The University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign

Date: Dec 31 1969
Major: Animal Studies (This Major's Salary over time)
I came to UIUC from the northeast coast, and it has been a little different than home, but not so much that it is a problem. U of I seems pretty homogeneous, but less so than both schools I attended in New England. Apparently, the undergrad thing to do here is join a frat, which is not my thing, but that has nothing to do with grad school.

I am in the animal science program in nutrition, which is arguably the best program in the country. Resources are abundant, and the dept seems to really care for their grad students. I am not teaching at all, which I would like to do, but there are opportunities to do so occasionally. The primary focus is on research and writing, and some extension activities in your field too. Depending on your advisor, you may become a slave to their research, but I do not have that problem at all. The students are very competetive and the dept is one of the largest if not the largest in the country. The nutrition group is very strong in all areas.

If you are interested in agriculture and research, U of I is at the top, long with Wisconsin, Cornell, Michigan State, Iowa, etc etc, in other programs like crop sci and engineering too.

U-C is not a bad place, it is mostly restaraunts and bars and chain clothing stores. And of course, it is in the middle of corn and bean fields. I can see how all the Chicago people think it is boring. It is flat too, which takes some getting used to if you are used to mtns and ocean. But overall, it is cheap living and the dept stipend is very good, especially since the benefits are very good. So far, U of I has been a great experience.