The University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign

Date: Dec 27 2007
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I love UofI. It wasn't my first choice school, but I'm so glad I came here. The education is pretty good, and definitely worth the money if your instate. The classes can be hit or miss. I'm a Gender and Women's Studies Major, and though the GWS classes aren't terribly challenging (for me), they are always interesting and enjoyable. I particularly love my program. If your looking into Gender and Womens Studies, this is a GREAT program. The people are extremely helpful and friendly. I don't know anyone in the GWS program that is at all judgmental or unkind. The professors are intelligent and informed. This is a research institution, so the prof's here know what they are talking about and enjoy their fields. Of course, for some classes, this also means that prof's aren't that concerned with the classes and students. I haven't had any terrible experiences with prof's yet, but there are some that are just there for research and aren't very good, or into, the teaching aspect. All in all, I think I'm getting a pretty good education. As far as other majors go, my bf's a computer engineer, and he works hard. The program is one of the best in the country, so it's hard work. I think it's kinda tough to keep a high GPA for them. As far as English majors go, I've been disappointed at the intelligence level of some English students. Some can;t write or edit papers to save their lives! I have never taken an English course, so I dont know if that is the program here, or just a few unintelligent students. As far as social life goes, you're sure to find something that fits your taste with a student body of 35,000. UofI does have one of the largest Greek societies in the U.S., and its visible, but it doesn't really feel like the school is overrun with it. If thats what your into, then there are a huge variety of frats and sororities to pick from! If it isn't, don't worry, your in good company. The majority of students don't join a Greek society and don't center their nightlife around it. The nightlife on campus is pretty good. There is a strip on campus of good restaurants, bars, and some shops. Off campus, in downtown, the bars get better, but some are 21 and up only; whereas campus bars aren't hard to get alcohol at. As with most campuses, drinking is the main past time, so if you dont drink, like my bf, nightlife is limited. Ther e is a plethora of student orgs though. You can find just about everything, and if you can't find something that fits your mood, than you can pretty much create something overnight. The facilities are pretty good on campus. Some buildings are kind of falling apart, but most are going through renovations now, and there are like 6 new buildings going up. The campus is quite large, so I hope you like walking. We do have a pretty wonderful bus system though, which will take you just about everywhere on campus and through the city. It's all free to students too. The dorms on campus varies. Nothing is very wonderful; some dorms are rather small and old. I lived in LAR, an all girls dorm. It wasn't the most entertaining place, but that didnt prove to be a problem for me, especially as it is connected to the Art kids' dorm. Most students get apartments after freshman year. The apartments vary as well. There are tons and tons of apartment buildings, so you have plenty to pick from. Just as an example, I live in a fairly nice (meaning clean and well sized, not crawling with bugs, but also not with a jacuzzi or anything) apartment with a good location, and it costs me $380 a month for rent. As far as other community life goes, there is an active LGBT community. There are always plays and events being put on to inform and assist for the LGBT community. There is def a good number of gay students. I know about 10 gay men and 3 lesbians, but my circle isn't huge. I'm not sure how the LGBT dating scene is, but there is a gay bar and nightclub here. It's also very straight friendly, which is good since it's one of the best places to dance! All in all, I would recommend UofI to just about anyone. There is a lot to offer here. The education is pretty well worth it, but you only get out of it what you put in, as with any education. Socially, there is something here for everyone and it's not hard to meet people. Most people are pretty friendly. I've only had a few bad experiences. Overall, I give it an A.