University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

When you walk onto our quad on an early fall day, you are most likely to be looking out at a sea of orange. Most students love this university, and I am included in that group of students. I think we offer the best of both worlds to students: a prestigious education and an enjoyable atmosphere. While our academics are top notch, we still maintain a fun social life outside of academics. Many students here seem to adopt the mantra “work hard, play hard.” While we have a reputation as a party school, we also uphold a reputation for strong classes with renowned professors.

The one good thing about this school is the diversity and I like how you have lots of opportunities to explore. It is peaceful and you can go to different places without getting bored.

Overall, I really do love Illinois. There are so many friendly people everywhere you go wanting to interact and talk and help and it's something I have never experienced before. There are a lot of people, which can at first seem overwhelming, but you hear time and time again that by joining activities, getting a job, and getting involved, you can make the campus so much smaller. Students here are so proud to be where they are, and you it's evident when you see at least a handful of students in a small classroom wearing Illini clothing. We also have a reason to be proud because when people hear "I attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, their immediate reaction is, "wow, you're smart". And I have heard this reaction not only in Illinois, but also in other states including from family and friends in California.The campus is huge and in a college town, but I actually really like it. You're surrounded by people like you so I never feel pressured to act a certain way, just as the college student I am. The U of I really is a great school where you will receive a great education and be surrounded by people who want to have fun, but who also strive for a bright future. Many know that they'll have to work hard now, but the reward that pays off later will definitely be worth it. And honestly, college isn't even that hard. True fact. .

Many high school students in Illinois see the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a fall-back school. It's our plan B. Frankly, it's the best bang for the buck. However, it's so much more than that. I'm GLAD my parents didn't give me an option about where else I could go. I was so upset that they wouldn't let me go to the University of Wisconsin in Madison after i got in. Don't get me wrong, UIUC has it's problems. However, the best part is that YOU can be part of enacting those changes. You can make a difference if you want to. Your voice does matter; you're not just a stupid student. They actually listen to you here (well, you do need to bust through some doors first, but they will listen if you're persist). The school is big and tons of people are here, but you can choose if you're going to get lost in the mix or stand out. Something important to recognize is that IT REALLY DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU GO FOR UNDERGRAD in terms of getting hired. I'm competing against Ivy League graduates for jobs, and I'm getting further than them because of me and my GPA. Your GPA is very important. Don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.

The University of Illinois offers so many opportunities. The classes offered to early undergraduates allow the student the time and experiences to figure out exactly what it is they want to do in their life. The Big Ten sports are a fun experience, especially basketball! Also, there are tons of Study Abroad opportunities. I, for example, lived in Costa Rica for four months. I picked up Spanish and forged lifelong bonds. Studying abroad stands as my ultimate experience at this university.

When I was first shuffled into my dorm along with what felt like the population of a small city all filtering into Champaign Urbana on the infamous move in day, I felt like my school may just be a little too big for me to grasp. It was shocking compared to what I had ever perceived school to be, and I certainly didn't adjust to it in a day. But then, life is a series of heavy adjustments, and I feel like acclimating to a University and grand as mine has better prepared me for the eventual graduation date and plummet into the real working world. At a smaller school there would be fewer outlooks to encounter and combat, fewer life lessons you learn in a classroom where the fate of the class for the first time rests entirely on your shoulders. There would be less to conflict with, less opportunity available, and less to take away with for the rest of my life. The beauty of a big school is that there are homes and niches within and you can always find a comfort zone, but more importantly you will not leave a sheltered or naive person.

U of I took a lot of getting used to at first, but I think it's a school you grow to love. The campus is big and freshman year many people live in a little bubble - you go from the dorms to class and the furthest you venture out is on Green Street, where all the bars and restaurants are. The campus is so much bigger than that! It's also a very beautiful campus - with the trees and brick buildings, you sort of feel like you're in another time period. Eventually, you get used to the size and the college town feel, especially if you're from Chicago or its suburbs. If you're in to school pride, people have tons of that here! And if you're in to partying, between the Greek life and the bars all being located within a one mile radius of each other, you can get your fill of that too.

The University of Illinois is as well balanced of a school as you are going to get. I know every school pushes this as their go-to sales pitch, but U of I is the real deal. You will not find many schools that have such a high caliber social and academic life. Of course you can find a good party school and the prime academic schools can feel like a job instead of college, but to find a school with both is rare. U of I grads have no trouble impressing employers. U of I has gotten more and more competitive making it that much more of a difference-maker on the top of your resume. It is a school that is tough, but manageable academically, that will challenge you to succeed. It also has a vibrant nightlife. It has one of the best Greek-systems in the nation and plenty of on-campus bars. There is no short supply of fun at Illinois. Illinois is the perfect blend of work and fun.

I absolutely LOVE this place! Coming here, I was happy but not overly excited. I knew a lot of people coming into college because many people from my home and church already were attending U of I. I came into college without any preconceived judgements or biases. I wanted to seek them out for myself. I found out about amazing opportunities and organizations on campus that I'm happy and excited to be a part of and I don't think I would have this outlook at another school. Being at a Big 10 university is awesome because the sports games are incredible and fun to watch. I love school pride and seeing past generations of Illini coming back to cheer on our football team with my generation. I've heard the phrase, "At a big school, you're just a number," many times but I believe that you can make a huge campus into a small one. You just have to go out there and make it possible. There are so many groups you can join and friends you can meet through these clubs that it won't even seem like there are 40,000 students on campus. I've met some of the greatest people here that I wouldn't have met otherwise and it's because I got involved. It's because I had the opportunity to meet them and learn about them. I'm very thankful for that!

The title of my response perfectly captures the essence of U of I. Illinois has outstanding academics, including one of the nation's best business schools and engineering schools. Our students excel academically Simultaneously, students here like to have a great time. Yeah, we're not a top-rated "party school," but we don't care about those ratings. We know we have a great time while we're here. Red Lion, Kam's, and Joe's headline several great bars where Greeks and non-Greeks alike convene to dance, socialize, and party. Working and playing are perfectly balanced and don't impede on each other. One thing I'd change is the school athletics, particularly basketball and football. I'll concede that our athletics aren't as great as Big Ten powerhouses such as Ohio State, Michigan, and Wisconsin. They're not as competitive as these programs, and the atmosphere is different. The football games lack a popular tailgate experience at the field. However, that doesn't mean that our students don't show school spirit. Block I, the student section for football games, leads cheers and put on a great "show" during halftime. Doug Gottlieb, an ESPN College Basketball expert, calls our basketball student section, Orange Krush, "the undisputed king of student spirit groups." The recent controversies that have occurred at the university have been well-documented. The clout that has taken place in our admissions department is very unfortunate. Also, the early admissions program at our law school has experienced some moral and legal problems involving inflating the law school's average GPA. This is representative of the state of Illinois, not of the University of Illinois. The state has been known for corrupt politics (i.e. Rod Blagojevich). But we refuse to be defined by these controversies and Windy City politics. We will define ourselves by our success at the university and in our future careers. To finally convince you, I will compare U of I to Indiana University. I do this because a lot of incoming freshman apply to both schools, and have to choose between the two. A lot of people choose IU over U of I because it's more "fun." This is simply false. It's comparing apples to oranges. Both schools are fun, but each has something different to offer, specifically in terms of "fun." Also, people are swayed by Indiana's beautiful campus. I agree. The campus is very aesthetically pleasing, no doubt about it. But I didn't go to college because the campus was nice. There's a lot more to a campus than its appearance. It's all about the students. We have the best students in the country. We have students who strive for excellence in academics. We also have students who like to have a great time. That is a perfect balance.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is great! There are so many options to get involved and so many people to meet. I do wish we still had a mascot. It is a great college town and I love it! People have a lot of Illini pride, and that is another great thing about the school. There are a lot of crime alerts though, which is a huge downfall.

One of the biggest reasons I chose Illinois was for the fantastic "game day" vibe I felt every time I came to campus. Everyone wears Orange and Blue. Also, the students here are proactive, and have "go for it" attitudes. There are over 1,000 R.S.O.'s (Registered Student Organization) that range from Illini Pride, to Squirrel Watching, Childhood Memories Club or Treehouse Society, to October Lovers, and the Daily Illini, our student run newspaper. There is a niche for everyone and so many ways to get involved, or start up something yourself!

U of I has been the best place for my college experience. Illinois has a rich sense of tradition and it is easy for any incoming student to feel a part of this tradition. There are so many ways on campus to have Pride for either our athletics or just our Alma Mater. I love the size of the University because for me it has brought many opportunities that I don't believe I could find elsewhere. Unique to Illinois is the Research Experience that is offered, it is something truly to treasure. The large campus can easily be made smaller with over 1200 Registered Student Organizations to choose from. It is a goal for Illinois Students to invite incoming students to become involved. One of my favorite days on campus is "Quad Day", which falls on the Sunday before instruction beings. All 1200 RSO's put a table on our quad where we pass out free goodies and hoot and hollar for students to join our club. It's a great way to become oriented right away to campus life and become involved. Finishing my senior year, I have found it easy to add and drop at least one club each semester, the possibilities are endless.

I love the University of Illinois! The best thing about m school is that there are so many interesting people and so many opportunities. Since there are so many people, it is easy to meet new people and make new friends. There is a lot of school pride, as you can see with all the orange students wear on campus every single day and in the turnouts for all the sporting events. On campus, there is no specific place I spend most of my time; it's a combination of my dorm, the dining halls, the libraries, and hanging out other places with my friends. It's a huge campus so there's many places to go.

I absolutely love Illinois. I bleed Orange and Blue and will be an Illini forever (as cheesy as I just realized that sounded). Are there things I would like to change about the school? Yes. But what I think is the greatest thing about Illinois is there are so many opportunities for students through involvement and personal and professional growth to impact their community, especially the Illinois community. There is so much you can DO on campus, whether that is joining the October Lovers or attending the famed Ebertfest and you know...going to class. And from DOING all these different things Illinois offers, you learn what like, what you don't like, what you love and honestly find who you are (again I know, cheesy but true). And because it is a large campus and there are SO MANY things to do, students may feel overwhelmed at first, but you find your niche through the clubs you join and the people you meet that you are similar to and feel comfortable with and will probably remain friends for the rest of your life. Then the campus doesn't feel so big anymore in a good way.

I. Love. This. School. From day to day, there may be things that get me down, but as a whole, I have absolutely loved being a student here at the University of Illinois, and I'll be sorry to leave next year. One of the best aspects of campus is the size. 40,000+ students may sound intimidating at first, but there are so many more positives to our large size than negatives. There are a huge variety of classes to take and clubs to get involved in. We have over 150 majors and if those don't float your boat, you can even design your own major. I've met people from around the country and around the world, and I've made really close friends in my classes, in my residence hall, and in my clubs. Living in Champaign-Urbana is a lot of fun. It is a small city, but there's basically everything you need right here. We've got tons of restaurants, the mall, movie theaters, concert venues, big box stores, boutiques, and really off-beat places in downtown Urbana and Champaign. Campus is not too spread-out and it's easy to walk from place to place, but we have a great (free!) bus system too. There's always something fun or interesting going on every day of the week and weekends too. I love going to concerts, and there's also the football and basketball games, plays, lectures, movies, and random events put on by different campus organizations. People here have a lot of pride in the fact that they go to the U of I. We like wearing orange! A few small negative things to mention: Parking is really expensive here. Don't bring a car Freshman year. You really don't need it anyway. Also, there's a lot of construction going on at all times of the year, and it can get kind of annoying and loud. My favorite things: The dining halls! The food is really good (and really abundant, ugh Freshman 15!) in the university residence halls. Also, the ACES library. Best place to study on campus. Last, the flowering trees all over campus in the spring. They're beautiful! What makes us unique: We invented Homecoming. Like, the whole concept of it. Really! We've got some cool (supposedly) haunted buildings on campus too.

At first I was unsure if I was going to like UofI. It wasn't my first choice and I had never visited before. However, upon arriving for freshman orientation I quickly changed my mind. The academic campus is very impressive and pretty. While the campus town is urban and not as pretty there is a lot to do there. The campus is big but it is pretty easy to learn your way around quickly. The student body is big, but between classes, joining a fraternity/sorority, or joining a club it is very easy to meet people. There is a good amount of school pride. Basketball games and football games are a ton of fun (they'd be more fun if we won more often) and people go all out for them. There have been a couple recent controversies, such as the clout list and the banning of our mascot, however I feel none of these have a had a negative effect on students or affected our school pride.

At first I was unsure if I was going to like UofI. It wasn't my first choice and I had never visited before. However, upon arriving for freshman orientation I quickly changed my mind. The academic campus is very impressive and pretty. While the campus town is urban and not as pretty there is a lot to do there. The campus is big but it is pretty easy to learn your way around quickly. The student body is big but between classes, joining a fraternity/sorority, or joining a club it is very easy to meet people. There is a good amount of school pride. Basketball games and football games are a ton of fun (they'd be more fun if we won more often) and people go all out for them. There have been a couple recent controversies, such as the clout list and the banning of our mascot, however I feel none of these have a had a big effect on students or affected our school pride.

At first I was unsure if I was going to like UofI. It wasn't my first choice and I had never visited before. However, upon arriving for freshman orientation I quickly changed my mind. The academic campus is very impressive and pretty. While the campus town is urban and not as pretty there is a lot to do there. The campus is big but it is pretty easy to learn your way around quickly. The student body is big but between classes, joining a fraternity/sorority, or joining a club it is very easy to meet people. There is a good amount of school pride. Basketball games and football games are a ton of fun (they'd be more fun if we won more often) and people go all out for them. There have been a couple recent controversies, such as the clout list and the banning of our mascot, however I feel none of these have a had a big effect on students or affected our school pride.

At first I was unsure if I was going to like UofI. It wasn't my first choice and I had never visited before. However, upon arriving for freshman orientation I quickly changed my mind. The academic campus is very impressive and pretty. While the campus town is urban and not as pretty there is a lot to do there. The campus is big but it is pretty easy to learn your way around quickly. The student body is big but between classes, joining a fraternity/sorority, or joining a club it is very easy to meet people. There is a good amount of school pride. Basketball games and football games are a ton of fun (they'd be more fun if we won more often) and people go all out for them. There have been a couple recent controversies, such as the clout list and the banning of our mascot, however I feel none of these have a had a big effect on students or affected our school pride.