Road Trip: Chicago's Illinois Institute of Technology

We toured some of Chicago's top schools and found out what it's like to attend them

August 19, 2009 RSS Feed Print

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If you visit IIT, don't expect to find a bustling main campus. Despite being only 3 miles south of the Loop, the Bronzeville campus can feel distant and a little barren. Except for a recently reopened bar and bowling alley, there are few entertainment options, and at 7,600 students, including 2,600 undergraduates, the school is small. Engineering and architecture are popular majors, and some students in those colleges say they don't care much for partying.

What does get them excited is technology. Few students reacted when a visitor broke the news that the administration was shutting down IIT's men's and women's basketball programs. But a question about an upcoming hybrid race-car competition got an enthusiastic response from a group of engineering students eager to explain the mechanical and electrical intricacies of building not one but two hybrid cars.

"This is a tech school," says Shreyas Dole, a senior who is double-majoring in mechanical and aerospace engineering. "You obviously have a lot of geeks here." Dole says the biggest and most anticipated social events are local area network parties. "Everyone brings their laptop to the ballroom in the student center, and we all play computer games together."

For many undergrads, team projects are the highlight of their experience at IIT; many of these teach engineers to speak to people outside of engineering. The school requires all students to complete at least two team projects before graduation. In 2003, a team of undergrads helped the school's next-door neighbor, the White Sox, develop a system that measures the distance of home runs. The contacts pay off:"There are companies now begging us to introduce our students to them, even in this economy," says Ali Emadi, a popular professor of engineering.

More About IIT

Plus factor: Wondering why so many of the buildings look similar? Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe drew up the master plan.
Undergrad enrollment, fall '08: 2,639
Est. annual cost, 2009-10: $39,060

Chicago Road Trip

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Most of the commentators of this particular article on IIT claim people such as myself have "A very misguided view" about IIT. Don't let them fool you. I'm not here to bash IIT for say but the school needs to make major improvements. Do your research on the school, campus visit ( strongly recommended), talk to a student on campus other then your tour guide to get a real world view of IIT. The Princeton review is a good source of information...Good Luck

Happy University of Michagan grad! no IIT alumni money coming from this way of CO 12:41AM June 09, 2011

I totally agree with the above comment "Please, avoid this university." at all cost. I was a Civil/Mechanical Engineering student, and attended IIT from the 2009-2010 academic semester, then transfered to Purdue. My time at IIT was by far the worst experience ever. Regarding the comment "But mostly I see the campus bustling with activity during the school year" is totally inaccurate. I was never one to linger around in my dorm room so I would always go out side at various hours of the day and hardly seen anyone, on campus. You would have thought the student population only consisted of 100 students . As far as school spirit there is none, diversity? hardly any. The international students seemed to keep to themselves, very few blacks, and Hispanics attended the school. All the buildings on campus looks the same, (Mind you the school in filled with Engineers and Architects) I honestly could care less about who designed the campus, they could have done a better job. I don't see MIT designing buildings that look like card board cut outs. The trick the school reals you in by is giving you a scholarship, don't let that fool you. $42,000 ( including book fees) is not worth wasting on a school such as IIT. Now I do consider myself a nerd, but nerds like to party to and IIT is not the place. Although, what I have said is matter of opinion visit the Princeton Review and you'll get the full cover story of IIT. The school sucks....to summarize everything ( boring, no social life, the food sucks, the campus is small, dorms are like jails cells, hardly any girls ( hard to fine the good looking ones at least), too expensive for what they offer, lacks in diversity, and overall quality, teachers are good in their respected fields but are horrible teachers)

shawn of PA 12:19AM June 09, 2011

The author is not far off on his assessment of IIT. It is true, we are a tech school and get excited over things that most people at other schools never heard of. So be it. However, the barren comment is not a grossly over-stated observation. After the first week of school is over (which happens to include rush week), a lot of people like to shut themselves in. Sure, you see plenty of people between classes walking to or from one, but besides that, if there isn't a place to plug in a computer or game console, it's not widely used (but not ignored either). I lived in the dorms for a week before I moved into a greek house (ohhh no! I'm greek, judge me now dormies). And that seemingly short week in the dorms as a young and hopeful freshman was enough for me to get a feel for IIT. I lived in MSV (which I have heard is easier to be sociable in than SSV). I roomed with a friend of mine. But that's all I knew. EVERYONE kept their doors shut. No one said high to each other in the halls and whatnot. It took my roommate and I a surprising amount of effort to finally meet our floormates and begin friendships. It shouldn't have been so hard considering we were all 10 feet away from each other! As for professors, yes many are foreign, but still plenty of Americans. And I have had my share of terrible professors (be it bad teachers or not understandable) but also a fair share of excellent teachers. After 4.5 years, I'd say it's about even. Unfortunately now, new administration cough-President Anderson-cough, is sifting through the academic departments and cutting (I mean "encouraging to resign") tenured professors who are all subject matter experts. We now have an influx of young, eager, and much less capable faculty. Same goes for the athletics department. And in his brief time as head honcho, it seems one of Anderson's favorite past-times is dicking with the greek system. I understand that going greek is not for everyone, no argument there. But for some, it's ALL there is. Going greek is single-handedly the only reason I (and many others) stayed at this school. Being in a fraternity has taught me more about leadership, community service, the working world, friendship, networks, and just about everything else more than IIT has (outside of classes of course). And it seems every week (every semester at least) IIT is coming up with new ways to discourage students from going geek (like establishing a "housing" scholarship this year created solely so that they can take it away if a student moves into greek housing).
All in all, don't expect any surprises from IIT. Expect difficult classes that actually DO prepare you for the future. Don't expect to see a bustling life outside of the first couple weeks of school. Expect some people to know more about your gamer profile than you. Expect clubs you've never heard of, but are actually interesting and fun to join. And if you want closer friendships, more social life, and better networks, go greek.

No Alumni Donations From Me of IL 2:51AM November 03, 2010