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Help Study Abroad USA Unis

hi there, i am having loads of difficulty in chosing a university to study abroad, in my fourth year of MEng, its between;

Georgia Tech,
Purdue
Iowa State
Urbana Champagine IL
Wisconsin Madison
RPI, new york

my first choice is georgia but i hear the workload will too much, can anyone suggest me a uni, that i will have a great time, thanks in advance,

Reply 1

xSkyFire

19

Choose the uni for the area that you like best, we can't pick that for you lol

Reply 2

Baltimoron

11

Out of all those I would say Wisconsin has the best location. Madison is one of the all time great college towns. The rest of them (except for Georgia Tech, which is in Atlanta) are pretty much in the middle of nowhere. University of Illinois Urbana Champagne (UIUC) has the largest fraternity and sorority system in the country. I don't know how much you're into that scene, though. UIUC is also just a short drive to Chicago, a couple of hours(I think).

My preferences would be:
1. Wisconsin Madison
2. UIUC
3. Georgia Tech
4. Purdue
5. RPI
6. Iowa State

Reply 3

AliciaJ703

2

rza89

hi there, i am having loads of difficulty in chosing a university to study abroad, in my fourth year of MEng, its between;

Georgia Tech,
Purdue
Iowa State
Urbana Champagine IL
Wisconsin Madison
RPI, new york

my first choice is georgia but i hear the workload will too much, can anyone suggest me a uni, that i will have a great time, thanks in advance,

Georgia Tech would be a great option, but be careful if you decide to attend because there has been a recent spike in crime in the area lately.

Reply 4

Nightowl

12

I went to Urbana-Champaign on my study abroad, had an absolutely wonderful time, and wholeheartedly would recommend it to anyone. UIUC is also a short drive away from Chicago. The large Greek system is there, but it's very easy to avoid if you aren't into that sort of thing (which I'm not), and very easy to find if you are! It's a wonderful place, I'm applying to go back for a postgrad! It's quite small though, which is great for sense of community, but if you want a big city, look elsewhere.

Reply 5

rza89

OP

6

thanks really for all the replys, i have to decide which one to go for by friday,
also the thing about georgia tech is that it has 2nd most stressed students there.
nightowl, how do you find the transition from uk to usa, i say it because surely to get an A is like 90% which is quiet high but i suspect they have easier exams compared to us getting 70% for firsts
also is the work load alot easier to deal with or is it better like us, where most of our marks are in the final exam,

thanks really aprichiate this forum, im comming back after long time

Reply 6

devil09

7

I could not agree more with Baltimoron. Wisconsin is by far the best school on your list for a great combination of academics and social life.

Madison: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-07/smartest-and-dumbest-college-towns/#gallery=1066;page=6

Ames: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-07/smartest-and-dumbest-college-towns/?cid=tag:all1#gallery=1066;page=9

Urbana-Champaign: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-12-07/smartest-and-dumbest-college-towns/#gallery=1066;page=21

Reply 7

~bee~

i'd go with wisonsin or illinois. there's plenty to do at either. when you're thinking about this though, you might also want to consider climate for whenever it is you'll be here (big difference georgia v. wisconsin). and it's super easy to get to the city from u of i, there's a train and a number of buses. also, at u of i, the age to enter at the bars is 18 and 19 (though you can't purchase unless you're 21), if you're not so into the party scene. and u of i has a competitive, well-known and respected engineering program. good luck with everything!

Reply 8

Nightowl

12

rza89

thanks really for all the replys, i have to decide which one to go for by friday,
also the thing about georgia tech is that it has 2nd most stressed students there.
nightowl, how do you find the transition from uk to usa, i say it because surely to get an A is like 90% which is quiet high but i suspect they have easier exams compared to us getting 70% for firsts
also is the work load alot easier to deal with or is it better like us, where most of our marks are in the final exam,

thanks really aprichiate this forum, im comming back after long time

Getting a higher mark was easier there than here - I got an A in a class I would probably get a super-low 2:1 or 2:2 here. It can be difficult, especially for an arts student because they have more assessed workload than us throughout the semester, but they're also easier with their marking. I think I prefer our system (I like to independent read), but it's basically like being back at sixth form for a semester/year. Nothing you can't handle. My home Uni (Newcastle) gave a favourable interpretation of my marks when it came to converting them to the UK system, too.

Reply 9

RamocitoMorales

21

Nightowl

I went to Urbana-Champaign on my study abroad, had an absolutely wonderful time, and wholeheartedly would recommend it to anyone. UIUC is also a short drive away from Chicago. The large Greek system is there, but it's very easy to avoid if you aren't into that sort of thing (which I'm not), and very easy to find if you are! It's a wonderful place, I'm applying to go back for a postgrad! It's quite small though, which is great for sense of community, but if you want a big city, look elsewhere.

What is the "Greek system"?

Reply 10

Nightowl

12

RamocitoMorales

What is the "Greek system"?

Fraternities and Sororities, they're called Greek Houses because they're all denoted by greek letters, the only one I can remember was Alpha Epsilon Pi, which was the Jewish fraternity, and Alpha Epsilon Phi, which was the Jewish sorority. I'm quite vague on what they actually do, but seems to be charity work and drinking/partying.

Reply 11

devil09

7

RamocitoMorales

What is the "Greek system"?

Fraternities and sororities are a bit like societies, with three main differences:

1) They're more selective about whom they admit.
2) Usually students in the same fraternity or sorority live together.
3) They're usually single-sex. Frats are for guys; sororities are for girls.

Nightowl is correct about the community service and partying/drinking done in the Greek system.