University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

[I beat the odds]

Hello Everyone,

I just accepted my offer of admission to UIUC. I am so excited about attending the top program in my field!!! I am relocating from a urban metropolis, so I am a little scared about the change in scenery and culture. But nevertheless, I am thrilled about it all and wholeheartedly embracing the change needed to accomplish my dreams.

I don't know anyone there. Are there any others in my situation? I would love to read your responses.

Even if your not in my situation and attending UIUC this fall, I would still love to connect.

Thanks!!!

[PhDhopeful!]

Hey there! I'm from India and I'll be attending UIUC this fall too! What program have you been accepted to? I will be pursuing a PhD in Molecular & Cellular Biology. By the way I should be the one apprehensive about relocating NOT you!!! Regardless I can't wait for the fall to begin either!

Hello Everyone,

I just accepted my offer of admission to UIUC. I am so excited about attending the top program in my field!!! I am relocating from a urban metropolis, so I am a little scared about the change in scenery and culture. But nevertheless, I am thrilled about it all and wholeheartedly embracing the change needed to accomplish my dreams.

I don't know anyone there. Are there any others in my situation? I would love to read your responses.

Even if your not in my situation and attending UIUC this fall, I would still love to connect.

Thanks!!!

Edited March 16, 2010 by PhDhopeful!

[lucere]

Yay! I haven't seen anyone else around who's intending to go, but then I know that they accepted fewer this year than last (confirmed by multiple profs in my department), so that might be part of it. I haven't accepted my offer yet, but I'm going to for sure! Part of my reluctance to accept is my desire to procrastinate dealing with the awkward-ness of getting an ecstatic letter from a program which had accepted me unfunded, and now just secured funding for me. I feel terribly guilty that they were deliberately working on it with the thought that the only reason I was not intending to go was funding, when the reality is they're a weak program comparatively to the other two schools I have admits to -- Pitt-with-fellowship (another awkward rejection I need to deal with) and UIUC, namely.

Anyway, I'm in San Diego now and the thought of being surrounded by cornfields with no culture, no Trader Joes (!!@!rage), no awesome weather and no frequent drug-busts with helicopter searches for rapists at 4am has me depressed. I could probably do without the last two, admitedly. I told one of the grad students about the helicopter searches keeping me up and her eyes about fell out of her head from the incomprehension, which was pretty awesome.

Cost of living is a total joke from what I can discern on craigslist. It's very amusing to me how all the housing seems to list addresses by street names (as if they're meaningful to me!) because it's such a small place. I am totally clueless except that I want to live in Urbana because of the health food stores and the farmers market. That's all I know, really. ...

I only know people in Chicago, which is totally not the same thing as knowing people in Champaign/Urbana. I do know someone who went there for undergrad and someone whose whole clique of friends/family also went there or currently goes there for undergrad, but the grad student scene seems pretty separate from the undergrad. I get the impression that the undergrad pop has no clue that the grad students are selected from a hyper competitive group since it's relatively easy for them to get in (assuming Illinois residency).

I'm in for psychology, specifically the "brain and cognition" division, to work on psychophysiological studies of cognition ("language stuff", which 3/4s of the profs in the cognitive/brain&cog sections specialize in). The psych department has seven divisions, and there were about five of us there for visiting weekend from 3 of the divisions combined, but I think there were a lot more admits that couldn't make it... The idea of potentially being *literally* the only admit of my year in my division is kind of alarming, but most classes are combined with students from other divisions and departments.

I could go on and on since, as I said, I haven't seen or heard from anyone else who was admitted (and everyone from admit weekend had "choices" to make). What department are you with? Did you go to admit weekend? What made you want to go? I'm really curious!

Hello Everyone,

I just accepted my offer of admission to UIUC. I am so excited about attending the top program in my field!!! I am relocating from a urban metropolis, so I am a little scared about the change in scenery and culture. But nevertheless, I am thrilled about it all and wholeheartedly embracing the change needed to accomplish my dreams.

I don't know anyone there. Are there any others in my situation? I would love to read your responses.

Even if your not in my situation and attending UIUC this fall, I would still love to connect.

Thanks!!!

[I beat the odds]

Hey there! I'm from India and I'll be attending UIUC this fall too! What program have you been accepted to? I will be pursuing a PhD in Molecular & Cellular Biology. By the way I should be the one apprehensive about relocating NOT you!!! Regardless I can't wait for the fall to begin either!

Hi PhDhopeful,

Congrats!!!!

Yes, India is a big move. The US is so diverse, and moving from one part of the country to another can be a little bit of culture shock too. Granted, your move still beats mine.

It's going to be great!!!

[I beat the odds]

Yay! I haven't seen anyone else around who's intending to go, but then I know that they accepted fewer this year than last (confirmed by multiple profs in my department), so that might be part of it. I haven't accepted my offer yet, but I'm going to for sure! Part of my reluctance to accept is my desire to procrastinate dealing with the awkward-ness of getting an ecstatic letter from a program which had accepted me unfunded, and now just secured funding for me. I feel terribly guilty that they were deliberately working on it with the thought that the only reason I was not intending to go was funding, when the reality is they're a weak program comparatively to the other two schools I have admits to -- Pitt-with-fellowship (another awkward rejection I need to deal with) and UIUC, namely.

Anyway, I'm in San Diego now and the thought of being surrounded by cornfields with no culture, no Trader Joes (!!@!rage), no awesome weather and no frequent drug-busts with helicopter searches for rapists at 4am has me depressed. I could probably do without the last two, admitedly. I told one of the grad students about the helicopter searches keeping me up and her eyes about fell out of her head from the incomprehension, which was pretty awesome.

Cost of living is a total joke from what I can discern on craigslist. It's very amusing to me how all the housing seems to list addresses by street names (as if they're meaningful to me!) because it's such a small place. I am totally clueless except that I want to live in Urbana because of the health food stores and the farmers market. That's all I know, really. ...

I only know people in Chicago, which is totally not the same thing as knowing people in Champaign/Urbana. I do know someone who went there for undergrad and someone whose whole clique of friends/family also went there or currently goes there for undergrad, but the grad student scene seems pretty separate from the undergrad. I get the impression that the undergrad pop has no clue that the grad students are selected from a hyper competitive group since it's relatively easy for them to get in (assuming Illinois residency).

I'm in for psychology, specifically the "brain and cognition" division, to work on psychophysiological studies of cognition ("language stuff", which 3/4s of the profs in the cognitive/brain&cog sections specialize in). The psych department has seven divisions, and there were about five of us there for visiting weekend from 3 of the divisions combined, but I think there were a lot more admits that couldn't make it... The idea of potentially being *literally* the only admit of my year in my division is kind of alarming, but most classes are combined with students from other divisions and departments.

I could go on and on since, as I said, I haven't seen or heard from anyone else who was admitted (and everyone from admit weekend had "choices" to make). What department are you with? Did you go to admit weekend? What made you want to go? I'm really curious!

Lucere,

I completely understand big city life. I am relocating from New York City so I am very familiar with the sirens and sorts.

I am going to be a student at the ischool (GSLIS).

I did not attend admit weekend, but then again, I really didn't need to because GSLIS surpasses all other ischools by far. I say this in terms of innovation, professional opportunities, outstanding research opportunities, and the school's dedication to social change at the community-level. Aside from those things, the program is the most flexible (allowing me to hone in on my specific interests), it is the most prestigious, and as far as information schools are concerned, UIUC is the most generous with funding.

I was really interested in attending a program that would allow me to focus on "Information Science" outside traditional settings. Others schools tended to solely focus on traditional librarianship. GSLIS is definitely, the best information school for someone like me - a person who wants to integrate libraries, information, communication and technology.

I have decided to live on campus for the first semester or two. I really wanted to jump right into the program without having to worry about finding a place. I want to be able to take my time and find something appropriate for myself.

I do see your point about the undergrads. But to their defense, it wasn't until I started researching graduate programs myself that I realized most public research-one institutions are super selective and heavily invest in their grad students; because it's the grad students who form the institution's future reputation (research, teaching, and professional application).

You may only know one person there, but I know no one. So your one-up on me...lol.

Congrats, I wish you the best!!!!!

P.S.: Not having a Trader Joe's is kind of a shock for me too...lol. ;-)

[zilch]

Urbana has more of a small town feel (trees everywhere, brick streets, etc), it also has almost no commerce because of an almost rabid adherence to keeping the small town image -> high property taxes and very limited shopping.

Champaign feels like a suburb of a large city.

regarding undergrads. it depends on what college you're looking at, some are extremely competitive for undergrad as well.

[I beat the odds]

Urbana has more of a small town feel (trees everywhere, brick streets, etc), it also has almost no commerce because of an almost rabid adherence to keeping the small town image -> high property taxes and very limited shopping.

Champaign feels like a suburb of a large city.

regarding undergrads. it depends on what college you're looking at, some are extremely competitive for undergrad as well.

Zilch,

In your opinion, where would be best for a grad student to live --- Urbana or Champaign?

In which do most grads actually reside and spend time in while not in class?

Thanks!!!

[zilch]

which city you live in doesn't matter too much in my opinion. Considering the campus sits almost dead center between the two, it's fairly even in terms of where grad students live.

the campus is gigantic, it actually occupies turf in both towns relatively evenly and you'll find rental properties of all sorts in both Urbana and Champaign. The closer you get to campus the more expensive, but it's not too hard to find something within walking distance of campus. The bus system is also very good (it apparently wins all sorts of awards) and the University has an arrangement that lets all students and faculty ride for free so even if you live a little farther away it's not a big deal.

The university does also have a graduate student/post doc housing area called Orchard Downs (in Urbana), it's large area of apartments surrounded by lots of grass fields and an arboretum with a direct bus line to the heart of campus. It's a good place for those that have children or want a quieter neighborhood. There's also Goodwin-Green (also in Urbana, but it's like 2 blocks from the Urbana-Champaign boundary) which is another University apartment complex that's actually on campus. These tend to be a little more expensive than privately owned apartments but tend to be better maintained in my opinion.

There are several rental companies in town as well (JSM, Bankier, Gabe's Place). It really depends on what you're looking for. The campus culture for undergrads is generally to live in the dorms for 1-2 years and then get an apartment with friends so most buildings will significant amounts of juniors and seniors living in them as well as grad students.

In terms of time outside of class. There is a sort of main strip right next to campus (Green Street) that has many eateries and bars/pubs, at night it tends to be over-run with undergrads. I don't really do bars much but the nightlife in Downtown Champaign is what I personally prefer because the crowd tends to be a little older (although it is very possible to run into some of the younger professors there).

links

housing

JSM

Bankier

Gabe's Place (tends to be very undergrad heavy)

Royse&Brinkmeyer

Ramshaw

PPM

Burnham (new building, might be pricier)

Capstone

There's also all sorts of individual properties and whatnot and as you mentioned craigslist is a good place to look. CU-Living is also a good place to find listings, parts of their website make it seem like they are a property management company but they are solely a listings site.

random

CU mass transit district - Bus routes and info

Campus Map - The division between Champaign and Urbana runs along Wright Street

Eat CU - Website that lists many of the restaurants in the area along with their menus, also has a system that allows you to order online.

Edited March 17, 2010 by zilch

[Valerie]

I only know people in Chicago, which is totally not the same thing as knowing people in Champaign/Urbana. I do know someone who went there for undergrad and someone whose whole clique of friends/family also went there or currently goes there for undergrad, but the grad student scene seems pretty separate from the undergrad. I get the impression that the undergrad pop has no clue that the grad students are selected from a hyper competitive group since it's relatively easy for them to get in (assuming Illinois residency).

First, congrats on your admit- the Psychology department at UIUC is amazing. I did want to chime in though and say that UIUC is not in "easy" school to get into as an undergraduate, especially for residents (contrary to what you said, it is not nearly as difficult for non-residents to get in). I would know, as I am from Chicago and I have my B.S. in psychology from UIUC. I had an awesome experience, mostly because the the amazing graduate students there...seriously! So there are definitely many bright undergrads that I would wager will be pretty integral to your/your advisors research program(s). For context, I will also be starting my Ph.D. in psychology in the fall at another big R1 school (I have a few offers that I am currently deciding between)! Much of my success has been because of very intelligent and supportive grad students in addition to the faculty, so don't totally knock the undergrads, some of us 'get it'! Sorry for my rant. Let me know if you have any questions about Champaign-Urbana!

[I beat the odds]

which city you live in doesn't matter too much in my opinion. Considering the campus sits almost dead center between the two, it's fairly even in terms of where grad students live.

the campus is gigantic, it actually occupies turf in both towns relatively evenly and you'll find rental properties of all sorts in both Urbana and Champaign. The closer you get to campus the more expensive, but it's not too hard to find something within walking distance of campus. The bus system is also very good (it apparently wins all sorts of awards) and the University has an arrangement that lets all students and faculty ride for free so even if you live a little farther away it's not a big deal.

The university does also have a graduate student/post doc housing area called Orchard Downs (in Urbana), it's large area of apartments surrounded by lots of grass fields and an arboretum with a direct bus line to the heart of campus. It's a good place for those that have children or want a quieter neighborhood. There's also Goodwin-Green (also in Urbana, but it's like 2 blocks from the Urbana-Champaign boundary) which is another University apartment complex that's actually on campus. These tend to be a little more expensive than privately owned apartments but tend to be better maintained in my opinion.

There are several rental companies in town as well (JSM, Bankier, Gabe's Place). It really depends on what you're looking for. The campus culture for undergrads is generally to live in the dorms for 1-2 years and then get an apartment with friends so most buildings will significant amounts of juniors and seniors living in them as well as grad students.

In terms of time outside of class. There is a sort of main strip right next to campus (Green Street) that has many eateries and bars/pubs, at night it tends to be over-run with undergrads. I don't really do bars much but the nightlife in Downtown Champaign is what I personally prefer because the crowd tends to be a little older (although it is very possible to run into some of the younger professors there).

links

housing

JSM

Bankier

Gabe's Place (tends to be very undergrad heavy)

Royse&Brinkmeyer

Ramshaw

PPM

Burnham (new building, might be pricier)

Capstone

There's also all sorts of individual properties and whatnot and as you mentioned craigslist is a good place to look. CU-Living is also a good place to find listings, parts of their website make it seem like they are a property management company but they are solely a listings site.

random

CU mass transit district - Bus routes and info

Campus Map - The division between Champaign and Urbana runs along Wright Street

Eat CU - Website that lists many of the restaurants in the area along with their menus, also has a system that allows you to order online.

Wow!! Thanks for all of the great info. It's so helpful! I really appreciate you looking out for a newbie.

[PhDhopeful!]

which city you live in doesn't matter too much in my opinion. Considering the campus sits almost dead center between the two, it's fairly even in terms of where grad students live.

the campus is gigantic, it actually occupies turf in both towns relatively evenly and you'll find rental properties of all sorts in both Urbana and Champaign. The closer you get to campus the more expensive, but it's not too hard to find something within walking distance of campus. The bus system is also very good (it apparently wins all sorts of awards) and the University has an arrangement that lets all students and faculty ride for free so even if you live a little farther away it's not a big deal.

The university does also have a graduate student/post doc housing area called Orchard Downs (in Urbana), it's large area of apartments surrounded by lots of grass fields and an arboretum with a direct bus line to the heart of campus. It's a good place for those that have children or want a quieter neighborhood. There's also Goodwin-Green (also in Urbana, but it's like 2 blocks from the Urbana-Champaign boundary) which is another University apartment complex that's actually on campus. These tend to be a little more expensive than privately owned apartments but tend to be better maintained in my opinion.

There are several rental companies in town as well (JSM, Bankier, Gabe's Place). It really depends on what you're looking for. The campus culture for undergrads is generally to live in the dorms for 1-2 years and then get an apartment with friends so most buildings will significant amounts of juniors and seniors living in them as well as grad students.

In terms of time outside of class. There is a sort of main strip right next to campus (Green Street) that has many eateries and bars/pubs, at night it tends to be over-run with undergrads. I don't really do bars much but the nightlife in Downtown Champaign is what I personally prefer because the crowd tends to be a little older (although it is very possible to run into some of the younger professors there).

links

housing

JSM

Bankier

Gabe's Place (tends to be very undergrad heavy)

Royse&Brinkmeyer

Ramshaw

PPM

Burnham (new building, might be pricier)

Capstone

There's also all sorts of individual properties and whatnot and as you mentioned craigslist is a good place to look. CU-Living is also a good place to find listings, parts of their website make it seem like they are a property management company but they are solely a listings site.

random

CU mass transit district - Bus routes and info

Campus Map - The division between Champaign and Urbana runs along Wright Street

Eat CU - Website that lists many of the restaurants in the area along with their menus, also has a system that allows you to order online.

Hey thanks for all the info! I had a question about Housing though... I've been talking to the Tenant Union and they highly recommend Roland Realty- it has no complaint lodged against it in the past 5 years???!!!

So I was wondering if you had any idea about their properties particularly 504 E. White St. ?

Edited March 17, 2010 by PhDhopeful!

[zilch]

I don't know too much about Roland Realty, but the tenant union definitely knows their stuff. I have a few friends that live a block away from 504 E. White and the area isn't bad, it's a little bit busier than some residential neighborhoods because of its proximity to 2 busy roads and a public school nearby but it's also close to a small grocery store they just built.

tenant union

Roland Realty

for things to do,

Krannert Center for Performing Arts is a university venue that attracts world class performers (Krannert also hosts events like Krannert Uncorked which is a free wine tasting)

The Canopy Club is a concert venue near Krannert

Foellinger Auditorium is a campus building that are used to host special events arranged by organizations like Star Course

Assembly Hall is where the basketball team plays but also hosts headliner concerts and events such as Cirque du Soleil, Blue Collar Comedy Tour, Daughtry, etc.

Urbana Farmer's Market, as you mentioned earlier, occurs in the Fall.

[Espoir]

Hi,

@Zilch: Thanks for the information..well compiled!!!

Im Srinidhi...from Mumbai, India...I have been admitted to the PhD program in the Civil and Env Engg dept...will be a part of the Air Quality group out there..

I was pretty thrilled when I was told on the day of the telephonic interview that my prospects there were very bright by the prof. who had called..they have offered me a fellowship in the first year itself( which I heard is pretty rare..is that really true??). Ive been reading a bit about th e campus and the towns and its seems to be a quiet, beautiful place to be doing research in! Different from the hustle-bustle that I am so used to here in Mumbai!

[UnlikelyGrad]

Hi,

@Zilch: Thanks for the information..well compiled!!!

Im Srinidhi...from Mumbai, India...I have been admitted to the PhD program in the Civil and Env Engg dept...will be a part of the Air Quality group out there..

I was pretty thrilled when I was told on the day of the telephonic interview that my prospects there were very bright by the prof. who had called..they have offered me a fellowship in the first year itself( which I heard is pretty rare..is that really true??). Ive been reading a bit about th e campus and the towns and its seems to be a quiet, beautiful place to be doing research in! Different from the hustle-bustle that I am so used to here in Mumbai!

Which air quality group? Just curious...I know some people there.

[Espoir]

Which air quality group? Just curious...I know some people there.

The AQES group under Prof M. Rood in the Civil and Env Engg dept in UIUC.. Prof Rood will be co-instructing me along with Dr. Kolotsou-Vakakis.. I am in touch with a few PhD students there as well..

[pointaken]

Just accepted my admission to Illinois' M.A. TESL program! Go Illini! The information in this thread is pretty good--thanks for the replies.

[repatriate]

I accepted my offer at UIUC yesterday.

I've set up a google group for anyone who is interested in maybe organizing some get-togethers in the fall with other new grad students. http://groups.google.com/uiuc2010/

I'll be working on my PhD in social psychology. Glad to see there's another psychology student here! I'm sure we'll run into each other in the psych building!

[hoskie]

I am going to be a student at the ischool (GSLIS).

I'm going to be at iSchool in the fall as well (... hopefully).

I was thrilled to get into the program based on it's reputation and I would love to be able to attend. I tentatively accepted admittance, but I'm not entirely sure how I'm going to pay for it. I'll be coming from out-of-state, so the tuition is... formidable.

I'm planning on putting in applications for assistantships (I already tried applying for a FLAS Fellowship, but didn't get it). I'm filling out a FAFSA, but I don't know how much good that is going to do me (my parents still claim me as a dependant on their taxes, but they are not helping me pay for school - I don't know how that's going to work). FAFSA worked out okay during my undergrad because I went to a state school (much cheaper!) and I was able to get a large portion of my loans subsidised (I still racked up nearly $17k all told). I don't even know if anyone will be willing to lend me the amount of money I'm going to need to cover tuition costs (which is ~$10k per semester).

... that being said, I'm going to do whatever I can to get there!

I'm vaguely interested in their Data Curation specialisation, but I'm not entirely sure what I want to focus on yet... I'm very pleased at the variety of courses they offer (a lot more than the other schools I applied to) and I'm having a hard time narrowing down what I would like to take. It's great that there are so few "required" courses... it allows a lot of room for exploration. I'll probably test the waters on the technology side of things first. If I do attend, I'll probably take "Intro to Network Systems" and "Foundations of Information Processing in LIS" (in addition to the core "Information Organisation and Access") in my first semester.

[ecritdansleau]

If you're interested in events and culture in CU, you might like to check these out:

http://www.smilepolitely.com/

http://the217.com/

Also, despite the lack of a trader joes, Strawberry Fields is pretty awesome: http://www.strawberry-fields.com/

And if you're into good bread, go to Mirabelle.

I'm an undergrad and I work at the university library; I highly recommend looking into the graduate assistantships there: the GAs seem to really enjoy it. And don't forget to check out the Champaign and Urbana public libraries, too.

[ecritdansleau]

oops it double posted

Edited May 2, 2010 by ecritdansleau

[joelyong]

Hello! I'm also attending UIUC come Fall 2010. I come from Singapore, which is, well... Rather far from C-U as far as India is. I've been admitted into the M.S. program at CEE, unfortunately without funding, going to bump it up to PhD while banging on various professors' doors for RAs of some sort. I'm excited about going abroad, even though UIUC was my 3rd choice (applied for both Berkeley and Stanford and was characteristically rejected). Any dudes from CEE out there?

Joel

[zed111]

Hello! I'm also attending UIUC come Fall 2010. I come from Singapore, which is, well... Rather far from C-U as far as India is. I've been admitted into the M.S. program at CEE, unfortunately without funding, going to bump it up to PhD while banging on various professors' doors for RAs of some sort. I'm excited about going abroad, even though UIUC was my 3rd choice (applied for both Berkeley and Stanford and was characteristically rejected). Any dudes from CEE out there?

Joel

Hey joe,..i got into UIUC CEE...my specialization is Transportation....whts urs....berkeley CEE hardly gave out any admits this yr

[joelyong]

Hey joe,..i got into UIUC CEE...my specialization is Transportation....whts urs....berkeley CEE hardly gave out any admits this yr

Whoops my bad was somewhere in Indochina having fun and just got back. I'm doing the Environmental side. Most probably Water Quality Process Engineering, because of my undergrad background in Chemical Engineering. So I'm not even a civil engineer. I think Berkeley is financially bankrupt and has no projects available at the moment. Which is unfortunate...