I applied to 3 schools, initially.
1. Oxford (yes, THE Oxford)
2. IIT (Illinois Institute of Technology)
3. UIC (University of Illinois-Chicago)
My initial application for Oxford University was accepted and I flew from IL to NYC for a one-on-one interview with the head of the department (degree) to which I was applying. Apparently they didn't like me, as after all the time/money I spent and after all the initial steps for applying, my attempt was deemed "unsuccessful."
My next choice was going to be IIT, but after further research, I could see that the cost was going to be way too much for what I would be getting, as it is a private uni without THAT many perks. So UIC it was.
I ended up going there for a year and hating it the entire time. Few of my teachers actually spoke English properly, the classes were made up of HUNDREDS of students each, with sections of each class being given to teacher's assistants (i.e., graduate students). The teachers were concerned about their research grants and couldn't care less about the students, and those who did were usually so foreign and FOB that they couldn't carry on a conversation in English if their lives depended on it. It was also one of the most expensive state schools I knew of in IL, and had a huge student body and a so-so campus (main selling point was the location, being right downtown).
So, I transfered to Northeastern Illinois University after hearing some good things about it... The classes turned out to be more along the lines of a private college (30 students max, excellent teachers WHO SPEAK ENGLISH and care about the students, etc.) the location is beautiful and not crammed right downtown (but is close enough to be convenient for most needs), and the price is about half that of UIC.
This is about on par with a lot of what I've heard... the primary state school is crap, while the smaller state unis are much more concerned with individual student education than simply research money and the like, as they are often founded for different reasons than the main school (for instance, NEIU was originally started as a college to educate teachers and branched out from there).
So, I was accepted to each college I applied to, except Oxford. No big loss there, though, as it would've been HUGE $$$ and probably wouldn't have mattered much in the long run anyway, as I've been finding out (with the exception of the cultural experience).
