I'm a high school student who just committed to UIUC for CS. However, I'm facing a lot of pressure to cancel my decision and switch to UVa CS, which is still apparently possible. UVa invited me to their Rodman scholars program, which offers priority registration and separate dorms. The drastic difference between these two environments is making the decision very stressful for me.
UIUC has a top 5 CS program and a decent business program, but it's lousy at essentially everything else. It has bad weather and a largely unattractive campus.
UVa has a top business program with a decent computer science program and a solid overall reputation. It has great weather and a beautiful campus.
Both are located in the middle of nowhere, are considered party schools, and have similar cost. I wasn't in the right state of mind when visiting the schools and didn't get a good experience from either. It's too late to visit again.
Which school would offer better connections? Would the lack of talent in other disciplines at UIUC hinder my intellectual development? How important is the size and strength of the CS department if I'm confident that I'll be able to find jobs regardless?
In summation, which school is better for a hacker personality with huge ambitions? Thank you.
