Illinois Institute of Technology Top Questions

I don't like being in Chicago much

The worst thing is probably the sound of the train, but I also like the train because it gets you downtown in 5 minutes, so it balances out.

We are a pretty poor social aspect at this campus. Trying to instill a feeling of school spirit is a struggle. Much of this, I attribute to our high percentage of international students. This reason alone, however, is not a bad thing. I actually love having this much diversity, but it definitely presents a unique set of challenges that much of the student body is still trying to work out. It has been getting better, but all the pieces are not in the right places yet, but whole picture is starting to be distinguishable.

The location. While I love Chicago, there is a high crime rate, especially on the South Side reletavily close to IIT. I have heard stories from both my siblings and cousins about friends being mugged/assaulted just blocks from campus. I understand there is risk in any populated area, especially larger cities, but the pros of being in Chicago far outweigh the risks.

The only really bad thing about this school for me is the cost. I have to take out a lot of loans and stilll struggle to meet the ends taking on a heavy class load trying to graduate as soon as possible.

The social life at Illinois Institute of Technology is not the best compared to other colleges. Many students are busy studying for their degrees and as a result, the community is not really outgoing. The food at our school is also not the best as many students including myself have complained many times of the quality of service.

The community that sourrounds it. IIT is a great school with great teachers and classrooms. It however is sourrounded by low income housing and because of that we have a tougher crowd that sourrounds campus making it a dangerous place at night.

The overall workload of each course. The workload at my school is heavy, especially in the architecture program. Every studio/class day a set number of deliverables are due for class discussions. Most of the time assignments from other classes conflict with one another and leave students up late nights to complete all assigned work. Our final studio reviews demand so much work that many students are up 2-3 nights in a row with little to no sleep. The projects usually last a good month or so but with a design project there is always work to be done.

We're not really an any-sort-of-party school. Maybe slightly if involved with Greek life. But otherwise, nothing... would be nice if "fun" (in terms of kicking back with a beer) were more embraced.

Many students prefer to isolate themselves. It is very difficult to bring people out of their shells. This fact is best obverved on weekends. Instead of a social and bustling campus, the campus is very quiet except for the greek community. Actually, without the greek community, the campus would be completely dead, always. The Greeks are very involved and are in many leadership roles in every major organization on campus.