<p>Hello guys, I'm an international student who's admitted to both UW and UIUC's industrial design. I am struggling between two schools because I know UIUC's got a better program while UW's got a more convenient location. If you were me which do you prefer, education or life? Anyone please give me some suggestions and tell me more about UIUC's school life and UW's industrial design program. Thank you very much :D</p>
<p>please please give me some suggestions guys :(</p>
<p>hello Tim1298
if you forget about the choices for a moment and look inside yourself…this is the key…as long as you go to a school that does not suck (neither of these schools suck), you will get the BEST bang out of your education investment of time/money by going for the best fit…</p>
<p>all things being near equal, definitely go with the most comfortable surroundings and ability to make career/social connections…</p>
<p>I know less about UIUC but I definitely know Seattle in VERY international friendly. UW is also the world’s #1 research facility (as far as dollars invested), which is nothing to sneeze at…if that is something that can help your career, go for it…</p>
<p>either way - good luck to you!</p>
<p>Actually UW is not #1. That is JHU followed by Michigan and Wisconsin.</p>
<p>hmmm
well barrons, perhaps not everything I read is fully authentic…or perhaps not as up to date as I would have hoped…or, the article I read is more up to date than your source as it was just in March (can’t remember the source though) - perhaps they were reporting next year’s stats or a real time report (or using old criteria - who knows)</p>
<p>never the less, of tim1298’s choices, it is the most committed and recognized as a research school - for this discussion, that is what is most important…</p>
<p>Tim1298, what ever you choose - the difference maker is YOU - do not rely on an surveys or rankings as your #1 deciding criteria…</p>
<p>using Your head (or perhaps more-so, your heart) will secure your greatest education. the best match brings the best sustained effort out of you. THAT is the key to the best decision
good luck!</p>
<p>My source. Udub ALWAYS likes to play games when it reports research rankings. I live in Seattle and read their releases.
They like to report grants won versus money spent in one year. Most grants cover several years.
[UM</a> Tops Again In Research Spending At U.S. Public Universities CBS Detroit](<a href=“http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/04/01/um-tops-again-in-research-spending-at-u-s-public-universities/]UM”>UM Tops Again In Research Spending At U.S. Public Universities - CBS Detroit)</p>
<p>very good barrons…interesting…i think that was what I read too then…good reporting :)</p>
<p>regardless, are you adding anything specific as to tim1298’s question? here is a youngster requesting insights as to where he should go to school…</p>
<p>UW seems as ‘international friendly’ as they come and regardless of my opinion it would make a lovely destination IF he feels it indeed is the best fit, he may be curious if you have an insight to offer…</p>
<p>have an awesome evening :)</p>
<p>Thank you very much oodadoo for your valuable opinions! so glad that you helped. hahaha and yeah anyone is welcome to come here and give me some advices :)) Again I appreciate all of your replies, thank you!!!</p>
<p>Tim pretty well summed up the choice. UIUC does have many internationals too–mostly in engineering. Everyone knows Seattle is more interesting than Chambana.</p>
<p>UIUC has a good number of internationals - I would opt for UIUC based on your major - but Seattle based on city - it depends where you WANT to be.</p>
<p>hello all, again thank you for all the replies!
um I think the amount of international students isn’t my major concern, its just so hard to decide wether I want to go to a school with the better program or better location. I might design better things in a better location, but on the other hand I don’t want to let go of the well-reputated program that UIUC offers.</p>
<p>I notice that undergrads on these boards always compare research facilities and research backgrounds of professors, but that only matters if you are interested in research and plan on research as a part of your career. And even then, sometimes the differences are negligible. At the undergrad level, I would not say the difference between UIUC and UW are big enough to count.</p>
<p>Again at the undergrad level, I would choose a school more for location/life than major/department assuming that the two schools both have similar academics. Number one, college students often change their majors. Number two, college is almost as much about the lifestyle and hanging out as it is about taking classes. Save the departmental concerns for grad school, if you decide to go.</p>
<p>Also local job opportunities during school and in the summer are FAR greater in Seattle. Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Amazon and others have major offices here.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about UW in terms of ID but I do know about Seattle.
It’s a fantastic place for a student to live, lots to do, lots of coffee shops so
you can stay awake while finishing those overnight projects, beautiful setting
. . . water everywhere in the city, mountains close by for skiing, hiking, camping,
Pacific Northwest rainforest for walks and hiking, islands, fishing, bookstores.
The only problem would be being sure to focus on your work and not get too
distracted. And yes, more work opportunities than a small college town.</p>
<p>The school is highly regarded and not all that easy to get accepted into anymore,
in fact difficult in some areas at grad school level. Seattle’s climate is also pretty
moderate, yes it does rain but also no extremes of cold or hot.</p>
<p>Looks like you have two good choices good luck, wish I could tell you mre about
the actual school but don’t know all that much except that UW has a good reputation.</p>
<p>barrons are you saying that they always play tricks and always report just grants rather than the
money spent in one year,a little bit confusing,what dose the grant cover several years meaning?</p>
<p>They usually report grants awarded rather than money spent. Most grants cover several years–often up to 5 for lager ones. It averages out over time but with grants going up (until now), it puts a better spin on it. The offical stats come from the NSF. The tend to lag as they just reported actual spending for 2010. They did officially break $1Billion in 2010.They were 4th overall which is very high and very close to the 2 and 3 schools. But they reported a Billion in grants several years ago. No biggie–just a little spin. Also they never mention th eother schools ahead of them. UM did in their press release.</p>
<p>[Untitled</a> Document](<a href=“http://www.ns.umich.edu/Releases/2012/Mar12/research.html]Untitled”>http://www.ns.umich.edu/Releases/2012/Mar12/research.html)</p>
<p>[Untitled</a> Document](<a href=“http://www.ns.umich.edu/Releases/2012/Mar12/research.html]Untitled”>http://www.ns.umich.edu/Releases/2012/Mar12/research.html)</p>
<p>I think I cant fully understand what you mean.</p>
<p>First, do all things UW had done influence its rankings in 2011 and 2012 (including the rankings in the US and world) ? Put it in another way, UW’s rankings would be lower than it is now if UW had not played tricks ?</p>
<p>Second, what does the word “grants awarded” mean? the funds to help students who cannot pay the tuition of the university ? or the money from the government to support the research of the school ?</p>
<p>Furthermore, actually, does UW have the most Research fundings comparing with other universities in the US in recent years ?</p>
<p>Thanks a lot!!</p>