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I am having a really hard time finding a school that I like that is public and in-state for Illinois. My parents, although they can afford private school tuition, really want me to look in-state for my undergrad because they feel like I will want to "save" the huge amounts of debt I'll accumulate until I go to grad school/med school. What are some in-state schools that have many good major programs (bio, communications, english is what I'm looking at, bio being my plan for now)? I visited University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and I did not really like the campus and I didn't feel like it was the place for me.
On the other hand, I am absolutely in love with DePaul in Chicago. But, DePaul is 52k a year, which is extremely expensive, especially for undergrad. Will DePaul give me money to go there (info below)? The only way I would be allowed to go there is if I can get it down to in-state tuition (if I get in).
I have a cumulative GPA of 3.7 with all honors and AP classes and an ACT score of 30. I also do many extracurriculars (4 clubs, 1 sport, 4 arts activities/extracurriculars), and a lot of volunteering. I want to major in biology/biological sciences and then go further and become a doctor. I was accepted into Butler University, which was super exciting! I have applied to Baylor University, UW-Madison, University of Minnesota, DePaul, and am planning on applying to an in-state or two and possibly Notre Dame, but I want to also find a school that is higher-up, but has more of a city feel and is a bigger university. I know I have a lot of questions, but thanks for any help!
How are you going to get in-state tuition payment levels for all these states you aren't a resident of?
Did you try looking into University of Illinois at Chicago? It's a good and massive school with competitive programs in several fields. It's in a large city. It's a good school that is normally not as good as the schools you've listed (but not too far off), but it can be if you can get into its honors program. If you can get into that, then you get both the resources of a large research university, and directed guidance and opportunities of a smaller liberal arts college--along with in-state tuition and being in a large city. Plus, scholarships. With that, maybe your parents can put the savings into buying a place for you to reside in while there instead of tuition. That way, in the somewhat likely scenario your first jobs out of college are in Chicago, your rent for post college life goes into a mortgage instead of a landlord.
Last edited by OyCrumbler; 11-07-2016 at 11:16 PM..
Original poster looked at Urbana-Champaign and not UIC in Chicago? Since DePaul is in the city, the fact that UIC is also in the city shouldn't be an issue.
I am having a really hard time finding a school that I like that is public and in-state for Illinois. My parents, although they can afford private school tuition, really want me to look in-state for my undergrad because they feel like I will want to "save" the huge amounts of debt I'll accumulate until I go to grad school/med school. What are some in-state schools that have many good major programs (bio, communications, english is what I'm looking at, bio being my plan for now)? I visited University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and I did not really like the campus and I didn't feel like it was the place for me.
On the other hand, I am absolutely in love with DePaul in Chicago. But, DePaul is 52k a year, which is extremely expensive, especially for undergrad. Will DePaul give me money to go there (info below)? The only way I would be allowed to go there is if I can get it down to in-state tuition (if I get in).
I have a cumulative GPA of 3.7 with all honors and AP classes and an ACT score of 30. I also do many extracurriculars (4 clubs, 1 sport, 4 arts activities/extracurriculars), and a lot of volunteering. I want to major in biology/biological sciences and then go further and become a doctor. I was accepted into Butler University, which was super exciting! I have applied to Baylor University, UW-Madison, University of Minnesota, DePaul, and am planning on applying to an in-state or two and possibly Notre Dame, but I want to also find a school that is higher-up, but has more of a city feel and is a bigger university. I know I have a lot of questions, but thanks for any help!
The OP is kind of over thinking this! With a good ACT, solid GPA and all honors / AP classes it is almost certain that the OP has the required CLASS RANK to get into any of Illinois public colleges. All Illinois public colleges are good / excellent for biological science / pre-med. Each of Illinois public colleges ( and all private colleges too...) follow the guidelines for need based student aid -- that includes grants, work study, and various kinds of loans. If parents are too well off and the OP will not qualify for "need based" student aid they still have a shot at "merit based" tuition grants/ scholarship -- colleges want to attract the best qualified students! If the OP's high school has not had this explained I recommend using web sites, books, and fee-based counselors -- it can pay off!
If the OP was contemplating business / finance / law it MIGHT make sense to pay a premium for DePaul but for pre-med? WASTE OF MONEY!! Parents are 100% correct that Med School debt is going to be crushing, laying that on top of undergrad is NOT SMART! UIUC is very competitive, but frankly if you can't hack the competition in undergrad you very likely will have poor chance of getting into med school...
Comparing DePaul to UIC is tough -- UIC is much more affordable.There are lots more well off kids at DePaul, and probably not nearly as many pre-med majors. UIC is bureaucratic but for folks that can figure out how to do undergrad research and / or work at hospitals they'll be well prepared for med school... The big "plus" at UIC is probably the whole range of GRADUATE programs in things like Pharmacology, Bio-Informatics, Molecular / Genetic Medicine and other areas that a school like DePaul cannot afford to have labs / staff. DePaul is a really nice school for Business, Computer Science and performing arts. They also have a very solid reputation for Education Majors, especially those wanting to earn an Adminstration Certificate to become principal / superintendent. Not much sense for a PreMed major UNLESS they toss all kinds of tuition waivers at you!
Don't put too much weight on "feel of campus". College is what you make it -- for those that tap into OPPPORTUNITY they can think back on college has launch pad vs those that make too big a deal over "social aspect" and then spend the rest of their life pathetically remembering their "glory days"...
Last edited by chet everett; 11-08-2016 at 07:32 AM..
UIC is a good school and almost all of them follow a pretty similar curriculum in the sciences. You will take general chemistry, general biology, organic chemistry, genetics, probably cell biology, microbiology and immunology, probably biochemistry and some room for chemistry and biology electives depending on what your major is. UIC has more of a commuter school that serves the Chicago area so there isn't as vibrant campus activities, parties that sort of thing as other college town colleges.
I agree with your parents unless you get good aid I don't see the benefit of racking up debt at an expensive private college.
The OP indicated that he's shopping around for cheaper public in-state options, not that a private university would *necessarily* be off the table. Re-read it.
I would personally put UIC in the lowest priority unless the OP gets into the honors program as you've kindly suggested. The advantage of paying more to attend DePaul would be that the OP would have an easier time moving to a higher quality alternate undergrad program/school if the big dream to go pre-med tanks. This happens frequently, btw. UIC would be more difficult to finish in another 2 years if the OP moved out of pre-med while DePaul would actively work with you to complete the undergrad degree in the four years. Even 'star' HS students get burned out with such competitive university coursework in the sciences.
First and foremost would be for the OP to contact DePaul admissions ASAP. They can help him network to the tuition specialists there, and get at least a sense of how much cash DePaul will throw his way. Sometimes the 'net' is the same tuition as public in the State of IL given our horrible finances ;(.
Quote:
Originally Posted by OyCrumbler
How are you going to get in-state tuition payment levels for all these states you aren't a resident of?
Did you try looking into University of Illinois at Chicago? It's a good and massive school with competitive programs in several fields. It's in a large city. It's a good school that is normally not as good as the schools you've listed (but not too far off), but it can be if you can get into its honors program. If you can get into that, then you get both the resources of a large research university, and directed guidance and opportunities of a smaller liberal arts college--along with in-state tuition and being in a large city. Plus, scholarships. With that, maybe your parents can put the savings into buying a place for you to reside in while there instead of tuition. That way, in the somewhat likely scenario your first jobs out of college are in Chicago, your rent for post college life goes into a mortgage instead of a landlord.
I visited University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and I did not really like the campus and I didn't feel like it was the place for me.
There is no reason why you'd attend DePaul when you can go to UIUC. You worked this hard to get to where you are why then do you not go to the best school that accepted you? Nothing against DePaul, it's a good school, but every metrics say UIUC is the better school. Your parents are right, save the money for grad school because you WILL need it.
Yes, I get it, Urbana-Champaign is not the most exciting place in the world. But let's do the math here, you'll be spending around $150,000 extra (after including the higher housing cost in Chicago) by choosing DePaul over UIUC, and for what? Just so you are closer to food and parties? Most fun places are off-limit to college freshmen anyway. So what's the point?
Yes, you can go to UIC, (and nothing against UIC, which is also a good school) but why? If you are going to apply to grad school, that's all the more reason for you to attend the more named school as an undergrad.
If you so want to study in a big city, study hard and get yourself into a medical school in a place you want. By then, you will be old enough (and have the money) to handle living in a city. The city will always be there, your undergrad career is not.
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Your parents are absolutely right. If you are planning to go to grad school, your undergraduate degree is going to be of little consequence, so there is no need to pay a lot of money for it.
Are you also planning to go to grad school in Illinois? And since you are thinking about private tuition dollars, what are your grad school ambitions? Like are you shooting for Ivy level or are you planning to stay in Illinois?
Personally, I don't think you should focus on "higher up" for undergrad if you know for sure that you are planning to go to graduate school. I did my bachelors at NIU and my masters at UChicago. Absolutely no one cares where my bachelor's is from - the U of C name trumps absolutely everything else regarding my academic career. So if you're planning to do something similar there's no need to waste money on your bachelor's.
Since you say you want a city experience, if I were you I would look at either UIC or Loyola. UIUC is a really good school and would be good name recognition for you in Chicago if you didn't want to do grad school, but if you do and it's not the environment you want, there's really no benefit to include it as an option. If you really want to go higher up and stay higher up, the obvious combination would be Northwestern + U of C. That would be the only double high cost combination that is worthwhile IMO. DePaul is in the middle of the road between no prestige and high prestige, so personally I don't think it makes sense to get a terminal degree there.
By the way UIUC is most definitely a party school lol... so if that was your concern, don't let the fact that it's in a college town and not the city fool you.
I'm looking at the title again and it seems like you really have your heart set on DePaul. Can I ask why? It honestly doesn't have a very high cachet in the Chicago university system.
Also what do you mean by you'd have to get the tuition "down" to in-state? If you are a resident of Illinois, you qualify for in state tuition. If you do not live in Illinois you do not. (Illinois residency requires at least 1 parent live in Illinois for at least a year, or that you live in Illinois for at least a year not including as an out of state student at another school.)
Your parents are absolutely right. If you are planning to go to grad school, your undergraduate degree is going to be of little consequence, so there is no need to pay a lot of money for it.
Are you also planning to go to grad school in Illinois? And since you are thinking about private tuition dollars, what are your grad school ambitions? Like are you shooting for Ivy level or are you planning to stay in Illinois?
Personally, I don't think you should focus on "higher up" for undergrad if you know for sure that you are planning to go to graduate school. I did my bachelors at NIU and my masters at UChicago. Absolutely no one cares where my bachelor's is from - the U of C name trumps absolutely everything else regarding my academic career. So if you're planning to do something similar there's no need to waste money on your bachelor's.
Since you say you want a city experience, if I were you I would look at either UIC or Loyola. UIUC is a really good school and would be good name recognition for you in Chicago if you didn't want to do grad school, but if you do and it's not the environment you want, there's really no benefit to include it as an option. If you really want to go higher up and stay higher up, the obvious combination would be Northwestern + U of C. That would be the only double high cost combination that is worthwhile IMO. DePaul is in the middle of the road between no prestige and high prestige, so personally I don't think it makes sense to get a terminal degree there.
By the way UIUC is most definitely a party school lol... so if that was your concern, don't let the fact that it's in a college town and not the city fool you.
This is only part of the entire equation, and implies there is some specific path that applies to all students, which is not true. Some of the intangibles that are hard to measure may factor in too. More to your point about name recognition, what internships you have access to, and who you rub elbows with as an undergrad can make a difference. [adjacent to your point regarding the prestige involved w/ NU & U of C.] Again, see my response in the thread about the possibility that someone would not necessarily finish as a pre-med major. This happens frequently(!)
The 'net' cost of college will vary, which is why the OP needs to learn about how this works and use his particulars. Often the total cost of attending a private university will be less than UIUC since IL finances are in the doghouse. The following site can illustrate some of how it could pan out.
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This is NOT hard at all...
