Choose Illinois

Choose Illinois First of all, I want to congratulate you on being admitted to the University of Illinois! The college application process can be very stressful, and waiting for decisions can seem as though its taking forever. I hope you have been able to relax a bit since receiving your decision from Illinois. We know that most students are applying to multiple colleges and universities. If you are one of these students, you may now find yourself with the difficult decision of choosing which school is the best fit for you. I want to tell you a little bit about what Illinois has to offer and what I think is the most important factor when deciding where you want your future! Every student has different reasons for selecting a school to attend. Many students are looking for high-quality academics when deciding where to pursue their higher education. At Illinois, you will be able to learn from astounding professors, many of whom are the top in their field and conducting ground-breaking research right here on our campus. You can even collaborate with faculty through independent studies, research, and special projects. Illinois is also highly ranked in the U.S. and across the globe, as we are ranked the 30th best university in the world and the 10th public university in the nation. For a lot of students, the opportunities they will have to get involved on campus is an important part of choosing a college, and there are so many ways to get involved at Illinois. For example, you can join a student group, and we offer more than 1,000 academic, cultural, religious, athletic, political, philanthropic, and social groups. Illinois also has the largest Greek community in the country, with 97 social fraternities and sororities. For others, the ability to get a job once they graduate is the most important factor in choosing a college. Illinois brings over 5,000 unique employers to campus each year to recruit our students for internships, co-ops, and full-time jobs. 83% of Illini are employed or continuing education within 6 months of graduation. If sports are important to you, Illinois offers many ways to participate in sports, whether it’s on the field or from the sideline. We are a proud Big Ten school with 19 Division I sports teams. We bleed orange and blue! You can cheer on these teams by becoming a member of Illini Pride, our student cheering sections. Students can also participate in our club sports (many of which are competitive traveling teams) or intramural sports. While all of these are great reasons for choosing a college, there is one key factor that I believe to be one of the most important partsâ€"you should find the school that just feels right. Through numerous conversations with students and through my own experiences, Ive come to believe it is important to choose a school that you feel the most comfortable at, the one that feels like home. If you can, visit campuses, go on tours, talk with students, and learn about their experiences. Walking around a college campus will give you the best idea of how you might feel as a student there. We offer two different types of visits for admitted students so that you can learn more about Illinois. Starting January 17th, we will offer Admitted Daily Visits, which include an information session, student panel, and a campus tour. You can also attend Admitted Student Days, which start February 20th. These are larger events and will include an overview of the university, a meeting with your academic community, and numerous information sessions. You can sign up for both of these events through your myIllini account. And as always, you can contact us directly if you have any questions! You can learn so much more about what Illinois has to offer by looking through our Reasons to Choose Illinois. Whatever your reason is for choosing a college, I hope you can find it at Illinois! Casey Admissions Counselor After completing my master’s degree in higher education in May 2016, I returned to my roots in East Central Illinois. I specialize in transfer students. As a former transfer student myself, I understand the challenges students face when they decide to transition to a new institution.