University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

The most frustrating thing about UIUC is balancing the amount of classwork and social activities. Because there are so many student organizations on campus, it is easy to have activities from different organizations conflict with each other. Furthermore, because there are so many student organizations, it is hard to commit all of your energy towards one organization. However, as each semester goes by, it becomes easier to manage the amount of time dedicated to each organization. Time-management is usually a skill that naturally builds in strength in college.

I have trouble the way classes are sometimes arranged because there is quite a chance for time conflicts between multiple classes.

Finding out what your current grades are in all of the classes and your current gpa as the semester progresses. This is the most frustrating thing because the grades for every class are on different web sites and even sub-grades for classes are split up making it very difficult to see where you are at.

The use of multiple different online homework tools that are used for varying classes. I wish everything was online in one place.

To be honest, one thing that really frustrates me is when the large groups of students we have from across the world seem to huddle together and never try to make new friends or acclimate. I know that it's human nature to stick to those like you, especially in new places, but often times I see people who have lived here for years and still only talk to people they knew from back home and are still confused as to how things go (as compared to their home)

The Greek Life. You don't need to be in the Greek life to make friends here, I can guarantee that.

Since most of my classes were rather large it was hard to build a personal relationship with some of my professors. I put an incredible amount of work into my classes and some of my grades I feel do not reflect my efforts. If I had better relationships with my professors they would see how hard I work.

The most frustrating thing about my school is not being able to feel like an individual but just another student out of the hundreds.

The University of Illinois Is a wonderful place to live and go to school. The campus is vibrant and the classes are stimulating. However, the administrators can get under your skin. In my personal experience, and that of my friends, we have found that the academic advisors dont really care about helping. When making appointments and picking classes it almost seems like a hassle for them when that is exactly what they do. It's not like they teach classes as well. If I could change one thing, it would be to evaluate the motives of the advising staff.

All the partying that students are allowed to get away with, as well as under age drinking.

The most frustrating thing about my school is its ability to pretend that everything is alright when there issues that need to be addressed. If there is a racial issue on campus, the school does not address it in a productive manner or it pretends that it doesn’t exist.

The most frustrating thing about my school is the high tuition and boarding costs. The university may be a big name, but it is still a public university which should be affordable for people of all classes. :(

The rude international students.

The size of the campus creates difficulty in getting to and from classes in time. Many students rely on public transportation to get around. With all these students it is extremely frustrating being on crowded buses, having buses arrive late, and sometimes having buses being filled to capacity and not allowing more passengers to board.

The most frustrating thing about my school is the sheer size and bureaucracy involved in doing anything. In order to declare a major or minor, you have to jump through hoops and walk all across campus. I also don't like how the size makes it difficult to not only meet people but also to stand out to your professors.

The controversy surrounding Chief Illiniwek is very frustrating. No matter what side you are on in the debate, it is an extremely dividing issue and creates a lot of racial tension on our campus, which I don't enjoy.

Sometimes the amount of students that attend this school is frustrating for me because I strive to get to know a lot of people. With 30,000 people attending my school, it's hard to feel like you've met a lot of people knowing that there are still so many out there that you don't know about.

The current financial situation of the institution. How expensive it is to attend the school and the lack of scholarships that students can apply for. Minorities also have major advantages over other students.

The most frustrating thing about my school so far have been the reading in my courses. During my high school years I did not read as I was suppose to so it became a bad habit. After I started college I realize I have to start reading to really understand the course and to get good grades on exams. As time progress, I began to manage my time to incorporate the reading into my schedule. It is also hard to make friends in classes sometimes.Group projects are also a pain.

Large lectures, sometimes 300-400 students makes it sometimes difficult to learn.

I think the most frustrating thing is the bus system. It recently changed. Also, it is frustrating that we need to rent apartments so early in the year. I signed my lease in the middle of October for next year, and we were one of the last people I know to sign.

The classes can be very large. If you are not used to this, it can be a very difficult environment in which to learn. Depending on your major, classes will remain large. It can be hard to learn when you feel like your professor would not even recongnize you if you passed him or her on the street. The large class size can make it tempting to miss class.

The most frustrating part about about my school is that it rains literally every Thursday, which makes walking to class such a hassle because not many people have cars on campus and the buses are always packed.

The bad press that my school has been receiving lately overshadows the incredible feats that are being accomplished here, and it tarnishes our good name. Many of our administrators have been forced out of office due to an admissions scandal, and this image hurts our ability to recruit top students to our University.

The campus is very large at times making it difficult to get from one place to another. Meetings often start a few minutes late and people alway need to slip out early. Professors are always understanding and those few minutes at the begining give everyone a nice chance to chat.

I would definately have to say being enrolled in classes that were trying to weed out the weak people. This university excels acedemically and I have struggled to continue in my Engineering major with such smart peers. This alone was frusrating enough to make me almost change major, especially when it was occupying my time away from the full "college experience". It was hard to watch the other students suceed so easily while I was working so hard and still trailing behind.

We can't seem to keep an honest board of trustees or President. There seem to be a lot of scandals in the academic world, and before long, I fear that the University will lose credibility.

The size can sometimes be overwhelming. Occassionally you might feel as if you are only a number. This also leads to some large lecture classes where learning and extra help falls directly on your shoulders.

The most frustrating thing about my school is registration. You can eventually get all the classes you want/need to take, but it is very hard to get into some classes because they fill up so quickly. This is mainly due to honors students and upperclassmen having the luxury of registering early. If a class is closed and you really want to take it, you can go to the instructor and ask them to manually add you to the roster, but some professors won't do that and you will have to wait until the class is open again.

The most frustrating thing about the University of Illinois is that it is difficult to form a strong bond with the professor. With some classes being so large, teachers cannot remember everyone in their classes and even if students seek them out for help, the professor may not necessary remember the student as an individual. This poses an issue in having to apply to scholarships and internships that require recommendation letters. However, every problem poses as challenge to make myself memorable to professors in my questions and taking the initiative to going to see them often.

The most frustrating thing would either be having to hike through the horrible winter weather to get to class (but that's just Illinois for you) or having to eat horrible dorm food. I think both of these are problems that students have to face at many colleges though.

Larger class sizes is a frustrating adjustment during the transition from high school to college. General education classes, the foundation for college learning, can be overwhelming for a student new to the university due to less individual attention. It is usually a huge switch for many high school seniors, as classroom size sometimes increases from 30 to 500 students; depleting instructor time and resources. It is frustrating not being able to raise my hand in a classroom to ask a question, but instead trying to remember the question for office hours. Modifying my study habits is aiding in this transition.

It is very racially segregated. I've noticed a lot in my classes that minority students sith each other and white students sit with each other.

The advisors. When being advised, whoever you speak to either makes things seem unimportant or makes things seem grave. Sometimes you get someone who tells you to do what you feel and everything is fine. But then you'll go back to a different advisor and they will tell you that you're on the wrong track and probably won't graduate.

The competition is cut-throat. Sometimes, no matter how much you want something, there are smarter people out there who will succeed over you.

Sometimes there is a high amount of pressure to perform well academically which easily burns people out

Nothing, only you make it frustrating.

Timing, Knowing when and what classes to take in the order needed to acheive what you are looking for

The most frustrating thing about this school is that sometimes it ca nbe extremely stiff, especially around high-stress times (finals, midterms, etc.)

The most frustrating thing is that between all of my classes, most of my tests and projects are due or scheduled for the same days. Consequently, I can be up very late on a regular basis.

I really dislike how the students stick to their own racial groups on campus. Students rarely intermingle with other races, and this causes a lot of mistrust between the groups. The enormous Greek system does not help the situation. It only enhances the prejudice feelings towards other groups.

The most frustrating thing about Illinois would be the large classrooms assigned for some classes. Sometimes it is hard to concentrate when people all around you are talking or playing on their phones.

It is frustrating that they make it difficult to transfer to the program you wish to pursue. Their transfer policy into the business program inhibits many smart individuals from pursuing a business degree. They do little to help the student who enters the school undecided about his or her major.

having to work and do school work

Trying to decide what I want to do there, there are so many options!

The most frustrating thing about the U of I is the competitiveness. Everyone is out there to be the best and most are willing to sacrifice friendships and honesty to reach the top. I know most college students are going to be competitive, but I feel because we produce some of the top business and engineering students in the nation, the competition is a tad bit more gruesome in our parts.

Meal plans not being flexible and costing too much for what they offer.

Not knowing most of your professors personally.

its hard work

The most frustrating thing about the University of Illinois is that it is the largest Greek system in the nation.