he’s extremely happy. He’s also in the James Scholar Honors Program, so he has no problem getting any classes.

3

I think you take this admit rate a little too seriously but it’s your money and how you spend it is up to you. But I would spend time and research each school program a little deeper.

4

I UCS is going to provide you with more networking capability with the nationally renown professors and the intellectual student body. I think that you will get more learning, internship and job opportunities at USC.

5

I believe poster #3 is from CA. I’m from the midwest USA and the reputation of UIUC is superb here. Applying for a job/internship in this area of the country as a UIUC student would get you instant recognition. USC? Not so.

All I’m saying is that I’m sure @Canyouhelbzme is trying to be helpful, it’s only one perspective.

6

“Job Prospects for International Students”

What do potential employers in your own country have to say about these two universities? Do THEY prefer one or the other?

You will be able to work in the US on an OPT visa extension after completing your undergraduate degree. I believe that for engineering majors, the maximum time period is 18 months. When that time expires, if you have not found an employer who can get an H-1B (work) visa for you, you will have to leave. Yes, some engineering and computer science majors do manage to find employers who get lucky in the visa competition, but most don’t.

Whatever you come to study here, and wherever you study, you need to plan to leave the US at the end of your OPT. That means that it is important for you to find out what, exactly, potential employers in your home country want.

7

I’ve been admitted into UIUC from India too for aerospace engineering. I’ve spoken to a UIUC graduate who lives in my city and he said it is a great school. From what I’ve heard, UIUC is highly regarded in India(if you have any plans of coming back after college) and has a far stronger engineering program than USC. I suggest that you go for UIUC. The overall ranking of the college is not as important as that of the specific program you’re part of.

8

Consider Purdue as well. Its engineering program is among the top 10 in the US.

9

My S, an international student, has been accepted for Electrical Engineering in UIUC, USC, UW Madison, Purdue, Rose Hulman and RPI.

We are finding it difficult to choose between USC and UIUC.

Any views on academic reputation, undergrad research, internship/job opportunities, personal attention, campus life/safety would be highly appreciated…

10

I’ve heard UIUC is top school for Computer Science and Computer Engineering, don’t really know much about other engineering discipline. But I think at USC there is more flexibility in changing major, have minor and a well round undergraduate education. As far as safety, my kid graduated from USC 2012, she practically lived at USC all 4 years including summer and never had any problem. None. But others might not agree with that statement.