Illinois Institute of Technology Top Questions

I am very happy with the academics at my school. I feel that the education I receive is top-notch. I am exposed to amazing opportunities through my professors and have found great success academically. However, there are a few things I would change. First, there is not a great sense of community within IIT. Friendships are often fleeting and seem to be based around who is in your classes at the time, or who lives nearby. There are not many other things at IIT to bond over. Another thing that is less than ideal is the location. While it is safe, it is in a fairly desolate part of town. In a way it can be a positive in that there is no immediate temptation to leave campus to have fun, but on the other hand I am often jealous of other parts of the city and all they have to offer there. I feel very comfortable walking around IIT at any time of night, however I would definitely not walk very far off campus at night.

IIT is a prestigious university on a small campus located on the south side of the greatest city in the country. Just take it bit by bit: -Greatest city in the country: Chicago is a city where you will never be bored. Movies, sports, or good pizza, we have it all. And IIT wants its students to be there. We all have U-passes that give us unlimited use of the CTA, Chicago's public transportation. Everyone that comes here from NY or LA leaves saying how much cleaner and more exciting Chicago is. -Small campus: The small campus creates a place where faces become familiar. You see your friends a lot. The professors know your name. Plus, it's safe. The campus security is always patrolling and if anything should happen anywhere on campus, they will know about it in less than a minute. -Prestigious university: Ground-breaking research is constantly happening at IIT. All the professor are doing their own research, which gives students golden opportunities.

I think that IIT was a really good choice for me for many reasons. I didn't want to go to a very large school because I didn't want to be just a number to my professors. At IIT, my professors know who I am, what I'm struggling with in their class and what my strengths are. Four years later and my freshman studio professor still remembers me and says hello. Student life is also very diverse, there are so many student organizations and it is also very easy to start a new organization. Chicago offers so many opportunities as well. It is a very diverse city. Campus life is also nice because of the many student organizations and also the closeness of those living in the dorms. The communcal style living and suite style living provides a really nice floor community.

The size of IIT is perfect- it's not so small that you recognize everyone, but it's small enough that you see friends when you're walking down the street. The size also helps because it seems like faculty really cares about you and knows you by name- unlike big state schools where you'd be just a tiny unforgotten piece in a huge system.

The best thing about IIT is the opportunities it offers. I have had wonderful experiences with IIT offering me the exact types of things which will put me right where I want to be for my future career. I would say that our school is fairly small compared to other universities, but would also say that we get a lot of respect in regards to the quality of our education. I spend a lot of my time on campus involved with student organizations and playing pickup ball games at the gym. We don't exactly have a great college town as of yet, but things are definitely developing around us especially in the past few years that I have attended. I would say in general we don't have as much school pride in the sense that most universities have it where there is tons of support for sports teams and large student activities, whereas most of our student pride is in the education they receive while attending. One experience I will always remember is helping out victims of Hurricane Katrina with a Design/ Build project performed by students and a professor at our school.

The biggest thing about my school is that it is in town and accessible to the green and red line. When I tell people I go to IIT, they say I must be smart. I really believe in the IIT school spirit. One experience I would really remember is my experience as a Resident advisor in the dorms, it was so much fun.