Need some urgent help guys. I have an admit for USC spring 2017 and UIUC fall 2016 for MS in construction management. I have heard that internationals find it tougher during the spring semester and that they miss out on the typical college experience. I really don’t know if it’s worth waiting another semester for USC. I’m really confused as to what my decision should be. Money isn’t a factor here so help me decide based on these factors
1.The college experience(I would love to befriend other internationals and locals and not just hang out with fellow Indians)
2.Job opportunities and internships
3.Student life
4.Reputation and Prestige
5.Academics if anyone here happens to know anything about the civil departments in either university
I really don’t have a lot of time left to decide guys!
I don’t see why you would wait for USC (besides the weather).
UIUC has one of the highest-ranked civil engineering departments in the country.
@PurpleTitan I don’t think I’d wait. But hypothetically if you were to get into USC for fall 2016 what would you do?
- Depends on the reputation of the school (including for engineering) in my home country.
- Go with fit.
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While that’s true, you’re not an undergrad. As a grad student, the “college experience” will likely be very different.
Contact the dept and find out if you can start in Fall. Strange that they’d have a grad student start in Spring anyway.
@mom2collegekids Yeah I did…they told me not to harass them and that they would automatically push me up if there were any slots available
Is there a reason you might prefer USC to UIUC? I think you would have a great experience at UIUC, it is a big school with lots of different students, and a top ranked program. If one of my kids were choosing between a Spring Admit and a top ranked program, I don’t think there would be a second’s hesitation to turn down USC and take UIUC. So you must have a reason you would have preferred USC?
Do you have a strong preference for working in the West Coast over Midwest?
Perhaps I’m wrong but in construction management, it’s more a question of region than prestige at this point.
@Catria, well, as an international, that should be a concern, but also how the schools are perceived in their own country.
@Ruby789 Yeah the reason I wanted to go to USC is because I liked the programme better. The courses they taught suited me better. Also USC is supposed to be the number 1 college for budding entrepreneurs in the US. I just felt I’d be with people with similar interests in USC. And also i don’t think there are many job opportunities in Illinois for my field(I don’t mind returning to India without a job but it would be easier to repay the loan if I worked for a year) I’d actually be paying $15k more for USC but I wouldn’t have minded for fall. Oh and also the weather is a big plus. I have serious issues with my sinus so I pretty much can’t stand the cold. But I am going to get a surgery done before I enter the states. Anyway it seems like the USC ship has sailed for me.
@Hulknation: You have excellent reasons to choose USC if that is what you prefer.
I would think a top rated program (like the one at UIUC would be attractive to employers well beyond Illinois. It sounds as though you’ve made a choice for UIUC anyway - but you might feel better about your choice if you check out the career center to see where graduates are placed. I suspect you will have a better time than you think in Illinois.
Good Luck to you!!
@Ruby789 thank you that made me feel good
UIUC engineering is known across the whole country.
In any case, how are you judging the courses? Have you looked at syllabi?
@PurpleTitan yep I looked at the syllabi. Spoke to a couple of others doing MS in construction management… They felt it wasn’t as good as UIUC’s reputation