I am between these two colleges to major in Biology on the pre-med track. I understand that UIUC is significantly cheaper, but I am wondering what are the significant differences between these schools non-cost wise. I really want to go to Madison but am still unclear what is better about Madison besides a better campus?
Nothing. Both are great schools, but Madison’s campus is far superior. That being said, if Illinois is cheaper, then you have to decide if the better campus is worth the money. My daughter’s dream school was UW Madison. She loved that campus. In the end, she chose a cheaper school. At first the decision really killed her, but as the weeks went by, she became more and more convinced she made the right call. Good luck.
As somebody who spent 7 years at UIUC, I have to agree with @sunnryz. The Wisconsin campus is prettier, and Madison is much nicer than C-U. Academically, they are equivalent in the quality of their Bio track. I TAed pre-meds at UIUC for almost every one of those 7 years, and met a good number. They’re all smart, driven overachievers, who would argue over a point that would make no difference in their letter grade. From what I’ve heard from friends and colleagues, the Wisconsin pre-meds are pretty much the same…
However, for just four years, I would go with cost.
what is your home state? at the end of the day, you have higher chance to be admitted to your home state med school than other out of state med school. Madison has more biotech companies surround. If you decide not to go to med school but in research, Madison has more resources. also UW med school ranks 25 place higher then UIUC
for premed could be closer for the 2 schools with UW still on the edge