I was recently admitted to UF with honors, as well as Ohio State with honors and UIUC business honors. I am really excited about my options, and it seems that UIUC business honors might be the strongest program out of the three schools (I am planning on majoring in business). However, I am hesitant on UIUC because it doesnt have the school spirit that I really want, and the location is kinda ehh. However, I don’t want to turn down a great opportunity at UIUC, but I have always wanted to go to a really good school that also has its fair share of student life and school spirit. Anyway, am I being crazy not taking this business honors opportunity? Or is business with honors at OSU and UF just as reputable? (Also, money is not really an issue as of right now)
also, I don’t really care where I end up after graduation. I would be fine with being in Chicago, but going to a school in Illinois for undergrad I am not crazy about (I guess I want to try something new out of state).
I am a UIUC graduate and have a daughter who also got into Business Honors. UIUC is currently her top choice and the honors program is an important factor for her. I am afraid that UIUC is not known for popular sports like OSU and UF, so one could argue that UIUC is lacking in school spirit compared to those schools. However, UIUC is a big university and I think it offers plenty of opportunities to enjoy college life and show off your school spirit. For instance, if you are into sports, you could join OrangeKrush which is a very dedicated and tightly-knit group with high school spirit.
It seems like you understand the benefit of the business honors so I will throw in another factor you might want to consider.
Starting salary statistics of OSU, UF and UIUC business schools. Please note that UIUC is 2016-2017 data.
OSU - https://fisher.osu.edu/careers-recruiting/salary-outcome-data
UF - https://career.ufl.edu/student-outcomes/ need to select college
UIUC - https://business.illinois.edu/bcs/recruiters/statistics/ug-stats/ for detail, click the Illini Success link
Have you actually visited Illinois? When we did everyone was wearing their gear etc. Their football team is a season or two away from being competitive and their basketball team is actually making strides this year. If you didn’t watch their last win… Well… Lots of school spirit. They rushed the floor…
If you can try to visit again
Location is just eh so I agree with that but where are you going to? My son’s at Michigan and never leaves campus.
…
I have visited u of I and really liked it actually. I also liked UF as well. I haven’t visted OSU yet but I will over spring break. I just think that the atmosphere (as compared to UF) isn’t as spirited (and it would be nice to be in warmer weather) but in turn I have great opportunities in the business program. So I guess I have to weigh my options/pros and cons but I’m leaning towards UIUC kind of
First, congratulations on your acceptances!
I am the parent of 2 Gies kids. I have to admit school spirit was probably not a consideration for them when selecting a school…and they both enjoy sports very much. (One played one sport, the other two, both for all 4 years of high school. We are big Cubs, Blackhawks and Bears fans.)
Although it would be great if UIUC had better teams, I know my kids have enjoyed watching games with friends…Chicago pro teams and March Madness. They were on campus when the Cubs won the World Series. The bars were packed and the celebrating spilled out into the streets. If the Chicago teams are good, at least there’s that common ‘sports spirit’.
School spirit does exist at Gies. My kids were very involved in their business frat. There were intramural-like competitions between the frats and many social, philanthropic and professional events. My kids were so busy with these activities that it seemed to me, from the outside, that life on campus is filled with commitments that not only are skill-building, but fun.
Lastly, I would just point out that you can try “something new” through a summer internship or study broad program.
- My daughter had one summer internship in Columbus, where the company provided housing for the interns in an Ohio State dorm. She enjoyed her time there and made friends with people from other universities.
- Both of my kids studied abroad in Europe. So many Gies kids do it that they had the best time…visiting new cities almost every weekend…and Unofficial in Dublin is a tradition that draws a huge Gies group.
I have a graduate degree from UIUC, which has helped me in many ways in advancing in my career. But I agree with you that UIUC students and alumni don’t seem to get all Rah-Rah about the school when compared with schools like OSU, Michigan, Michigan State, Florida, and others. And I don’t think it’s solely due to the relatively weak sports programs, although I can’t put my finger on the exact cause.