University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

There is every kind of student from every kind of background at Illinois. Although many students are from the Chicago suburbs, do not go to Illinois thinking these are the only kind of people you will meet. All of my friends are of different ethnicities and financial backgrounds. There are many international students studying at Illinois. Every time I walk around the quad, I hear at least three different languages being spoken. The vast majority of students dress in t-shirts and jeans to go to class. Again, Urbana-Champaign is student city, so we're all on the same boat. Going out, however, is a different story. Girls wear dresses and high heels, and boys wear nice t-shirts or collared shirts sometimes. From my experience in the Engineering departments, I have not encountered many politically active people; however, in the Engineering departments, future money is always a strong topic.

The campus is accepting of all races, religions or orientations.

The university tries really hard to make students aware of issues and diversity, which is really cool. There are all kinds of clubs for every different race, religion, LGBT, everything. And like I said before, you will always find someone to participate with you, go to church with you, whatever. A lot of students are from the suburbs, which is kind of a stereotype, but there really are people from every town. I lived with a girl from Cambrige this year, which is the smallest town I've ever heard of. I loved it. As far as politics, if you want to be involved/active, you will find clubs and people who are very into politics. Something for everyone.

The student body is so large and diverse that it is hard to even describe. You will find everyone from the spoiled rich kid here on daddy's paycheck to the extremely poor kid on a scholarship working his way through school. Some are politically aware or active. Some aren't but you'll meet them both. Anybody can fit in somewhere, its just a matter of finding your niche.

There are a LOT of international students....a lot....you cant walk across campus without hearing some language other than english or spanish. If you get to know a few good people you'll be successful at Illinois...but of course like any University in the country there are slackers that dont go to class and prefer to drink all week long...but hey...you need those people for entertainment...they make ya laugh when they stumble across the quad at 10 in the morning on their way home from drinking the night before.

there is a place for literally everyone at illinois. i personally found my home at the campus rec center playing soccer but there are clubs and activities for every interest. Even certain dorms cater to student interests and preferences. for example. Newman hall is a catholic dorm, and Snyder hall is substance free. most of the student body is instate but there is also a significant amount of out of state and even international students.

Illinois is very diverse. I can't think of one race that would feel extremely uncomfortable or left out overall. However, if you look into smaller groups this would definitely be different. In the college of engineering, being a woman or maybe even just Caucasian would be a little weird. I am not surprised if I walk into a classroom and I am the only girl. In the Greek system, most individuals are white. One of my good friends dropped out because it wasn't diverse enough for her (she is part African American) and made her feel slightly awkward. Also, different majors are more homogeneous, like my roommate is a nursing major and there is only one or two males per class year. These types of things are something you would want to consider when looking into Illinois. Most students I have come into contact with are from Illinois. This is a great institution and almost a steal at its price. While this may seem homogeneous and boring, there is a good mix of kids from rural areas and "city kids". Kids do talk about how much they will make one day. Especially kids in the Greek system when they are getting bashed will say something along the lines of "Yeah well, you're going to work for me some day." Good one.

I feel that this campus is extremely diverse and most feel comfortable here. Most students wear comfy clothes to class. Shorts, sweat pants, t-shirts, jeans, etc. Nothing too exciting. All different types of students interact. But, I do think that there are social circles here for everyone too. A little bit of both, thats why this campus is so great. Most Illinois students are from Illinois. There are a lot of foreign exchange students too. There are a lot of different financial backgrounds that go to school here. But, most are comfortable. Students are somehwat politically active. I think most try to be. Students don't really talk about how much they will earn one day, because they don't know. And they are mostly worried about school right then than the future.

Diversity = U of I

The Campus is very self-segregated. The kind of student that would feel out of place would be Native American students, I recently learned that we have only like one or two. Also because of the controversy with the chief Native American students feel offended. I can't say most, however many wear joggers/p.js...others jeans and a t-shirt, and of course some girls wear their clubbin outfits. No different kinds of students don't really interact The first table will have rich white sorority girls all around eating salads and discussing greys anatomy, the second table will consist of white frat guys laughing loudly and joking about last nights party. The third table will be a mixture of white nerdy kids that lack the sense to match and are all coincidently color-blind, the fourth table will be 45{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Middle-eastern 45{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Asian and 6{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Black and 4{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} Hispanic. (Which go without a discription because they are always filed under 'other') I think most Illinois students are from Illinois, more specifically the suburbs of Illinois and the rest of the students are International...[With some national (N.Y, California, etc) sprinkled in too.] Finacial backgrounds that are most prevalent are upper middle class Students are very much politically aware and active on campus, we have rallys all the time on campus political issues. I don't really hear people talking about how much money they'll earn but I often do hear people saying, "I'm going to be ballin" with Business majors or "I'm going to be poor" with art majors

Very diverse, liberal

In Illinois, there is a pretty even divide of liberal and conservative students. There are groups for everyone, and the groups tend to keep to themselves, so there are few issues here. You probably won't know enough students to experience any kind of insulting or discrimination. You learn what is important to argue about and what you should just brush off.

Illinois, at least my dorm, was not as diverse as I would have liked to see. However there were many religious LGBT etc groups available. However, the integrations is poor especially in the cafeteria. Often Asians sit together, athletes sit together, and Caucasians sit together. Most of my friends on my floor came from poorer families and paid for a lot of college themselves.

I have not found Illinois to be a very diverse campus. An overwhelming majority of the students come from the Chicago suburbs area, so out of state students are more rare. There is a large Asian population, and a large African American population as well. Several socio-economic classes seem to be represented. For the most part, students from different groups seem to interact in the classroom, but outside, the groups are more segregated.

Very diverse campus, feels very openminded and accepting of other races, backgrounds, religions, etc. There are many clubs and groups that help people feel accepted as well.

Students can be found dressing cute to class or wearing a hat and hoodie. The style and student body are very easy-going and accepting of all ethnicities, religions, and other groups on campus.

Any background you can think of you can find it, so if you want to meet kids like you then you'll have no problems, and if you want to meet new people from different countries, cultures and upbringings, you'll find that too.

There are student groups for every type of person, every interest, every culture, every background, and if you can't find one you like, it's easy to start a new one! I think everyone can find a way to fit in here. The different student groups host events together to encourage students of different backgrounds to interact.

This is one of the most diverse campuses in the country, and the minority groups here are really strong. They make their presence known by constantly emailing students and setting up booths. Flyers and chalked ads are EVERYWHERE. The school is large enough that everyone can find a niche. There are always groups competing for students' time and involvement. Despite our diversity, we have a terrible reputation for social segregation. In particular, the Greek system is considered really elitist and discriminatory. For example, one house here two years ago threw a "tacos and tequilas" themed party and dressed up in racial stereotypes. I think being a minority at U of I is probably rather uncomfortable, but we are extremely racially and socioeconomically diverse. As a result, I would assume it is easier to fit in here than at other colleges.

I don't think you can feel out of place at Illinois. That is what is so great about Illinois. It is so big and offers so much that if you are out of place somewhere just find another group. You'll eventually find where you belong on this cmapus.

Most of the students are from the suburbs of Chicago, but the variety of people is endless. Many minority groups are active on campus, ranging from the LGBT to the Latino Christian Group. If you want to be represented, you can create your own Student Organized Group. Most students dress comfortably to class--nothing over the top. Occasionally you may run across students dressed up and running to the career fair in order to make it on time. Financial background doesn't really matter around here. As long as you can chant the Alma Mater, you'll fit right in.

Illinois is a pretty politically neutral campus. The ag college gives us the conservative bent, but the normal college libralism is also present. People with pretty much any political beliefts would fit in fine.

There are a lot of asian students at the school, it is a very diverse society - so i think anybody could fit in. I think the class is very politically involved, but I would say that there is still a diverse aopinion on academics. I feel a lot of students wear jeans and tshirt to class, but I often wear sweats and don't feel out of place and others get more dressed u p.

The Illinois Student Body is mostly comprised of people from the suburbs of Chicago. This can be a nice thing for some, but detrimental for those who want a little more variety.

There is a somewhat, but not extremely diverse student body...

A white male would feel out of place at U of I because so many people try to make him feel bad for who he was born as. The majority of students come form the suburbs of Chicago and are well off but still feel the juvenile need to rebel and be "liberals" in college.

all students can find someone here on campus. there are people of all races and economic classes. students for the most part stay within their close group of friends. most students are from illinois. students dont talk about the distant future for the most part. most distant talk would be a year or so from now.like classes for next semester or summer vaction.

Nobody would feel out of place at U of I. There is such a diverse populace, that there is a group of friends for everyone. There are so may kids that the way people dress is diverse as well. Some kids will dress up / wear a nice shirt, nice jeans... others wear pajamas. Somewhere in the middle is the norm. There are students from all monetary backgrounds, and would be unfair to describe any one of them since there is such a a diverse populace. Students here are pretty politically aware, and are normally pretty centered, leaning more towards the left since Illinois as a whole is more liberal. Students normally dont talk about how much they make, they aren't that stuck up.

none

The kinds of students that feel out of place are definitely the minority students: Latino/as, African American and Native American. Asian Americans are a majority on this campus. I think there is more emphasis on bringing international students than students of low income or underrepresented groups. This is a huge problem. This campus does not make anyone feel welcome unless you are white. One big issue is the whole mainstream sorority/fraternity thing. It is just too damn expensive for many to join a mainstream greek. It is unfair that they are excluded based on income. Most Illinois students come from a middle-high class backgrounds. Their parents went to college and now work in a good job. We need to get more minority students into this school so that we can make it big as well.

To be honest I was relatively surprised with the makeup of the student body when I arrived on campus. First off whether the campus likes to admit it or not, it is segregated. It is segregated by race, looks, money, etc. From what I have witnessed there is little racial mixing outside of classes. The athletic teams might as well be a part of the greek system and those with money live in the most expensive housing on campus which is generally located in Champaign, more recently along green street. Beyond segregation however everyone is Illinois Orange and Blue all the way. If you are looking for a multicultural experience at Illinois chances are you're going to be missing out. Most people here are from Illinois and the majority of those from Illinois are from the Chicagoland area. You will likely meet people who already have groups of friends intact and know many people from their respective high schools on campus.

Absolutely no type of student would feel out of place at the U of I. There are people from every single racial group, ranging from incredibly smart to kind of average. Most of the students at U of I are from a Chicago suburb but it's not that uncommon to meet people from around the country and even around the world.

I feel like there's a wide range of students from diverse backgrounds so it's almost impossible to feel out of place because there are so many different types of people. Even if you don't like to go out, there's plenty of people that don't drink and like to hang out in dorms/apartments and other places.

There is a revolution going on at Illinois and it's starting in the tiniest corners of campus. It's in dorms, tables at restaurants and it's on the street corners. We're revolting against the hatred in the world and trying to reconcile people with one another to renew the campus. At least that's been my experience with Greek Intervarsity. We're just trying to live differently and it's really exciting not just as an experience but a permanent way of life.

Students are extremely driven. They all have tons of goals and plans and know where they want to go in life--at times it's a little ridiculous and there can be backstabbing to get ahead. People in large lectures cheat constantly off of their friends just to get ahead. Every sorority girl is the same, I know--I was once one of them, they all plan to be soccer moms but step all over each other trying to get there.

I think people are accepting but not necessarily understanding about issues like race, religion and sexuality. I don't think anyone would feel like they don't belong because there is a place for everyone here there is a lot of communities in this campus you can belong to.I think this is a very active campus and like I said there is a little bit of everything I don't think people understand it but they learn to live with it.

I've never had any problems concerning race or culture on campus. Most students are from Chicago area and central Illinois but there are a still lot of out-of-state students and international students. Most students in engineering and business become more politically conservative than when they entered.

I think the racial things are out of hand and a little too sensitive. The chief thing was crazy and we should still have the chief. It's sad that the minority had a larger voice than the majority and that the student population wasn't included. I think there is a lot of racism towards white students because we don't want to offend anyone, but there ends up being prejudice against the white population. Religious experience has been wonderful!! There are some of the "crazy" people that come to the quad and it makes me really upset because they approach Christianity the wrong way. It scares people away rather than welcome them. I don't think anyone would feel out of place at Illinois... there are people here from all over and from all walks of life. Students wear all sorts of things to class... pajamas, sweats, dresses, jeans, nicer clothes, anything! Sometimes different students interact... especially if the class requires it. Otherwise, I don't think so much. The tables - full of friends. Most are from the suburbs of Chicago... and it gets a little annoying, especially if you aren't from there. Seems like there is mostly middle class with some upper class. I would say between 30 and 40 percent are politically active. There's a good combination of all left, right, and cener. Sometimes but not much.

I do not think that any student would feel out of place at Illinois. There are students from every race, religion, background, etc., and although this makes for differences in opinion, everyone seems to work together well. From my experience within the College of Communications, I would say that a majority of the students and faculty would fall to the left on a political spectrum. Although most teachers are pretty good at keeping their own political views out of the classroom, sometime teachers make it quite clear how they feel about certain issues.