The University of Illinois - Chicago

Date: Oct 17 2010
Major: Undecided (This Major's Salary over time)
There are a lot of rumors that UIC is a commuter school, and unfortunately, those rumors are justified. Only about 30% of the student body lives on campus, and most of that 30% spends their weekends at home. Unlike the other schools in this City (Depaul, UChicago, Columbia, etc) UIC is a state school, meaning many people, myself included have chosen to study here because the price is right and it's close to home. That being said, it's hard to have the same kind of

do everything together

friendships you had in High School. It can be difficult to find people you have things in common with, and when you do, it's not likely that your routines will match up enough for you to spend much time together. People are really friendly though, so as long as you make a little effort, you won't be alone. It's extremely easy for me to get to Union Station and go home as well, and I've maintained relationships with friends back home, many who did not go away to school.

I'm a freshman, living on East Campus, and I don't regret choosing to stay here rather than commute. It's literally less than a ten minute walk to any of my classes. Everything's nice and compact. The blue line (for the L train) is seriously right across the street, and having the freedom to simply hop on and explore the city is incredible.
The lectures can get a little boring, but the smaller classes are really productive and engaging. I haven't asked myself once,

Why are we learning this

All the work is very to-the-point, and the professors and TAs really know what they're talking about.

UIC's a nice place to start off, and I don't regret coming here, but I don't think I'll stay here four years. It has really good programs for science and engineering, but I'm not sure about anything else. The only thing special about it is the surrounding city, but everything else is disappointingly replacable. It's comfortable, though, and I'd reccomend it to anyone in the Chicagoland area who wants to be near home, but still wants the college experience. You get a little independance, but you don't have to worry about getting homesick.