WIU or NIU? What college?

Question

where should I go to college....western illinois university or northern illinois university...my major would be meteorology and they schools have about the same program so what school is better overall (resident halls,activities,sports) etc etc

Answer 1

From most people's understanding, NIU is more recognized than WIU for it's undergradute program.

The Northern Illinois University Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry was listed in the American Chemical Society's trade journal Chemical & Engineering News on September 26, 2005 as one of the top 25 producers of ACS-certified Bachelor of Science degrees in chemistry in the United States.

the US News & World Report college rankings, WIU is classified as a Masters University, meaning one that draws students primarily from the surrounding area rather than nationally and is committed to graduate education. US News rates Masters universities against other universities within the same region; WIU ranks in the top half of US News' rankings of Masters universities within the Midwest. US News & World Report, 2006, ranked Western Illinois University at 70th among all public masters universities and 24th among 70 public universities in the Midwest. Western Illinois University also was recognized as one of the “Best in the Midwest Colleges” by The Princeton Review in 2004, 2005, and 2006

Answer 2

The ACT range at Northern Illinois is 20-25 and the ACT range at Western is 18-23, so Northern Illinois is a bit better academically.  Also, Northern Illinois is near Chicago while Western is in a rural area, so you might think about which atmosphere you would prefer.