The University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign

Date: Jan 05 2006
Major: Psychology (This Major's Salary over time)
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is an absolutely fantastic school, and even better when one considers how (relatively) inexpensive it is. I was accepted to the University of Chicago as well, but decided that I felt more comfortable on the U of I campus. And I never once regretted it.

There are advantages and disadvantages. The school is quite large, so it's easy to just be a number if you don't try to stand out and be noticed. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though, as the teachers are generally quite fair, and available. Expect 500+ students in those freshman lecture courses, like Psych 100 or Biology 101. I never quite saw why people perceive this as being such a bad thing. There are still opportunities to meet with professors and TAs outside of class, and I never felt the need to be on a first-name basis with any of them. I still was graded fairly.

Campus life is excellent. Urbana and Champaign have a LOT to offer, you just have to look around a little. And if bars are your thing, you will be in Heaven down there.

Overall, it was a very positive experience, and I still miss it even now, 4 years later. I met some wonderful people, learned more than I ever did in high school, and had a great time.