University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

Describe your favorite campus traditions.

Jennifer

My HS is best known for sports i guess and my alma mattar is known for research and having a beautiful campus. My school is also known for extremly bright students, hard working students and the newest med school on the block. We are known for having great alumni and did i mention football.

Benjamin

Academically, our school is known for engineering. We have one of the highest rated engineering schools on the planet. In essence though, our school is known for its academics in general. We are a very prestegious college with exceptional professors and abundant resources. Not only are our academic scores through the roof, the options of extracurricular activities are abundant and also, highly notable. Ranging from academics to sports, we excel in our extracurricular activities putting emphasis on hard work and dedication while still progressively excelling in the classroom.

Joyce

I would say that our school is best known for its top programs in the country, such as in Psychology, Engineering, and Business. Major cities visit UIUC for interviews and job fairs to recruit some of the best and brightest in the nation. The students becoming the best and the brightest really, however, are from the widely-known Professors we have on campus.

Jennifer

Engineering, computer science, accounting, psychology. Also unofficial.

Jasmine

University of Illinois is best known for its Engineering programs, because we have one of the best programs in the nation. We are also known as a party school, because there is a very active Greek system, along with a variety of other parties.

Jordan

My school is best known for two things. The first is the Morrow Plots which were the first experimental agricultural plots at a University. They were used to find that soil quality matters when growing crops. The second thing is the best band in the land--the nations's premiere college marching band, your University of Illinois Marching Illini!

Danielle

My favorite campus tradition is by far Unofficial. Unofficial is short for "Unofficial St. Patrick's Day", founded because St. Patrick's day almost always falls over spring break, so no students get to celebrate together. Unofficial is huge here and students from all the surrounding universities beg their friends that go here to stay with them so they can experience the madness. Everyone invests in t-shirts, sweatshirts, jerseys, and whatever else they decide to buy. Everyone has fun and celebrates St. Patrick's day in whatever way they see fit.

Chad

Engineering and Research

Dillon

My favorite campus tradition was the chief, and now I guess it's trying to get him back, though I think that ship has sailed, sadly. Also Orange Krush, it makes the basketball games pretty interesting. And orange. Also Unofficial, our very own crazy made-up holiday, which is always a good time and one of the most memorable nights save maybe Halloween.

David

Since the mascot has been banned from campus, we have to stick to chanting "I-L-L I-N-I" at sporting events. That's our "go-to" crowd participation maneuver. Besides that, we have a fun homecoming every year. I look forward to seeing how the Alma Mater will be dressed. It's that big greenish black statue near the Quad/Union. You can't miss it. The things we do to that poor statue... wow. Actually, I quite enjoy seeing what our students come up with next. It's held a guitar, worn a santa hat, a giant orange shirt, mardi gras beads, graduation attire, sun glasses, gold medals and the list goes on.

Corey

There are a lot of traditions on campus that I look forward to all year. The biggest and most-well known tradition is Unofficial St. Patrick's Day, or Unofficial. This exists because St. Patrick's Day, a popular drinking day across the country, usually takes place during Spring Break. Therefore, kids don't get to celebrate the holiday at college, which is preferred. Consequently, Unofficial was created for this purpose. Last year, it was funny that St. Patty's Day took place while we were at school, but we had Unofficial anyways. Unofficial is usually celebrated by drinking immediately when you get up to the wee hours of the morning. There are parties everywhere in apartments, fraternities, and the main street, Green Street. So even if you're not into drinking, a walk down Green Street during Unofficial can turn out to be very entertaining. I also love attending sporting events, particularly football and basketball, which are rich with campus tradition. About 5 years ago, one of the best traditions in college sports was outlawed at the university. That tradition is the dance of Chief Illiniwek at football and basketball games that was in place for 81 years. I witnessed his second to last dance ever, a very memorable moment in my life. Even though the Chief is gone, we still honor him at halftime during football and basketball games by playing the song he used to dance to and following along with it.

Corey

There are a lot of traditions on campus that I look forward to all year. The biggest and most-well known tradition is Unofficial St. Patrick's Day, or Unofficial. This exists because St. Patrick's Day, a popular drinking day across the country, usually takes place during Spring Break. Therefore, kids don't get to celebrate the holiday at college, which is preferred. Consequently, Unofficial was created for this purpose. Last year, it was funny that St. Patty's Day took place while we were at school, but we had Unofficial anyways. Unofficial is usually celebrated by drinking immediately when you get up to the wee hours of the morning. There are parties everywhere in apartments, fraternities, and the main street, Green Street. So even if you're not into drinking, a walk down Green Street during Unofficial can turn out to be very entertaining. I also love attending sporting events, particularly football and basketball, which are rich with campus tradition. About 5 years ago, one of the best traditions in college sports was outlawed at the university. That tradition is the dance of Chief Illiniwek at football and basketball games that was in place for 81 years. I witnessed his second to last dance ever, a very memorable moment in my life. Even though the Chief is gone, we still honor him at halftime during football and basketball games by playing the song he used to dance to and following along with it.

Martin

I-Help at the beginning of Homecoming week focuses on a mass blitz of various local charities. It is a great way for new students to get involved in service and meet other like minded students.

Aniya

My school is best known for the ranking of the colleges, the diversity, and for being a big ten, ivy league school. Many students choose to attend the University of Illinois for graduate school because of what the colleges has to offer far as jobs, help, and other connections. The diversity on the campus allows students to experience the ideas of different cultures and to branch out and meet others as well. My school also had an amazing football and volleyball season, and is currently havng an outstanding seasn for the women's and men's basketball team.

Emily

There are sooooooo many traditions that happen at Illinois that I could write a novel! But just to name a few, I would have to start with Homecoming. There are a variety of traditions that occur during the week of Homecoming such as dressing up the Alma Mater, everyone wearing orange and blue on the Wednesday of Homecoming week, the parade on the Friday night before the game, all of the alumni coming back, Greek life welcoming back their alumni with traditions, the list goes on and on. Other traditions include Quad Day which is when all of the registered student organizations (clubs...we have over 1200 of them) line the Quad and students can go to the booths and sign up for the email lists, get information and talk to executive members of each organization. Other traditions include the annual wheelchair basketball for charity game in which our men's and women's basketball teams will sit in wheelchairs and play our men's and women's wheelchair basketball team which is an epic and fun game to watch! There are so many traditions that I would have to speak to you in order to talk about all of them!

Ivy

The University of Illinois is best known for its Big Ten Membership(Go ILLINI!), the campus pride atomosphere, its prestige, and its research-driven curriculums. U of I students work hard, and play harder. The campus is brimming with very smart students who know how to have a good time, and who are making the most out of their college careers. U of I is known as one of the top sientific research universities in the nation, and also as a campus that encourages cultural diversity, as the campus encourages and works well with study abroad programs.

Lauren

I think one of my favorite annual campus traditions is football season. And yes, many schools have football teams and have the fall-football atmosphere and excitement. But at Illinois, football season has always struck me as being a unique celebration on this campus. Illinois is a Big Ten school and therefore has a Division I football team, which means that the hype around the games is bigger and more exhilarating. In addition to that, Illinois has a HUGE alumni base (400,000+!!), and many alumni enjoy journeying back to their alma mater to see old friends, grab a tailgate spot, and settle in for an action-packed football game. It's a special tradition to have so many people who love Illinois in one place, and it really begins to feel like a big family come fall semester!

Betsy

One of my favorite campus traditions is the marching band. The University of Illinois marching band is the oldest band that actually marched while playing their instruments. Every year the performances they put out are more impressive than the next. As a sophomore I played trumpet in the Marching Illini. On the inside the band has even more traditions than those watching from the outside. It took nearly an entire season for me to get used to the chants and jokes the band had within itself- not to mention playing the music itself!

John

My favorite campus tradition is probably football games. I am in a fraternity so we have what is called block. This is when a fraternity and sorority pair up and rent out part of a bar for the mornings before all the football games. Every game day we get up extra early and head to a bar. Block is a great way to meet a lot of people and get your school spirit going. After socializing for a while we'll head over to the stadium for the game. It's a great feeling walking into the stadium and seeing everyone dressed in orange ready to cheer on the Illini. The student section has specific cheers planned out for different parts of the game like kickoffs, first down, and touchdowns, which can be pretty entertaining. There's just something about fall weather and football that make the campus atmosphere that much more exciting.

Genevieve

It is best known for engineering and business. I can definitely testify to this because a majority of my friends are engineering students. I am not an engineering students, but you can find me hanging out with one most of the time.

Crystal

My school is best known for it's academics. The University of Illiniois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the top-ranked public schools in the country. The students are very intelligent and hard-working individuals, and the professors have some of the top degrees. The colleges of engineering and business are well-known for both the academics and competitiveness to be admitted into.

Michael

The U of I business school is very well known. There are many corporate sponsors for the school and they are actively involved. The school is also well known for engineering.

Tanzania

My school is best known for it engineering, computer science, and computer science program. We are one of the best schools for engineering. Sadly, we are also known for letting people in due to their status and not their education. Our school is also known for its great academic program and it's great campus enviornment. Our school is also know for the wonderful architecture and our beautiful Alma Mater statue. We also known for having the Chief for our mascot but not anymore.

Hannah

University of Illinois is best known for corn fields and agriculture. Although University of Illinois is "in the middle of nowhere," students from around the globe attend the university for its stellar academics, specifically in the fields of engineering and business. Champaign and Urbana offer students shopping and dining options off campus to escape to a non-academic asmosphere. However, if students wish to stay on campus, bars and restaurants line Green Street, the main venue for students on the weekends. Along with the vibrant Green Street, the university hosts Illinights, where students play lazar tag, watch movies, or bowl.

Samantha

The University of Illinois is best known for the traditions it holds. I have become a part of the Orange Krush since being here and it has really made me a feel like an integral part of the campus! The sports teams are held highly but really it feels like the tradition of the cheers that the fans do are regarded even more.

Anna

I have interests in business related area as my study. I heard that the accountant program is pretty well known along with the engineering majors.

Normandie

My school is best known for sports such as Basketball and Football as well as a great education system.

Samantha

I think Illinois is best known for allowing students to work in the field before they graduate whether it be through a study abroad, internship, co-op or research oppurtunity on campus. The professors and staff really try to make the students as marketable as possible and through these experiences students often find jobs with more ease than students who do not attend my school.

Susan

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is known for being the top public university in Illinois. It is mostly known for its academic excellence. We are also show pride for our college basketball and football teams.

Sarah

It has the largest Greek community among US schools. Football and basketball are also important parts of this community, which is big on school spirit.

Curtshone

It would have to be the engineering and accounting program, both programs are highly ranks and attract student from all over the world. Their reputation stand out from the rest of the schools already highly respected programs

Sabrina

My school is best know for its Engineering program and it has the largest Greek system in America.

Ryne

I think that the University of Illinois is best known for being such a prestigious school with high standards. As I was growing up in a small town close to the university, I always held it to be in higher regards than the other schools I was considering. I feel that a degree from the University of Illinois holds more weight than one from most other schools. I think that a tradition of high standards as such will only help the university preserve these standards themselves.

Lauren

I think my school is best known for its football. I?m not that into football and I?m pretty sure both of the games I went to they lost, but each game is a popular event that is packed. It?s part of the Big Ten, so the turnout is always impressive. Everyone has a lot of school spirit. Other than that, UIUC is a really good school academically. A lot of people from all over the world come to study here.

Amanda

Illinois is most famous for its sports teams, both basketball and football (which unfortunately didn't do well this year). Academically it's a great school for engineering and known for its unusually high proportion of international students. For example, Koreans are the second-most populous ethnic group after Caucasians.

Luke

The College of Engineering at UIUC is best known for the excellence of the education it provides. This education is very rigorous and challenging, and it provides its students with a deep knowledge of the subjects being taught. As a result, the college is known for producing bright, innovative, and successful engineers who make important contributions to the field of engineering during their careers.

Lauren

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is best known for its Engineering, Business, and Agriculture Colleges. It is also well known because it is home to the largest Greek system in the country. Also, it's best known for being a Big 10 school.

Tyesha

In my opinion, the University of Illinois is best known for the student's, faculty's, alumni's, and other people's school spirit. For as long as I can remember, I have seen people wearing U of I t-shirts, hats, hoodies, etc. U of I is probably the first college I ever heard of excluding Ivy League schools. I never understood what the hype was until I got older and watched their various sports teams and researched its academics. Illinois has many colleges and universities, but people just seem to be very prideful in the University of Illinois.

Obinna

The chief

Adam

The University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign is known for its academic excellence. The school is one of the top public universities in the United States. The engineering and business programs rank as some of the best in the nation. Besides academics, the University of Illinois is a great university for athletics and is in the Big Ten conference.

Robert

Engineering

William

Engineering Prestige

Germane

My school is best known for our now distinct mascot, Chief Illiniwek.

Kristin

My school is best known for engineering, our engineering ranks number 4 on the list of top engineering schools. In the engineering program you work with the best and the brightest.

Liza

Big Ten Sports

Ethan

U of I is well known for its athletic programs as the Fighting Illini, especially the football team. The university also has an engineering program that ranks in the top 5 across the nation, allowing for almost 100{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} job placement right out of college. U of I also has one of the biggest Greek networks in the nation.

Anastasia

My school is known for being very good in engineering. Also it is a big for faternities and sororities. There is a lot of drinking at nights and on weekends, but sometimes I feel like there is nothing else to do since we are surrounded by corn fields. Students start to turn to drugs to fill their free time. It is a very unhealthy habit. Also it becomes a big distraction to students.

Bailey

the CHIEF! and it is very good academically

Charlee

The University has much to offer including fine academics, the breathtaking campus, and active student life. Being part of the Big Ten, we are known for our sports, and for our strong sence of belonging; Everyone has a place at Illinois! Illinois is also know for its academic life. Students attending The University of Illinois are driven, they are people who take pride in themselfs and their work. The University of Illinois is also known for its vast diversity, many cultures and religions merge together to make Illinois strong.

Bobak

The University of Illinois is best known for its social life because of the many clubs and organizations available and also because of the high number of fraternities and sororities on campus. There is a club for literally every hobby or subject that can possibly be thought of, so there is ample oppurtunities for students to get involved around campus. The school is also best know for its sports, mainly basketball and football, because it is affililiated with the big ten.