University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

The University of Illinois prides themselves on being a really diverse school, and this is proven walking down a street. People of different ethnic backgrounds, cultures, and countries interacting on a day-to-day basis. So that's one stereotype that holds true. Another that I was unaware about before coming to the campus was how big fraternity and sorority life is. There are frat guys everywhere you look and sorority sisters promoting their sorority everywhere you go. Obviously, the frat guys are pegged as "bros" and the sorority can be pegged as being pretty snobby. That's a major stereotype around campus. Other than those, there aren't really other stereotypes around campus. It's okay, and even cool, to be a nerd here and to want to excel in class so students brag about how much time they spent in the library, they don't shy away.

Many prospective students believe that because the University of Illinois is a large, Big Ten school, that there are many cliques and sub-groups that exists within the school, making it difficult to find a place to fit in. While it is true that the university is quite large, it is also very tight knit and familiar faces are seen every day. Contrary to popular belief, UIUC is not overpowered by Engineering students. One can find a surprising amount of every major on campus, from Sculpting to Integrative Biology and Computer Science to Journalism. This makes it easy to collaborate when working on projects and research tasks. Alongside the major variation, the Greek life on campus tends to pull students of all types together, especially during times like Homecoming and Philanthropy events.

One of the biggest stereotypes I have come across about the University of Illinois is that you need to join the Greek system in order to have a good experience. That is not at all the case. I am not a part of the Greek system, and the greater majority of my friends aren’t either, but I can safely say that we’ve all had a great time and education here. Joining the Greek system or not joining it is all a matter of preference, but it won’t make or break a student’s time here.

The stereotype at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is that there are only two types of people, Greeks and geeks. Frankly, this isn't true. In addition, you aren't relegated an outcast if you don't join a sorority or fraternity. Many people do join these organizations, but it is important to note that there are many professional, honors and otherwise non-mainstream sororities and fraternities. These organizations have the potential to be very resourceful in terms of developing leaders, socializing and networking. As is the case on many campuses, there are a TON of registered and non-registered student groups. You can still have an amazing time without joining the Greek system.

The University of Illinois is known to be very Greek. The fraternities and sororities can seem to rule to social scene. But remember, you create your own reality. If the Greek system interests you, come aboard! If not, there are hundreds of student organizations to look into as well as 40,000 other students looking for friends in all sorts of ways.

Stereotypes at our school have a wide range, but most would say it comes down to Greek life. We have one of the largest Greek communities of any campus, and there are times when it shows. Each sorority has a "reputation", and although most of them aren't true, most people still believe every word. I'm in a sorority and the common stereotype surrounding us is not true at all! Aside from Greek life, while there are still stereotypes, everyone kind of does there own thing. It's nothing like high school where once you're labeled your stuck with it for four years...it's too big of a campus for that.

One of the biggest concerns I hear from students who are considering the University of Illinois is that all the students are from the Chicagoland area. While statistically that argument holds a lot of weight I don’t see it as an appropriate stereotype of U of I students. The University of Illinois was ranked second overall for the amount of international students last year, coming in at 8,000 students from 114 different countries. That being said, yes, there is a lot of students from the North, West, and South suburbs. These students come from all different backgrounds and though you won’t get the geological diversity that other campuses offer when it comes to students from the United States, U of I offers more diversity then meets the eye. In my two years as a U of I student I have made friends from all different backgrounds and I rarely see my high school friends as much as you would think. The University of Illinois is NOT high school all over again; it is just as big of an opportunity to make new friends as any other school. There are around 30,000 undergrads so making new friends should not be a problem.

Being at a school of 40,000 and more students, there is no "one" cookie cutter molded stereotype. In my opinion and what I've noticed from being on this campus for a year and a half, there are individuals in a multitude of groups and organizations on campus. Of course, you have the people who are wholly dedicated to their sorority or fraternity, but I can say the same about students who are dedicated in student organizations like Liberty in North Korea. If there was one "stereotype" that I've noticed, it's definitely within the Greek system. They stick together and you can usually tell who's in a sorority or fraternity by the way they dress, the type of clothing they wear and the groups of people they surround themselves with. I'm not saying every person in the Greek system is described like this but I can generally tell who's Greek just by observing them.

U of I has the biggest Greek system in the country. It's perceived that Illinois is really "fratty" and really Greek. This is partially true. However, the Greek system isn't only beneficial to the individuals, but to the community as a whole. Individuals in the Greek system get to meet many great people that will create a network that will last a lifetime. Fraternities and sororities continually hold philanthropy events that raise money for great causes in the surrounding community. My fraternity annually holds an event to help raise money for underprivileged kids in the community to attend summer camp. However, the Greek system isn't for everyone. Illinois, I believe, accommodates those who don't participate in Greek life. This is what outsiders don't really see. U of I is the perfect combination of Greek and non-Greek. People can still have social lives attending the several bars on campus. There are many great places to live where one can meet great people.

Lots of people in fraternities or sororities. It is true that there are a lot since greek like is so popular, but it is not true for everyone.

Talking with other students at the U of I, it seems like everyone had a preconceived notion that there would be "a ton" of kids from hometowns similar to theirs. If a student was from the suburbs of Chicago, they thought the campus had only suburbanites. If a student was from a very small town, they thought they'd finally meet kids from other small towns. And the non-Illinois residents did their research and knew that although the majority of campus hails from Illinois, that we had around 30{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} out of state/international students. I feel like sometimes in-state kids don't look into the numbers as much as out of state kids, almost like they rely on hearsay and the comments from their peers over the Princeton Review or university website. But now that I am on campus, it seems like we all got here, looked around, and realized that there is just a lot of every type of background here. There are plenty of students from the suburbs of Chicago, St. Louis, and plenty of small town students, and plenty of out of state students, and plenty of international students. The thing about this campus is that there is room, and company for everyone. So in a way, we all were right, and wrong. There isn't one type of student here, unless I say we're all Illini :)

I think people consider the U of I to be a big party school because we have such a large (the largest) Greek system and campus wide holidays like Unofficial. While it's true, students here like to have a good time, the academic demand on many of our students makes the majority unable to go overboard with partying. It's the perfect balance of work and fun here! Also, even though the greek system is so huge, I'm not in it and I never notice that it's there really and I wouldn't say that the majority of our students are characterized by it. Majority of our students are from the Chicago suburbs though, there's no doubt about that.

While it is true that the University of Illinois does have the largest greek system of any Campus, what isn't true is the entire school belongs to one of these 90 chapters. About 1 in 4 students decides to join a fraternity or soriority, in which case may not always have a social association. Many chapters offered are professional and can be seen in areas such as medical and business, which gives a very different feel than a social sorority or fraternity. There is also a misconception of how seperate greek vs. non-greek students are on campus.You will rarely find a dividing line between friends and for many you will find it simply a choice to making a smaller community in their college experience.

The stereotype of students at my school is the typical Greek partiers. We have the largest Greek system of public schools in the country so people usually assume you are in a fraternity or sorority and therefore you go out a lot. This stereotype is not accurate. While there are a lot of Greeks, there are also a lot of other diverse students to balance the school out.

I think the stereotypes of our students here at Illinois is that we are all engineer and business majors, so basically that we are a bit nerdy. Yes, we have a very strong engineering and business school, so the nerdy bit is fairly accurate, but it's nice to have students that challenge themselves academically. Being a Big Ten school, we have the reputation of a "party school" and while there is definitely a social life, the students here will do their school work first, and then go out later, not the reverse like it is at other schools.

I honestly cannot think of one stereotype for students at Illinois. The students at Illinois make up such a diverse population that there may be multiple stereotypes, but even then you will find students who don't perfectly fit into the stereotype you would imagine them to. Either way, this means you get a chance to meet someone new and different every day. I've met someone who created their own website and another person who was on the Olympic shooting team. And no matter what stereotype you have, we all get along for the most part (there are always those people who just don't get along with anyone). In my opinion there really isn't a great divide between frat kids and geeks or athletes and hipsters. People may stick to their own groups for the most part, but if you're put together for a group project, there won't be blood shed.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign doesn't have one predominant stereotype about its students, but there are a few false assumptions about some groups of people here. First of all, we are not all farm kids, but we are also not all from the suburbs of Chicago! There are students here from all the counties in Illinois- urban, rural, and suburban alike. Although there is a dominant suburban presence, there are also people here from all over the country and all over the world, and each student brings his or her own unique perspective to campus, which makes the U of I truly an exciting place to be. Another common misconception is that there are a lot of engineering nerds here who do nothing but study in the library all day. True, the engineering program is top-notch and pretty competitive here, but it is possible to do a lot of other activities and have a social life while still getting good grades. Many of my friends are proof-positive of this.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign doesn't have one predominant stereotype about its students, but there are a few false assumptions about some groups of people here. First of all, we are not all farm kids, but we are also not all from the suburbs of Chicago! There students here from all the counties in Illinois, urban, rural, and suburban alike. Although there is a dominant suburban presence, there are also people here from all over the country and all over the world, and each student brings his or her own unique perspective to campus, which makes the U of I truly an exciting place to be. Another common misconception is that there are a lot of engineering nerds here who do nothing but study in the library all day. True, the engineering program is top-notch and pretty competitive here, but it is possible to do a lot of other activities and have a social life while still getting good grades. Many of my friends are proof-positive of this.

I always heard people talking about how big greek life is at U of I so there's a little bit of a stereotype of how fratty UofI can be. However, a more pervasive stereotype I have heard is that people who go to UofI are nerdy. Both of these stereotypes are true and false. As with any college you go to there are always fratty kids and always nerdy kids. That doesn't mean that everyone on campus fits into one of these two groups. While I see myself fitting into both of these categories at times, I have never had a problem fitting in or finding someone I share common interests with. UofI is such a big school that there is a lot of diversity on campus, one or two stereotypes cannot be used to generalize the entire student population.

Most people would probably stereotype our students as a mix of geeky engineers and jerk frat boys/sorority girls. There is some truth to this because we have a nationally ranked engineering school and the biggest greek system in the country. Overall though there is obviously much more diversity than this, engineers only account for a around a small slice of majors and about the same percentage of people that live in the greek system. Since we are such a large school you can literally do about whatever you want in terms of clubs, housing, majors, etc. But if you choose to be a hard working chemical engineer or beer chugging brother; you can be sure your in good company.

A stereotype University of Illinois students are commonly stuck with is we are all farmers. I think this assumption comes from the fact that the city of Champaign, where the University is located, is surrounded by cornfields. Although Illinois definitely embraces the culture of corn, and even celebrates it annually at the Sweet Corn Festival, which is a delicious event with food, music, art and more, most students who attend the University of Illinois have never lived on a farm. One of the greatest things about this school is that there is so much diversity among students and their backgrounds, whether that may be where their family is from, what their parents do, their class, religion, interests, and more.

Students at Illinois party, but are among some of the most academically driven in the state. Illinois is a party school, but is also a tier-one research institution.

While there are not many campus-wide stereotypes at the University of Illinois, there are many stereotypes among different groups. The engineers are often considered the nerds, who are believed to be socially awkward. Those participating in Greek life are thought to be the outgoing, popular type. Pre-professional students have a reputation of taking school too seriously and never having fun. I could go on and on, but if there is one thing I have learned at U of I, it is that you cannot trust stereotypes. Even if those stereotypes do comprise part of a person's personality-which oftentimes they do not-that is only part of what makes them them, and there is so much that goes beyond the stereotype.

Some common stereotypes are Greeks/Frat Kids. This is because the University of Illinois has the largest Greek system in the nation. There are Greeks and then those that call themselves independents. Another common stereotype is that everyone is from the Chicago suburbs, so some students feel out of place when they are from another area. There are also quite the abundance of international students on campus. Many of the students are preppy, but there is quite the diversity in terms of where people come from background wise. It has been a great experience to connect with these students.

There are a lot of stereotypes based on the size of U of I and how selective the admissions process is. A lot of people think everyone is a frat guy or sorority girl because the Greek system is so big. Others think we're all nerds because of the school's prestige. Truth is, there are so many types of people here, no stereotype can label all of them, and there's a place for everyone.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has the largest fraternity and sorority population compared with any other university in the world. Boasting 95 chapters on the campus, approximately 7,000 belong to UIUC's Greek life. Nonetheless, our school consists of 40,000 students, and there are a significant number that socialize and network with students outside of the Greek population. Our basketball team and football teams are an incredibly popular part of school spirit and the fraternities and sororities contribute to a major part of the enthusiasm. There are extracurricular activities for everyone at Urbana-Champaign, including social justice activism, business groups, art and music, and many more. Being part of a fraternity or sorority can help contribute to this atmosphere, but it is not necessary and it is up to the student to make the most of their time at the University of Illinois.

I always heard people talking about how big greek life is at U of I so there's a little bit of a stereotype of how fratty U of I can be. However, a more pervasive stereotype I have heard is that people who go to U of I are nerdy. Both of these stereotypes are true and false. As with any college you go to there are always fratty kids and always nerdy kids. That doesn't mean that everyone on campus fits into one of these two groups. While I see myself fitting into both of these categories at times, I have never had a problem fitting in or finding someone I share common interests with. U of I is such a big school that there is a lot of diversity on campus, one or two stereotypes cannot be used to generalize the entire student population.

I always heard people talking about how big greek life is at U of I so there's a little bit of a stereotype of how fratty U of I can be. However, a more pervasive stereotype I have heard is that people who go to U of I are nerdy. Both of these stereotypes are true and false. As with any college you go to there are always fratty kids and always nerdy kids. That doesn't mean that everyone on campus fits into one of these two groups. While I see myself fitting into both of these categories at times, I have never had a problem fitting in or finding someone I share common interests with. U of I is such a big school that there is a lot of diversity on campus, one or two stereotypes cannot be used to generalize the entire student population.

A stereotype University of Illinois students are commonly stuck with is we are all farmers. I think this assumption comes from the fact that the city of Champaign, where the University is located, is surrounded by cornfields. Although Illinois definitely embraces the culture of corn, and even celebrates it annually at the Sweet Corn Festival, which is a delicious event with food, music, art, and more, most students who attend the University of Illinois have never lived on a farm. One of the greatest things about this school is that there is so much diversity among students and their backgrounds, whether that may be where their family is from, what their parents do, their class, religion, interests, and more.

A stereotype University of Illinois students are commonly stuck with is we are all farmers. I think this assumption comes from the fact that the city of Champaign, where the University is located, is surrounded by cornfields. Although Illinois definitely embraces the culture of corn, and even celebrates it annually at the Sweet Corn Festival, which is a delicious event with food, music, art, and more, most students who attend the University of Illinois have never lived on a farm. One of the greatest things about this school is that there is so much diversity among students and their backgrounds, whether that may be where their family is from, what their parents do, their class, religion, interests, and more.

A stereotype University of Illinois students are commonly stuck with is we are all farmers. I think this assumption comes from the fact that the city of Champaign, where the University is located, is surrounded by cornfields. Although Illinois definitely embraces the culture of corn, and even celebrates it annually at the Sweet Corn Festival, which is a delicious event with food, music, art, and more, most students who attend the University of Illinois have never lived on a farm. One of the greatest things about this school is that there is so much diversity among students and their backgrounds, whether that may be where their family is from, what their parents do, their class, religion, interests, and more.

I would say that it is difficult to categorize UIUC as any one stereotype based on our diverse student population, from the artistic to the athletic, Greek or Non-Greek.

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.