University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

The worst thing about this campus is arguably the sheer size. While I enjoy attending a large campus, it can be overwhelming for many people. As for size, the Greek system is incredibly large here at UIUC yet can often be too exclusive.

Either the overwhelming Greek system or the fact that there is nothing to do but drink. I mean, you only have to be 19 to get into the bars there, making it almost impossible NOT to drink. And the Greek system is extremely overpowering on campus so you feel obligated to go Greek or go home.

The isolation. University of Illinois is in a small micro-city; there is not much around except for the university itself and a small town near it. Coming from Chicago, that shift will be different. In Chicago, you can never be bored; something is always happening everywhere and there is always a constant flow of people and activities. At Urbana-Champaign, the life will be more quiet and slower. That will be a big adjustment.

The worst thing about my school is the prejudices that come from students based on race, sex, religion, and/or sexual orientation and identity. Many students tend to interact with those in the same racial or ethnic category because they tend to reject or underestimate anybody who doesn't think or look like them. Races and ethnicities remain divided, with the minorities remaining minorities in most social groups. U of I tries to make a safe living environment for these people, but only succeed in promoting further prejudices.

The worst thing I consider about my school is the lack of preparation/engagement with actual companies. To me, this is a nationwide collegiate problem. In my major, I wish to have representatives from companies (ranging from small to large) come in and explain what it takes to make it in the real world (socially, mentally, intellectually), specifically in regards to their company. There needs to be more recruiting done by companies. I've learned it's not really about what you know but more of who you know. Shift more focus on how to build connections and relationships.

I would say that the worst thing about UIUC is the segregation in race and ethnicity. The disproportionately large amount of Asian students on campus demonstrates the obvious distinction in race and ethnicity on campus. The whole school isn't necessarily segregated in all schools and departments, but the majority of people would say that our school was very segregated.

Most University of Illinois students love their school. It is highly ranked with a beautiful campus and satisfying professional and social outlets. But pretty much every student has the same gripe: the price tag. Our degrees are very useful and highly regarded, but they are also a pretty receipt bearing a huge price. The total estimated in state costs are between $29,000-$34,000. This is one of the highest in state fees for a public university in the country. It's a great school, but it's ultimately up to the individual if it is worth the cost.

So big. Not enough emphasis on socializing within each individual college to network.

I am not sure what is the wrost thing about my school because I love it there, but if I had to choose for me I think it would have to be finding a job. But I think I haven't really found a job because it conflicted a lot with my schedule.

The worst thing that I have found about the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is that there is an extremely large list of things that you can become involved with. This may seem like a good thing, and someday I am certain that it will be. However, at this time right now in my career, I want to be involved in everything that I can, and that is just not something that can be done. You have to be in a few clubs and do a lot--not in a lot of clubs and do a little.

The worst thing about my school is that I was unable to stay in an apartment my freshman year. If that's all I can say bad about my school, I would say it's pretty amazing. Wouldn't you?

Student body size. 30,000+ students made for too large and dispersed of a campus.

In my opinion, the worst thing about my school would be the lack of interaction between students of different nationalities.

Probably location. The immediate location is ok, but I would prefer to be a little further north or south in the state -- we're right in the middle of a great corn desert.

The worst part of my school is the lack of personal interaction with the staff and facility. Our university has an excellent reputation for publishing quality research papers. However because of this, it puts a constant pressure on the professors to produce results and if they fail to do so, they will be fired. As a result, many professors care very little about the class they are teaching which leaves the students to reply on the teaching assistances to answer questions that they have.

The amount of drinking and partying on campus. I don't like that I can't walk around Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night without seeing drunk students everywhere. I think that it represents our school very badly.

The worst thing about U of I is that there is very few people here in the summer. I currently work for a physics professor on campus and there is very few people here this summer, making life a bit boring right now.

Surprisingly, the worst aspect of the university in my personal opinion is its location. The brutal six-month winters of 20-below-zero days and feet of snow is grueling, especially considering my being a resident of the state of Florida. Should one wish to attend the University of IIlinois but is not acclimated to a midwest climate, be sure to be both willing and prepared to withstand frigid temperatures and a snowy landscape for the majority of the school year. The university does a fair job of shoveling sidewalks and making available transportation, but again I say, "be prepared."

Sometimes the size bothers me since the art campus is in the corner and I live on the opposite end. The school bus system is great though to make up for it!

The greek community runs the campus. If you can get past the constant talk abot houses and status within the social community it is not too bad.

The worst thing about my school is the crime rates that are increasing annually. There have been many incidents of peeping toms and assaults on campus, many which have not been formally announced to the student body due to fear of panic. :(

I love the University of Illinois Champaign campus. There isnt any thing I dislike about it.

I think our campus always looks partied out. There are too much parties going on in the campus. Parties distract people from academic life. They would go out too much for parties so they sometimes don't pay enough attnetion to their classes and also drinking is another issue. Parties became the trap. I think if there are less parties and less promotion of them students would be more focus on academic.

The worst thing about my school is the large lecture classes. For beginning level classes, you can have hundreds of other students in your class. It takes more motivation to go to a class that you know no one will notice you are absent from. These classes often have smaller discussion sections once or twice a week and you can are generally done with large lectures once you have completed general requirements and are focusing on your specialty .

The worst thing about the school would have to be the Greek influence that was very prominent. I believe that it remained difficult to maintain an independent student without feeling like you were missing out on something for not being in the Greek system. I did end up joining a sorority my Junior year and made one lifetime friend. After a year however, I did end up leaving and became an independent student.

Living on a college campus is something very new to me. The thing that I think is a really negative thing about my school is the fact that it is surrounded by college businesses and resteraunts, and there is no option really to go out into reality and experience the real world, outside from a very secluded, safe environment. Students here do not get to challenge their ideas and beliefs by meeting and exploring the world as they would in a much more open environment, such as a city.

I am not sure what the WORST thing about my school would be, but the most intimidating thing is the size. However, my suggestion in overcoming that is to join a club or organization. By doing this, you feel like you have a purpose and it is also a great way to meet people, make friends, and to network (not to mention they look great on a resume).

The worst thing about my school, I believe is it's large lectures, sometimes you dont get to interact with your professor and classmates enough. Also, the bulidings are pretty spread out and it is a long walk to get from class to class that can get very irritating during the winter.

The campus is very large so it takes approximately 10-15 minutes to travel from your dorm to the quad if you choose not to take the campus uses.

I would have to say that the worst thing about my school is that students tend to get lost in there lectures. Not literally getting lost but because that lectures consists of 400 to 500 students. Students have to integrate from a small high school classroom into a large lecture hall. Some students feel as if they are alone and they begin to feel as if there professor does not care and this could lead to failure or difficulty of the class. However, there are many students that have excelled even due to the high student to teacher ratio.

I think the worst thing about my school is that a lot of Freshmen level courses are taught as large lectures and students often fall behind. Even though they are accompanied by a discussion section students often feel they don't need to go to the lecture and therefore don't learn the material. Another issue is that since the lectures are so large students never form a personal relationship with the professors which can mean they don't know who to ask for help.

The scandals we recently faced. It hurts the reputation of the school. I was proud to get in to the University of Illinois and I am proud to go here, but I fear that after college, employers may not see the same prestige in our school that they used to.

If you are not ready to learn in a lecture class, then it is a really hard adjustment to get used to.

The worst thing about my school is how some classes are taught by teacher's assistants, and although they do know what they are talking about, I feel that professors should be teaching the classes, not graduate students.

The Worse thing about my school would have to how the administration treats you financially, since its such a large university it seems like they do not care for th6e individual, you kind of get lost in the crowd?I feel as though they just want your money and aren't very willing to help you with your negotiate your finances. It leaves me with the sense "Pay or drop out". I hope these practices do not continue especially in these hard economic times.

The worst thing would have to be that there are about 42,000 students attending the University. Given this large number of students, it is easy to lose yourself in the crowd and not live up to your fullest potential.

The high emphasis on fraternities and sororities leaves your options for social networking as an incoming freshman seemingly limited, but don't give up hope!

The worst thing about the school is also what I listed in the previous question. With it being such a big school, it can be a great thing but for some people it can be a nightmare. There are a lot of people who attend the school and it can be a bit overwhelming and you may feel alone because there are so many people there who are like you but also a lot of people who aren't and that could be a scary thing. Especially if you're a shy person.

How much fraternities control the social scene.

I believe that the worst thing about the University of Illinois is its tuition. I know that for me, an Illinois resident, the tuition is a lot less than for out of state students, however tuition for all colleges in our nation is extremely high. Complaining about this is expected from me due to my rough financial situation where loans this year have become my best friends and every year I will begin to encounter more and more of them as my journey to get into medical school becomes harder and harder.

It is very hard to find something wrong with UIUC, the school has been of great facilitation for my first semester. They have many great services but if I could think of something, I would probably say that the worst thing is the distance from home. I've always been very attached to my family and friends therefore I was very homesick throughout my first semester. I thought about them and missed them so much, many times this caused a distraction to my studies. I have to be strong and deal with this though, UIUC is my best choice.

The snow and winter. I have lived in Illinois my entire life, but absolutely dispise the frigged weather. The campus is very large, which can make walking in the winter climate a miserable thing. We do have a great bus system that makes travel faster and warmer. It does take a little while to master the bus routes and schedules, but once you have learn it, you are golden. Honestly, the University of Illinois is a wonderful school to attend.

I would say the crime. There is always a lot of robberies, and crimes that happen during the evenings. I also think that too many students engage in underage drinking. Bars probably make it too easy for underage drinkers, especially if they are an athelete. Athletes seem to be treated "above" most students when it comes to things.

The concentration of Greek life makes it difficult to really feel like a community. Everyone has ties and connections to the group of people they prefer to associate with.

The strong Greek system. If you don't join the Greek system, your social life is limited, especially the first 2 years.

The worst part is the variation in classes. IT is such a big campus that it is hard to find someone you know that is in your major and can help you decide which classes and professors are good to take. Counselors help but they have so many students to deal with and the information they give you is not the same as a student might give you.

The worst thing about my school is that there are too many people in it. Socially, it is hard to find out where you can fit, and people you meet may never see you again because the school has so many students. I also feel like the student to faculty ratio is too high, but professors still have time to see you if you have an appointment.

The scandal with the politicians

I think the worst thing is that most students feel that they can not have a successful social life without being "greek." I am not greek, but I still feel that my social life is still very successful and I do not need to be in one of these groups to enjoy myself. I think that because freshman don't know anything going into it, they don't realize that there is more to college than sororities and fraternities.

It is not that racially diverse as it tends to say it is. They need to consider evening things out when they are bringing in new freshmen.