University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

The University of Illinois boasts the largest Greek Life in the Country. With 95 Greek Organizations represented on campus, the University has a reputation for partying. However, since it is a large school, the University has many outlets for everyone to enjoy. In fact there are over 1100 clubs of all natures to help any student find friends. Many people are timid about coming to a big school such as Illinois, but finding friends is easy. In summary, students here are intelligent and can relax to any medium whether it is a party or a relaxing evening listening to jazz in the student center.

Frat kids

When people think of The University of Illinois, one of the first things that comes to mind is the prevalence of the largest Greek organization in the country. With this notion comes a certain stereotype of those involved in fraternities and sororities, often negative. "Frat guys" are known by outsiders as being concentrated solely on drinking, lifting, and girls. People see Greek organizations as communities of conformity, in which the members are nothing but a number, and school is nothing but a set back. But after having gotten involved in a fraternity myself, I see that these stereotypes are inaccurate. The Greek organization at Illinois is much more than the common stereotypes with which it is often affiliated. Grades, philanthropy, and brotherhood are all central in the ideals and goals of fraternities and sororities. Being involved is a great experience, and I would not have known what Greek life is really about without having gotten involved.

U of I is stereotyped as being a big party school. Yes, students know when to party but as a "public ivy" they also know when to study.

One of the main stereotypes at the university happens to be that we accept a lot of international students, mainly Indian and Asian students. This is somewhat accurate due to the significance of our engineering programs that are quite popular overseas. We are also known for geeky students and partying business students, which seems common at most state colleges.

There are a TON of people in fraternities and sororities here at the University of Illinois. Everywhere you go, there are frat houses filled with young people and most everyone you meet on campus is a part of this in some way. I believe we have the largest Greek community in the nation actually. If you are interested in this kind of thing, we are definitely the place to go. And if you aren't, we are STILL definitely the place to go. Personally, I am not a fan of the Greeks on campus because many of them live up to the stereotypes of drinking all day and partying all night, but not all are like that. For a lot of people, it is a way to find a 'home away from home' on campus. For me, I found my own 'home' by running my own organization and I am now happily the president of a Latin Dance organization called iSalsa2. We offer salsa and bachata classes to students and to the community and by doing this, I have a pseudo-family on campus now. I barely want to go home because all my friends are here. I am so thrilled to be able to share my love of dancing with others and to be a part of this wonderful university.

Illini students are the cool nerds in disguise. We are the ivy league of public schools but we are everyday people with lives too.

I'd say that the stereotype of kids at U of I is that the majority of students are simply party animals that get through the weekdays wearing their sweatpants and Ugg boots so that they can go out drinking whenever possible. The massive Greek system at this school definitely perpetuates this stereotype since that culture is very alcohol centric. If you were one of the "cool" kids from a school in the Chicago suburbs and you own a Northface jacket, chances are you'll fit in on campus. Even though this stereotype can sometimes be very true, it doesn't apply to everyone. Not everybody binge drinks on the weekend. The school is pretty good about offering extracurriculars and interest groups for those that want something different from their college experience.

The biggest stereotype that I have encountered through my time here at the University of Illinois is that the student population is a homogeneous one, where everyone is similar and alike. The stereotype persists because of the high number of students from the state of Illinois, especially from around the Chicago suburbs. I can especially say that although there is a significant number of in-state students at this University, I quickly realized that this stereotype is not true. Not only is there a tremendous amount of in-state students who are not from the Chicagoland area, people don't realize how many different types of communities and people exist within the Chicagoland area. My friends here on campus comprise of the most diverse, unique people, including people from the Chicago suburbs, down-state Illinois, so many other different states -- and even international students. The University of Illinois also has a significant Greek presence on campus, which I was aware of coming to campus. I was a bit overwhelmed at first because I chose not to join a fraternity, but I soon realized that although the Greek system is significant here, it is not dominant. The social life and organizations on campus not affiliated with the Greek system is just as prominent -- if not more -- than our Greek system.

Typically, schools are given this tag of "party campus" or rate themselves based on how crazy the weekends, and sometimes weekdays, tend to be. I feel that's not an accurate stereotype and doesn't tell a whole lot about any given school because, let's face it, partying goes on at every college campus. I refuse to say mindlessly, "our school stereotype is that we party a ton." We have the largest Greek system in the nation, which pretty much labels our school right off the bat. Most people assume that if you're an Illini, you're affiliated with some Greek organization, whether it's social, cultural, honors or major-based. It's unavoidable here, there is an entire street about 4 blocks long littered with frat houses, not to mention our architectural masterpieces, the sorority homes. Let's just say it's a big deal here. If you don't run into at least 50 Greek-lettered shirts or hoodies throughout your day, you just might be starring at the floor. Another thing we're known for is our intense engineering program. Many of those students are far and away from campus, considering they have such a rigorous program. You can often tell who's an engineering major by how little you see them. The stereotype here is that you are always in the library or labs. The 5-year program is popular as well. There is even a library dedicated to that program and an entire section of campus laid out for them. There's even bus route named after the program! It's a big deal here just like Greek life.