The University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign

I noticed that after the first year, many of my fellow biology peers dropped out of the bio major due to the courses being unorganized or too difficult. The introductory bio courses that make up the core of the major are not organized; however, once you get to the more advanced courses, you will find that the material is more comprehensive, though more challenging. At this university there is quite a lot of drinking that goes on. If you live near campus you will often in public run into wildly drunk people, especially on the weekends. The environment on campus is fun and easy-going. You must have a LOT of self-motivation to stay focused on your education and not be distracted by all the partying. Also, I recommend that if you are a biology student who wishes to one day go to graduate school – start on undergraduate research as soon as possible (freshman and sophomore year is ideal). I have nearly a 4.0 GPA, and I am having difficulties right now because I only worked for a half year in a biology laboratory. I would say that UIUC has helped to shape who I am today, and I loved my experience here. Nonetheless, I am very happy to finish up in three years and get back to the big city life in Chicago.

3rd Year Female -- Class 2005

Education Quality: A, Surrounding City: B-