Emily
I am a physics major. My department often has the reputation of having sub-par professors. All of our professors are successful researchers but not all are gifted at teaching undergrads. I have great respect for my professors and think that at the very least they are all excellent scientists. They have provided me with opportunities I never thought I would have and without their selfless interaction I would be a much lesser student.
Classes at IIT are definitely challenging. The workload is large and science/math/engineering classes require a lot of time and effort. Social science classes require very little effort and students can easily earn an A.
Kris
As I stated above, the Professors will know your name and your face. The low student to faculty ratio creates an invaluable learning environment. Plus, the professors care. When I go to visit my professors, if they are in their office they will set aside whatever they are working on to answer my questions (or just to flat say, "You're barking up the wrong tree. Start over.") The labs are state of the art, and I read somewhere that there's 300 of them! Undoubtedly, the most valuable part of IIT is its value of education. (And being that it's a university...that's the way it should be!)
Sarah
As I mentioned before, academic life is rather tough but I have learned a lot in my academic career so far. As an architecture student the first three years were rather difficult but very beneficial. The program is meant to weed students that aren't meant for architecture but are meant for another program. I really enjoy the classes that I've taken and the professors are very knowledgeable in what they are teaching. Also a lot of the architecture professors are in the profession and work in firms and they often like to share their current jobs with their students. Also I have a bunch of friends that have gone on to work in their professors' firms.
Brett
I love all of my classes! IIT is one of the nation's top architecture schools, and it's obvious why-- I'm receiving a great education and will be prepared to enter the architectural field when I graduate. Another thing I love is that you know everyone at school here is intelligent, and it can be much more enjoyable to have conversations with bright people.
Joe
The professors at our school get to know their students pretty well. I stay in touch with a large number of my professors and have lasting relationships with some of them where I can go into their offices at almost anytime with any concern and talk about it. I believe that the professors are very qualified for teaching as most have had and continue to participate in real world affairs. One thing I would like IIT to supply are a more variety of social sciences and humanities courses. I feel that many of them are a bit biased in one direction and not enough variety where students can comfortably pick only courses that capture their interest. I would say that students and classes are pretty competitive as many classes are based on the performance of how you do in relation to other students.
KJ
Academics at IIT is great, could be stressful but you would really get the value for your money.
The labs are state-of-the-art, the professors are always willing to help you both during the class time and during office hours.