Road Trip: University of Illinois-Chicago

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're looking for an affordable college that offers all the benefits of urban living, the University of Illinois-Chicago may be a good fit. UIC students cite the moderate cost of attendance and the university's proximity to downtown and other thriving neighborhoods as two main draws.

But if you're interested in a residential college experience, consider looking elsewhere. Many of the 25,000 students enrolled here are trying to save money and find it more affordable to live off campus with friends or family. Fewer than 20 percent of undergrads live in university housing. That makes for a sleepy campus.

"You don't come here for fraternities, sororities, or sports. If you do, you are out of luck," says Charlotte "Toby" Tate, dean of the university's College of Applied Health Sciences. "Go to a men's basketball game. If they didn't give away tickets to the area schools, we'd have no one in the stands."

Tate cites as the school's attraction the UIC mantra: "access to excellence." Students tend to agree. Murad Omery, a senior who is majoring in biological sciences, says the highlight of his undergraduate career was working with celebrated faculty members, including William Ayers, the professor of education whose 1960s radical activism briefly put him at the center of the 2008 presidential race. Ayers helped Omery with his research on the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. "We disagreed on a lot of issues," Omery says. "But he taught me that you can be an advocate and stand for something while still engaging the situation as a scholar."

Omery has been able to distinguish himself from other UIC undergrads through the university's honors college, which connects ambitious undergrads with advisers who mentor them all four years. Students outside the honors college have to make more of an effort during office hours. Rogine Terrado, a sophomore who is undecided about a major, says that's tough to do when some of her introductory science classes have as many as 300 students in them. Last year, she couldn't muster up the courage to approach her professor after class, so her mother, who works at UIC, intervened. "I was having a hard time with chemistry and she was freaking out, so she made an appointment for me," Terrado says.

As for the absence of campus spirit, the university is trying to change that. It recently opened a student rec facility that features a large rock-climbing wall and a swimming pool with a lazy river. Some commuters appreciate the university's efforts, but they say they don't feel they miss out by not being on campus often. Their main concern is getting a degree without breaking the bank.

More About UIC

Plus factor: Look around you if you visit the Loop. One in 10 Chicagoans with a college degree is a UIC alum.
Undergrad enrollment, fall '08: 15,665
Est. annual cost, 2009-10: in state, $22,790; out of state, $35,180

Chicago Road Trip

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Once upon a time those comments by Dean Tate would have been correct. Now they could be considered misinformed rhetoric. Dean Tate is probably one of the group of people that come to one game a year, do their activities at half-time and leave immediately afterward, not caring one bit about the game.
I have been a part of this campus for the past 25 years and have seen the construction of every one of the on-campus housing residence buildings on the East Side. There are times when I stay on campus working late and now when I leave I see a great number of students going to and fro about the campus, especially South Halsted Street (the South Campus and Greek Town) and along Taylor Street (Little Italy). The UIC community is a vibrant one, on a par with those of the University of Chicago (Chicago's Hyde Park), DePaul (Lincoln Park) and Loyola (Rogers Park). With nationally known sports programs, challenging academics and being housed in a World Class City, The University of Illinois at Chicago takes a back seat to no institution!

Chuck A of IL 6:14PM September 11, 2009

I'm reading these comments with some wry disdain. They reveal the ignorance of the large class differences between the suburban students who are having a good time dorming, especially on the South Campus, and city kids, most of whom are poorer and commute to campus. To all potential undergraduates of this university - don't come here if you'll be commuting and want a semblance of a traditional college life. I went to UIUC for a year before returning to UIC and my social/fun experiences were so much better downstate. Of course, cost is always an important factor in choosing colleges and commuting will be cheaper. Just don't rule out the possibility of getting scholarships at different schools. Getting into some debt also won't kill you, although it was a bit too much for me.
Still, there's no doubt that UIC has many fine academic departments and decent sports teams like other people have said. It is a solid state school on par with Loyola/DePaul. Comparing my UIUC classes to UIC, I didn't see any difference in difficulty or amount of material covered. However, UIC's campus is unquestionably drab (especially the library) and there aren't too many nice places to study. (The on campus Oases and building remodeling projects are improving things at a slow pace). UIC's study abroad program is pretty sparse compared to the plethora of scholarships and programs at UIUC. But those are the main two differences that I have seen. Minor differences (for me at least): Greek life and school spirit is much more active downstate (of course, it's not for everyone). The student body at UIUC is a bit more academically talented (I hesitate to use the term 'smarter' because its real meaning is pretty ambiguous), but there were plenty of dumb kids too. I feel that the top 10-20% of both universities are the same.
That's enough comparison between UIC and its sister school. Going back to my orginal thoughts, I think the author's views are fairly accurate as an outside visitor to the school. For born-and-bred city kids like me who commute (and we make up a hefty chunk of the school population - so represent), going to UIC is not a great or particularly novel experience.
(P.S. I feel I should give some more positives about UIC after reading my spiel. Some points: there are more hipsters here, and everyone realizes and respects the racial and religious diversity of their fellow classmates much more than other schools. Also, Chicago technically has more things to do than some college town, but realize that there are still lots of amenities in college towns (e.g. theatres and places to volunteer), and most college life anywhere will revolve around drinking - whether that's at house/dorm parties, frat houses, bars, or clubs in the city. As a typical college student with little cash you might find yourself going out little at all).
Signed,
Edward
UIC Junior and commuter

Edward of IL 9:54PM September 10, 2009

Next time, try interiewing more than 1 dean....and many different students
UIC is a world class university w/ some amazing faculty in the College of Business.
All other institutions are over 100 years old and UIC has made incredible strides since getting founded at their main campus currently....Keep in mind that to run a campus of 25K+ students in a big city is a lot more expensive than running it in middle of nowhere. UIC has made incredible progress despite the financial challanges of being in the city and being overshadowed by its sister school down at UIUC.
UIC plays a big role in city w/ many different contributions that makes an impact on Chicago's economy. Students from UIC work at all of the major companies based in Chicago, including some of the best known financial institutions in the city. And many of them are executives of companies that play a major role in Chicago.
The campus life is improving so much and people actually enjoy their time on campus...You have to keep in mind that UIC is in one of the biggest and best cities in the world...so you have students who live within 5 miles of the campus with their friends and family...this would be considered on campus at any other school like UIUC.
UIC is the largest university with reputable faculty and world class education in one of the biggest and best cities in US and the world....and its only getting better...
Your article would have made sense maybe 20 years ago...but you should consider interviewing deans from some of the bigger colleges that are ranked very well nationally...
I can write a similar article about any other university and make it sound the same if I interviewed the dean from one of the smallest colleges on campus.
UIC rocks

Nick of IL 1:44PM August 30, 2009