<p>I'm also accepted into University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's College of Engineering (OOS). UIUC is ranked better/higher for my engineering discipline and would cost only about $45k a year instead of $55k a year. Why should I consider NU's engineering program if I get in (or do all you Northwesterners think I should attend UIUC)?</p>
<p>Slight - This is exactly the decision my D had to make back in 2004! She got admitted to both, (among others) but UICU and NU Engineering were her final 2 choices.</p>
<p>She contacted an NU professor that went to undergrad at UICU and was teaching at NU, so that was a huge help. He pointed out that the main difference was that NU was smaller, and she would be more likely to get personal attention, with smaller class sizes. Since that is what she was looking for it made the decision easier.</p>
<p>However, I do have to point out also that for my D it was less expensive to attend NU that UICU, which also helped make the decision easier.</p>
<p>As my D’s career developed, she was able to hugely enjoy NU, and was able to get recognition for her contribution on a paper from a Professor not even in her field, as it was cross-disciplinary, whcih NU is big on. She also starred in IM sports and her club sport took her to Europe, and she is and was happy with her choice. </p>
<p>She was also able to take advantage of NU’s excellent coop program and land a job in her field before graduating, so that’s big too.</p>
<p>Just keep in mind that your miles may varry, and you might look better in blue and orange - everyone’s different. So visit again if you can, and try to track down Profs and/or kids that have been to both schools, and fit what they say into what works best for you</p>
<p>Good luck, and GO CATS</p>
<p>Thanks for your experience and input nugraddad. I don’t find that personal attention and smaller classes is all that much of a factor when choosing a college so perhaps I’d be better off a Fighting Illini.</p>
<p>So depends on the Major inside engineering, and plans afterwards. Ranking is a 1-D metric.</p>
<p>[Most</a> of McCormick Class of 2010 Had Jobs at Graduation: McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern](<a href=“http://mccormick.northwestern.edu/news/articles/article_745.html]Most”>http://mccormick.northwestern.edu/news/articles/article_745.html)</p>
<p>From the article… “Ninety-five percent of students who graduated from the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science in June 2010 had a job or graduate school lined up by graduation, according to an in-house survey.”</p>
<p>Wow! That’s even a higher percentage than when I graduated engineering in the booming early 80’s!!</p>
<p>Which is funny you point that out because I’m sure it’s similar at Illinois. Illinois is no schmucky engineering school.</p>
<p>For me, it was cost. I was OOS at Illinois and they were pretty skimpy on financial aid (can’t blame 'em). I also wanted a smaller, but not too small, school and McCormick seemed like that.</p>
<p>Also, I would be lying if I said the name wasn’t a factor too.</p>