University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

Honestly, the best bang for my family's buck....and I got in!

Honestly, the best bang for my family's buck....and I got in!

The reputation for Illinois is uncanny. The large student body and reputation were why I chose Illinois.

My story isn't typical. U of I wasn't even on my list. During that stressful college application period, I selected a number of in-state, out-of-state and safety net schools with my first choice being University of Missouri- Mizzou. I adored their journalism program and was thrilled when I got in! However, my father left around the time I was accepted, and this threw family finances for a loop to say the least. My safety net was Western Illinois University, it wasn't too long after I went to register there that I received a notification from U of I: "congratulations, you can be an Illini if you so choose." I was confused, did I even apply there? Yes, I did, but I completely forgot given the circumstances I was under. So seeing as this was a better school academically and wasn't too much more expensive than Western, I changed my mind and headed down to Champaign the very next week. Now that I'm here, I realize it was the best decision I could make. The J-program here is outstanding, the professors take time to listen to students and the relationships I've built with community leaders goes beyond what I could hope for. The huge amount of student organizations here meant numerous opportunities for leadership development, and that's something you have to take advantage of at the U of I. Besides all that, my favorite color has always been orange, so it seemed to fit perfectly.

I knew going into the application process I wanted to major in something related to business. I applied to Indiana, Wisconsin, Texas, and Illinois. I got into all of the business schools at the respective colleges except Wisconsin, which doesn't have direct admission. Each of the business schools are top in the country. When it came down to it, I was deciding between Texas and Illinois. I grew up with Illinois. My grandfather, dad, brother, and uncles all went there, so I grew up visiting and cheering for Illinois in sporting events. Besides the familiarity I had with Illinois, the university had something Texas didn't. Top employers love students coming out of the Illinois business school. I wanted to set myself up for future success, so I chose Illinois.

I knew going into the application process I wanted to major in something related to business. I applied to Indiana, Wisconsin, Texas, and Illinois. I got into all of the business schools at the respective colleges except Wisconsin, which doesn't have direct admission. Each of the business schools are top in the country. When it came down to it, I was deciding between Texas and Illinois. I grew up with Illinois. My grandfather, dad, brother, and uncles all went there, so I grew up visiting and cheering for Illinois in sporting events. Besides the familiarity I had with Illinois, the university had something Texas didn't. Top employers love students coming out of the Illinois business school. I wanted to set myself up for future success, so I chose Illinois.

The value, the prestige, the people, the professors, the research, the opportunities, the internships, and the list goes on. The tuition is manageable if you live in the state of Illinois, and I promise you this will be the best 4 or 5 years of your life. There are so many people that I met that it went way above and beyond my expectations. Every night there is someone to go out with, talk to, study with, or just have dinner with. People are very nice and social!

I choos attend the U of I for several reasons: 1. Close to my hometown, Chicago, Illinois. 2. Very Diverse 3. U of I is one of the top universities in the state of Illinois. 4. Alumni network and distinguished professors.

If I'm perfectly honest, I chose the University of Illinois because it was the most economic choice. It was close to home and at that nice in-state tuition rate, plus I got a good scholarship. At first, I wanted to go someplace far away. I knew I wanted to study food science, so I was looking at schools like Cornell and UC-Davis, but I knew that Illinois had a great program as well. Then I started thinking about things more rationally. I was passing up the chance to go to a great school only 30 minutes from my home in the name of some misguided idea about "distancing myself" or "moving on." In the end, I actually only applied to Purdue and Illinois, got into both, and decided without hesitation to accept my offer here. After all, I had visited campus, met with my future advisor, talked to a current student, been to 2 summer camps (one food science) where I got to live in the residence halls, and basically been completely immersed in U of I life while still in high school. I loved it then, and I still love it now. I don't regret my decision for a minute! And if I still want to go far away to college, there is always grad school ;) Basically, what I'm saying to all of you is: go with your gut, but don't forget to think about the practical things. Money is a consideration, but it is not the whole story. Same with academics, or social life, or size, or whatever it is you're putting so much weight on in your college decision. They are ALL important, but it is most important to visit a school and ask yourself, "Does this feel right to me?" That's how you decide, and all the rankings or prestige in the world can't make up for a loss in personal connection.

I decided to go to this school because it was just close enough to keep contact with home but far enough away to have all the freedom of moving out of the house. Also, a degree from UIUC can get you very far in the job finding process, and I love to say that I'm actually having fun getting an education.