This is a great question and, although the initial poster has graduated already, I hope this thread will help incoming physical therapy students make a decision that fits them best.
I am currently a first year in my second semester in the Northwestern DPT program. There was a UIC student perspective, so I hope mine will help add to the thread. First off, I will just say that I completely agree with NewDPT31 that it does not matter which program you go to if you want to work as a physical therapist. I think that rings true with almost every health care field (please correct me if I am wrong). If you want to work as a PT/OT/MD/etc., you just have to get into an accredited program and graduate. Especially between UIC and Northwestern, which are both very high up there nationally, your quality as a PT will be the same. What really differentiates the top programs is their research. If you want to do research in PT/MD/etc., then rank is everything. What am I saying? If you want to work as a PT, I would choose UIC because it will be the same preparation for much less money. If you are interested in research sometime down the road, Northwestern is the better choice. Besides that, it is just a matter of school name and pride. For myself, the honeymoon period of going to Northwestern (ooh ahh) went away very quickly.
More about the actual Northwestern DPT program:
- IT'S RESEARCH-HEAVY: Like I said, the main difference between UIC and NU is the research. That definitely influences the curriculum. There are a number of classes centered around finding, reading, and analyzing research articles. (From what I know) NU also teaches a lot more math in its physiology and biomechanics classes compared to other programs. This is material that you will likely not use unless you do research.
- SYNTHESIS PROJECT: This is the synthesis project that Akiramay alluded to. You essentially work in a team with 2-3 professors and 2-3 other students to work on one of the professor's research topics. This is interesting as you can get a taste of research if you are not planning on doing it long term, or get a preview of the process if you are planning on doing it long term. Again, this does not necessarily result in making you a better PT. You learn your research topic (I actually find mine very interesting), research skills, and about the research process.
- THE SCHEDULE: Be aware of the schedule coming in. I do not know how all other PT programs are (please share what UIC is like), but we have class everyday 8am-3pm or 8am-5pm with an hour lunch break at 12pm-1pm. You are in class 25-35 hours a week. The class credit (hour) break down for all 6 semesters (aka trimesters) is ~25, 25, 17, 6 week clinical, 22, 18, 6 week clinical, 14, 12 week clinical, 12 week clinical. Do your research and see what the UIC schedule is like.
- LIVING SITUATION: The school is also right in downtown (Michigan & Erie), so living costs will be extremely high for anything close. I would recommend finding an apartment that is 20-25 minutes away via an express bus or a CTA line.
- THE TUITION: The tuition is extremely high, and I personally do not think it is worth it if you are not planning on doing research. It is approximately $105k for all 3 years and your starting salary will probably be around 60-75k, depending where you work. Although you probably are not going PT for the money, do the math and you realize it is going to take a long time to pay off, which effectively decreases your net salary every year. I think UIC is actually an amazing opportunity. The top PT schools are generally 80-100k. Amazingly, UIC is a top school in the nation and only 50-60k in tuition. But the Northwestern name is enticing, so I understand. When people ask what school you go to, it is nice to say Northwestern, even though it doesn't really matter (but they don't know that).
MY LAST WORD: Don't just go to a school for the name. Do your research. I will admit that I have some regrets (definitely shared by a number of classmates), but the program is overall good and I know it will prepare me to be a good PT. The program is great and has a lot of strong points, but I don't think those points distinguish it from UIC (besides the research). If I could re-choose schools knowing what I know now, I would have definitely considered UIC more. I know I am giving Northwestern a pretty harsh evaluation, but if you are choosing between the two, I am sure you have already attended the open house and have been sold the program in many ways. I just want to provide my perspective to help other prospective PT students make a good, educated decision.
If you have any questions or comments, please reply!
...Yeah Chapman seems like a really solid program. If I didn't live in the Southern Cali my entire life, I would have loved to attend the program. 
