The University of Illinois - Chicago

Date: Jul 29 2014
Major: Criminal (This Major's Salary over time)
Overall thoughts: I left Hawaii to go to UIC and I do not regret it. UIC is surrounded by the city of Chicago so instead of being encouraged to do things on campus, I often found that my school work took me into the heart of the city. When I worked/lived in campus housing, they would often have discounted broadway theater tickets. When I took music classes we went to see the Chicago sympathy Orchestra. In my Criminal Justice field work, I assisted Juvenile POs on the job. If you want to go to a school where you want a "college town feel", a sense of "closeness" and "surburbia", this may not be the school for you. UIC has a lot of opportunities to explore Chicago on a college budget. They make you pay for a U-Pass for a reason.

Housing: The East side of campus ( CMN, CMS, CTY, and CMW) are where most freshmen are placed. These are the oldest residences so do not expect to much. The major plus side about living here is that 1.) you are the closest to your classes, 2.) you get that stereotypical college res life feel. The south side of campus ( JST, MRH, TBH) are where most upper classmen live. MRH and TBH are apartment style so you get a kitchen. There is a 4 bedroom, 2 bedroom, and even a studio option. JST, the newest building, is "cluster style" which means you have about 6-8 people who share a living space and a couple of bathrooms ( no kitchen). Sometimes underclassmen are placed on the west side of campus ( PSR or SRH). These are also traditional style stereotypical res life rooms, but they are more updated. The down side about living here is that you will probably take the bus to campus during the cold months. Freshman are usually never placed in SSR.

Safety: People are understandably concerned about living in Chicago. Is it safe? I found it to be so. Around all three parts of campus you will find emergency buttons that will contact you with the UIC police ( which are are REAL police btw, not just "rent-a-cops"). Secondly, when the UIC bus stops running ( I think it is around 11:00pm, but that may have changed) Students can call the UIC red car service which will pick them up from there current location and take them to another UIC residence of there choice. This comes in handy for those who get placed on the west side of campus and may find themselves working late in the library or something.

Opportunities: I found that I had plenty of opportunities at UIC. I was always employed through different departments. Sometimes I had work study and sometimes I did not. I communicated with my professors about what I want out of my program and they directed me to the people who would give me the most out of what I wanted. (Granted, I understand all departments are different)

Advising: So, during my undergrad I was in the college of LAS. My friends constantly complained about the advisers. Personally, I never had an issue with them, but I did find that working with the advisers in my major made me feel more "Cared for." There are a lot of students in LAS, so I can understand why some students may have felt that way.