University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

I've learned things so far in every course I've taken and have met really great professors and instructors. You learn a lot from the people as well. They're from all over the world.

If you are a student that goes to lecture and does your homework, you will learn an astounding amount in just your first year as a student at the University of Illinois. Intelligence from all over the globe comes to U of I to research and serve as quality professors to provide their knowledge to eager students. Many professors teach not only through lecture, but also through interactive activities, such as student-teacher discussions, student-to-student interaction or peer editing, participation in a class experiment, or a showing of an influential film, just to name a few. There are many ways to learn, and every professor that I have had at U of I has utilized these to help their students get the most out of their class.
Some object to large schools because they are concerned about being taught by TA's (teaching assistants are students that teach discussion sections of a class, usually meeting once a week). This was an initial concern for me when trying to decide what school to go to, but now having experienced many discussion sections led by TA's, I can assure you that every TA I have ever had has definitely done their homework and is very knowledgeable about the content in which they teach their students. If for some reason the TA is not able to answer a question that someone may have, every professor has office hours in which a student can go and ask questions. Most professors are very flexible and willing to help their students, even if the student is not able to attend their office hours due to another class or engagement.
Beyond classes and professors, the amount you learn at college about life, people, and yourself is invigorating, but can sometimes be overwhelming. At U of I, there are many different counselors that specialize in helping freshman through their transition. There is also a place that is centrally located on campus called The Oasis, which is a place to relax, rejuvenate, and refresh. Here, they have everything from ...

Despite the fact that UIUC is a public university smack dab in the middle of corn fields, it has so much to offer in regards to academics. The classes are structured very well. For example, many classes are very large but they are broken down into different sections where you are able to built more of a instructor:student relationship. So, don't fear getting lost in very large classes just make sure you attend all of the classes for your section! There are amazing tutoring opportunities and more office hours than you could probably attend. Also, UIUC has one of the largest university library systems so its impossible to not find new information from the libraries.

I'm pretty sure that no matter which area a student would like to go, U of I has something to help him or her pursue it. There are at least 17 individual colleges on campus in specified areas.

You know how teachers and parents say You'd better get used to studying! You spend nearly three hours doing homework for every hour of class once you're in college! ?

Guess what? They are completely right. What people don't tell you though, is the utter bliss that accompanies doing work in a major you love. That's the great thing about U of I. The teachers' love for their work is infectious. I remember doing philosophy essays, laughing to myself remembering how passionate my teacher was about monadology.

Yeah. I laughed at Monadology. But because I laughed at it, I enjoyed it. In this way, college is easier than high school; after all, work isn't really work if you love it! I took 30 credit hours this year, and ended up as a Dean's List student both semesters.

I transferred to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from a community college in Chicago. Let me tell you, it was definitely a tough transition academically because UIUC demands the best of it's students and does not accept anything less. I have learned that I can expand my knowledge, time, and research and that you are the only one that can limit yourself.

I am learning a lot not only academically but personally as well. The rigorous course load presents me with a new challenge every day and when I excel in one class, I feel accomplished as a student and an everyday individual. I have used the skills I acquire from these courses on a daily. I have also grown and learned personally. I knew that I had to balance school with extracurriculars and work, but this was nothing new to me as I done so in high school. However, what was different this time was that I had more studying to do and more freedom. I found it a lot harder to not fall victim of procrastination. For this first time, I had no one telling me what to do and when to do it and because of it, I acted as a student and a parent at the same time.

It is amazing how much I have learned in just a year of being here. Classes never fail to be challenging, and you learn a lot about other cultures and different types of people just by hanging out on the quad for a few hours.

the people on campus - students, professors, counselors - are all extremely welcoming, friendly and helpful, so do not feel intimidated. despite being located in central illinois, there are plenty of things to keep you busy in campus-town and the surrounding areas - whether it be shopping at marketplace mall, getting food on green street, or exploring the nature of urbana. joining rsos and/or greek life helps make such a large campus feel much smaller, and definitely like a second home.

While I knew that attending a large university would lead to a large selection for academics, I was not expecting the attentiveness and intelligence of the professors on top of the variety. All professors I have had, including those for Psychology classes, Community Health classes, and Sociology classes, were very passionate about the courses they were leading; therefore, it was very very easy for me to enjoy my time in the classes as well as feel much more motivated to challenge myself. I was very pleased to find that my professors were all willing to sit down individually and discuss materials that were not understood by any given student. Also, all classes followed a clear syllabus making organization within the classes very simple. I am very pleased with the knowledge that I have gained from just one semester at this university.