Questions about life at UIUC

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
1

Hi guys! I got accepted to UIUC through my EA application!!
I currently live suburbs of Philadelphia, PA ,so I have no clue how Illinois life is…so bare with me!
I got a few questions, because somethings about this college is really tipping me off…and I just want to check:

  1. do people often visit Chicago? How far is it? Is transportation to and from the campus difficult?(like during breaks)
  2. Is there one social group that overpowers everybody else and dominates campus life? (Im Asian...nonreligious) Whats the male:female ratio?
  3. Can UIUC ever have the feel of a 'social bubble'--a world in which life, news, and joy from the outside world is absent on-campus?
  4. In general, hows the social life there?

Thanks!
Charles

2

Hi, current student here. The plurality of the students here are from suburban Chicago so their experiences will be pretty similar to you.

  1. Depends, transportation is fairly straightforward and usually Chicago-area students end up visiting Chicago 1-2 weekends not including breaks. There are 3 Amtrak trains a day to Chicago (one to New Orleans and 2 to southern Illinois in the opposite direction), there's also Peoria Charter, with buses primarily to the suburbs/airports. Finally, there's Suburban Express which is a very shady bus company w/ a very racist owner, especially against Jews and Asians. The trip to Chicago is roughly 2-3 hours.
  2. No. 2b. Depends on your major, campus wide it's fairly balanced.
  3. Only if you let it, some undergrads never leave campus to explore Urbana/Champaign, and they're really missing out.
  4. It's awesome. Good music scene if you're into punk/emo. Easy enough to make friends, and generally there's always stuff going on in campus or in downtown Urbana/Champaign.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

3

Hi! Thanks for the response.

  1. sounds good.
    2b. mech engineering major…you know anything about them?
  2. I’ll be sure to explore!
  3. yea…uhm. not into that kinda stuff. Im glad the social life is good, though!
    Also, how cold it is there? (im bracing myself)
4

Hi ECPcharles
Parent of a senior engineering student at UIUC. We are out of state and my daughter has learned alot about Chicago.

  1. She has gone to Chicago 1-2 times per semester mostly for social reasons but also with UIUC extracurricular groups. She has taken the bus and the train and has no problems. She too avoids the bus company mentioned above. She has taken the bus to the both Chicago airports in the past and it's very straightforward.
  2. My daughter has said there is no dominant group. There are many Asians on campus with a mix of american born Asians and Asians from other countries. If you want to socialize with other Asians, there are some Asian specific clubs and frats and sororities. You can basically socialize with many different groups. The students are supportive and not cut throat. She has many friends and connections to students in her major as well as non-engineers.

There are more guys than girls in engineering. But the ratio is more even than some other schools. And of course, there are many girls not in engineering.

  1. The bubble- Because it has such a large student body, everything sorta goes. She feels like people are not that into politics (at least most of her peers).

She enjoys heading off campus for a variety of activities and to explore. The bus system is very easy to navigate and she also rents a bike. We can compare to Philly as we are quite familiar with that city. The vibe is obviously much different. She has found many worthwhile restaurants around both Urbana and Champaign. She is in touch with the outside world because she volunteers in the community.

  1. Weather wise - the biggest difference between UIUC and downtown Philly is that it gets windy. Windy so much so that when we drive to and from the school across a few states, once we head west into Indiana, it gets difficult to drive the car!! No a big deal though. My daughter hardly complains about the weather. The on campus bus system is super handy and is easy to figure out. She started using the bus early in her first semester.

UIUC has been a great fit for my daughter. Congrats on your acceptance! And BTW, the career fairs for the engineering students are very good. She had internships 2 summers from the career fair and she also found her full time job for next year in the fall semester of her senior year at the career fair :slight_smile: Please feel free to ask me anything! We also toured many schools with our 2 daughters and we visited schools around the country… Best wishes!