University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Reviews

"The diversity of the program and social life on campus is really amazing. I wish we had more number of faculty members in my area of research."

"Supportive faculty and generous financial aid, wish I could graduate soon!"

"Pros- excellent education and faculty Cons- not a lot to do outside of school; isolated community"

"The English department is absolutely amazing, and, besides those hailing from University of Chicago, the faculty are warm, accessible, and reasonable. The workload is reasonable and, if you don't do every last bit of it, there is some time to socialize--but know you'll work long days. The real problem with this university is the administration. This has become bloated to carnival proportions. There is massive inefficiency and corruption on a scale only Illinois can match. Most troubling, however, is that the administration constantly seeks to cut graduate stipends and benefits. If you come to this university, make sure you join the Graduate Union and be ready to go on strike whenever the contract expires (usually every 4 years)."

"I am just beginning the program here at U of I and so far it all seems to be pretty amazing. The Krannert Center is gorgeous and the shows that come through on a regular basis which make it a roadhouse open up lots of opportunities to work with professionals and earn a bit of extra money. The financial aid package is pretty good, so far it seems that I will walk away without adding significantly to my undergrad student debt if I live very economically and hopefully find a few scholarships. The campus is gigantic and there are lots of resources, the gyms for instance are amazing."

"Tell us about your college experience.It was a good fit. I enjoyed living on campus as well as the college life in general. The school was also very reputable in its educational programs.Would you get the same degree if you could start over?I would not choose the same degree. I realized I am more of a people person. If I could pick over again I would have picked business consulting or sales and marketing as a degree.What advice can you offer other students?Make sure to do internships and try as best as you can to figure out what you want to do as a career. Don't rush college and enjoy it."

"Tell us about your college experience.School was a great fit, would love to do it all over again.Would you get the same degree if you could start over?Something more related to math/science or business.What advice can you offer other students?Stay focused."

"The program is great, but often times very specialized in getting students into the main stream corporate world without am emphasis on the many career path options that are available including advanced graduate degrees, faculty positions, etc. The faculty are exceptional, however, and provide a great atmosphere for the students."

"The pros are the multitude of elective opportunities, as well as extracurricular volunteer opportunities, and the ability to pursue a dream career. The cons are the cost, the length of school, and the job prospect at the current time."

"The greatest strenght of the College of Medicine Urbana-Champaign is the resources for research and teaching available through their unique M.D./PhD program denominated Medical Scholars Program. This program allows you to combine graduate dissertation in topics ranging from biochemistry, history, music, humanities, social sciences, among other. Some graduate programs are more competitive and highly ranked then others, especially those related to Engineering which are historically a strong discipline in the university. If you are a medical student, there are options for you to study in Urbana, Rockford or Peoria for your clinical years. Podcast of the medical school classes give flexibility to students to study on their own and the faculty are usually available to ask questions. The school has implemented the team-based learning which is also an innovative strategy of learning the volume of material of medical school. Probably the worse thing about Champaign is the diversity. There is few Hispanic and blacks your classroom. There is lack of understanding of the needs of underrepresented students and it is not a very supportive environment in that regards. Urbana Champaign is a small town, and it is easy to get bored. Social life is appropiate for undergraduate students due to the lively Greek community, however, a graduate student gets over it pretty quickly. The financial aid provided in the campus is mostly reserved for the MD/PhD students, usually the financial aid for MD students is extremely limited and very competitive. No merit based full tuition waiver merit based scholarships are given in this school. Overall it is a good deal if you are an in-state applicant, but do not consider this school is you are out of state , unless you are doing the dual-degree program. In summary, it's a good school if you are not concerned about the cons I mentioned."

"The strong reputation of the school in the finance industry, the world-class education provided by the engineering and business colleges and the proximity to the financial hub Chicago are primary reasons to pursue studies at UIUC and nowhere else. The only con I could see is that the school is located in a rather small city which provides less opportunities for socializing as opposed to a school located in a big city like LA, New York or Boston."

"The program is really great. needs some improvement in course design and career services though. The teachers are fantastic."

"It's a small program and great for getting to know classmates and professors. You really get to build a community. Also, the block placement exam is great. Basically, you do one full year of school and one full year of internships, which is great! My only issue is the lack of financial aid (fellowships, etc) for out of state and Asian American students. I wish there were more."

"Pros: - Lots of clinic time – you get to start diagnostic testing in your second semester - You form a family with your classmates - The instructors actually care about you and your success - You’re not expected to know everything about audiology when you step foot in the building. You go through the basics until they’re crystal clear within your first semester. - You’re also not expected to be a genius in the clinic. You’re going to make mistakes – I have! Your clinical supervisor is there to guide you and watches you like a hawk in your first couple semesters of clinic. Cons: - Driving for external placements during the semester, starting the summer after your first year – you’re going to be driving 1-3 hours per week for placements, but the experiences are worth it - Our school clinic doesn’t see kids – mainly adults and older adults. That’s why the external placements provide such great experiences, despite the drive. We also don’t see cochlear implants/BAHAs in the school clinic. Again, you’ll still get experience with it in external placements."

"Pros include the quality of the programs, experience amongst staff members and teacher effectiveness. Cons are lack of friendliness and accomodations for working professional and cost of attendance."

"Very good program with supportive professors"

"The academic value of this program is very high, but the practical value is not as great."

"As a top psychology program, the clinical-community program here offers rigorous clinical training, integrative coursework and a strong training in research design."

"They have excellent professors and you can develop your own projects"

"Pros: Outstanding faculty that are world experts in their respected areas. Cons: Being world exports they can at times be difficult to reach."