University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

The stereotype of University of Illinois students is that many people come from a farm. However, I don't think this is accurate. Like anywhere else, there are students who go here who come from farms, but I don't consider it to be a majority of students. Anyone who IS from a farm offers a look into that lifestyle. One of the RAs in my dorm lived on a farm and he always told the best stories about the kinds of jobs he had to do to help out around home. Illinois is a very diverse school. There are people of so many different backgrounds here that I don't think stereotypes carry much weight.

It's difficult to say that the stereotype is true because it depends on your perception and definition of what a student is. Some say you're suppose to party all the time: it's "college." Others will say students are here for an education, period. Our students cover all type of personalities, so I can't say that there is a stereotypical student I can call on. Like these "things ___ say" YouTube videos, there's nothing that would obviously identify an Illini, except for the fact that we miss the Chief as a mascot.

We are intelligent students that are greatly well-rounded. People just do not know always about the well-roundedness. However, recruiters do know about this and actively seek out Illinois students.

depends on the stereotype. If it is about everyone being from Chicago, then it's fairly true since it can't be completely true as I am not from Chicago. If it's about everyone being engineers and business majors, then no, it's not true because there are soooooo many students who are not in those two colleges. If it's that we are a party school...then maybe. Yes, we do have a social life and a prominent Greek life, but we do our school work first. We are paying for an education and would like to do well while we are here.

Not at all. You can't attribute one stereotype to a whole university.

Not at all. You can't attribute one stereotype to a whole university.

Not at all. You can't attribute one stereotype to a whole university.

Not at all. You can't attribute one stereotype to a whole university.

The stereotype of University of Illinois students is that many people come from a farm. However, I don't think this is accurate. Like anywhere else, there are students who go here and live on a farm, but I don't consider it to be a majority of students. Anyone who is from a farm offers a look into that life. One of the RAs in my dorm lived on a farm and he always had the best stories about the kinds of jobs he had to do to help out around home. Illinois is a very diverse school. There are people of so many different backgrounds here that I don't think stereotypes carry much weight.

The stereotype of University of Illinois students is that many people come from a farm. However, I don't think this is accurate. Like anywhere else, there are students who live on a farm, but I don't consider it to be a majority of students, and anyone who is from a farm offers a look into that life. One of the RAs in my dorm lived on a farm and he always had the best stories about the kinds of jobs he had to do. Illinois is a very diverse school. There are people of so many different backgrounds here that I don't think stereotypes carry much weight.

A common stereotype of Illinois students is that an overwhelming percentage of the student body is from Chicago or the surrounding suburbs. While there are certainly students from those areas who attend Illinois, there is also a large number of students from other areas in the state, out-of-state students, and even international students. There is a lot of diversity at Illinois, and that's plain to see even when you're just sitting in class or walking on the quad.

A common stereotype of Illinois students is that an overwhelming percentage of the student body is from Chicago or the surrounding suburbs. While there are certainly students from those areas who attend Illinois, there is also a large number of students from other areas in the state, out-of-state students, and even international students. There is a lot of diversity at Illinois, and that's plain to see even when you're just sitting in class or walking on the quad.

Yes.

These stereotypes are not accurate. Although Illinois has one of the largest Greek systems, I am not Greek and I do just fine! There are sooo many alternatives to attending frat parties that people who are "GDI's" will still have fun on the weekends. And if you want to attend a frat party -- go ahead! They don't bite. I will admit there are a lot of Engineering and Business students on this campus; however, there are a lot of other students here as well. A lot of my friends are pre-law and pre-med. Additionally, the other colleges such as Media, Education and Applied Health and Sciences have very large numbers too. I assure you, if you are not a BUS or ENG student, you will not be an outcast :)

Not for everyone but on occasion they are.

There are some extremely intelligent people at Illinois. But like most stereotypes this is not true of every single student on campus. And I'm sure even the extremely smart individuals are cool in their own right.

Absolutely not, especially in regards to the U of I having no diversity. There are so many countries represented at my school, and I think it's silly that people think we have no diversity on our campus. While Greek life is the social scene, that doesn't mean we don't have diversity. There are numerous black, Asian and major-specific sororities and fraternities. And the amount of student groups supporting different ethnicities is endless. Our undergrad library features tours in every language, and our class schedule has an infinite number of classes in every non-western culture you can imagine. The stereotypes about Greek Life are very exaggerated. While the Greek community does party, and does drink, that doesn't mean that is all they do. Every fraternity and sorority on campus has a national philanthropy, which they participate in. A lot of good comes out of the Greek community and affects the campus as a whole. The truth is Greek members go to class, do well in school, and help the non-Greek community as much as non-Greek students do.

i don't think so

yes

I would say so

blah... didn't see this ^^^^

the professors really do care about the students, especially in the upper level classes. they make themselves more available than most students realize. by my last semester, every professor and ta knew me by name because i was spending almost 20 hours a week in office hours for one class or another. the engineering education is what you make of it. if you want to be at the top of the class, you have to be really, really smart, or spend your entire life in the library. i went the middle of the road route. i still spent the better part of my week in the library, but i could still go out with my friends on the weekends and a night or two during the week.

I think that many of them are indeed true but they don't happen all the time. I have definitely noticed how segregated the campus is during the 4 years I have been here. Everyone sticks with people who are racially, ethnically, and culturally similar or the same.

Somewhat

there are alot of asians. there are things for anyone to do... you can party or there are plenty of other things to do with many other people

No, while the campus is more work than party, this doesn't mean we don't have fun. We just also get our work done

yes

I did see people from my high school walking around every now and then, but Illinois is such a big campus with so many different kinds of people and so many events going on, that you really are in a new environment.

They are all true

Not at all. Never have I felt like "just a number" or as if I were lost. The great thing about a large university is that you are guaranteed to find people like you, with similar interests and everything. Plus, there are so many opportunities to meet people and get involved that you never feel "lost." It is a big school; I'm not denying that. BUT to me, that just means more opportunities and more fun.

there are a lot of Asians, there are a lot of suburban kids, but not every fits any stereotype perfectly

Usually they're just generalizations that may be accurate in some cases but not in others

sometimes. they don't apply to everyone though

School is in the middle of nowhere-- Yes. Outside of campus and downtown there is not much to look at. Bars are the center of the social life and can get old very quickly. The age required to enter most bars is 19 which encourages a lot of underage drinking. The cops, however, walk around giving drinking tickets to underage kids standing within an arms length of an alcoholic drink. If they're going to ticket underage drinkers $300 per offense, please do us students a favor and raise the age to enter a bar to 21. Although there is not much to look at outside of campus and downtown areas, U of I is the perfect college town. It might seem like there is not much to do, but everything a college kid need and wants is within walking/bus route distances. Greek System-- Fairly accurate. While there are plenty of smart, driven students in the Greek system, there are also a large amount of students who go out every night and continuously make fools of themselves. These are the individuals who make the system look bad. Engineering Students-- Fairly accurate. Many people are not as outgoing, shy and so smart it is hard to articulate what they're saying. This, however, is not true of all engineers just like the Greek system is not comprised of all embarrassing, stupid individuals.

You do have to do well in high school to get accepted to U of I. However, a tip I would give is be EXTREMELY involved in extracurricular activities and it will help you out a lot! For me, I truly believe it was my long list of activities that got me accepted. It is true I think. Students work extremely hard here, but the partying is pretty good too.

In fact, approximately 77{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students drink at U of I. Not everyone drinks at U of I. While a fair amount do, not everyone does. Some students don't like to drink or simply don't do it because they don't have time to go out do to their time-consuming major. It is not easy to establish a balance between classes and social life. You have to establish good morals and understand that if you decide to procrastinate, you will have to complete that assignment eventually, potentially when you really want to go to a U of I basketball game, but you cant because you already went out earlier in the week. In college, you have to make smart decisions and know what's best for YOU!

Yes and no, since our school is so huge it's hard to generalize, yes there are a lot of students that party, however there are a lot of students that spend their saturday nights at the library (trust me I was surprised too)

a lot of people are from Illinois and a lot of people are very intelligent but people don't tend to be the stereotypical antisocial book worm type of smart. Many students are also outgoing and sociable. They are smart enough to have good time management and so manage to go out a lot as well as keep up with their school work.

Absolutely!

Somewhat

No. Although the University of Illinois is a challenging and academically prestigious school, it is by no means too demanding and I have been able to maintain an enjoyable and balanced lifestyle. It's a fun school!

I have found that there are many different things to do at Illinois. Once you find your niche, you can immerse yourself in the organizations and activities of your choice. Many people do drink, but there is plenty to do for those who choose not to.

Not at all, I know many people from other places than Chicago and many non-engineering majors. I also know a lot of people who do not drink and if they do they are not regular at it. Not everyone is in a frat/sorority but there is a large amount of people who are.

I have many friends who are not in the Greek system, and I think the Greek system was just a good way to get used to college life but any organization can help you do that. The majority of my friends are not from the suburbs, and I am not either.

I suppose so, my California and Hawaii friends are pretty laid back. Other than that I can't think of any real stereotypes off hand.

yes!

Yes. Everybody proudly wears their Greek letters to class everyday. There is a very evident social heirarchy and dominant culture. I haven't noticed the hicks much, but everyone says they stay mostly in the AgSci area which is on South Campus. Engineers are definitely socially awkward but really smart.

for the most part

In some ways, yes; but you have to look at the big picture. Every school is going to have some kind of party scene, no matter how big.

Yes.