The University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign

Date: Dec 10 2003
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
The university, if you are an in-state student, is very affordable, considering the quality of education you receive. This year alone we've had two (three?) professors earn Nobel Prizes; many of my professors have boasted degrees from Yale, New York University, Harvard, etc. This semester, one of my English professors was the editor of the Norton Anthology of American Literature! (If you're in English, you know this is a huge deal). When I took a class about the civilization of India, my professor was a linguistics teacher who could speak 6 languages (including sanskrit) completely fluently, knew about 5-6 more pretty well, and could pick up pieces of 2-3 other languages. It was incredible! We also worked with Rajmohan Gandhi - one of Gandhi's grandsons, who is also an associate professor here in political science. It really is awe inspiring and incredible to be able not only to work with and learn from these people, but to get to know them on a more friendly level. All of my professors have been easy to approach and very interested in conversation.

The study abroad programs here are also wonderful; you can go to mulitiple places in Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, Oceania, for about the same price you pay to stay in Illinois.

It is also very easy to become involved in extracurriculars - we have a mind boggling variety of clubs: service organizations, student government, environmental clubs, sports clubs (even underwater hockey!), and the largest greek system in the country.

The only drawbacks to this university, in my opinion are the lack of socialization within classes. Though some people are friendly, a large majority of people tend to keep to themselves in the class room setting, and in some cases, even in the dorm settings. The other drawback is the lack of funding - we currently are in a budget crunch and therefore losing some of the variety in curriculm we once had. In addition, many of the buildings are in need of repairs - nothing major, but the age of the campus shows. Overall, I am very happy here, both with the friends I've made and my academic experience.