College Discussion - View Single Post - U. of R vs U. of I at Urbana-Champaign

WayOutWestMom · 04-08-2008, 01:39 PM

I think you're overstating your case worried_mom.

UIUC is an excellent school. (I'm an alumna and, yes, I was TA there too.) Yes, UIUC is a large research university and it will be very different there than a smaller university.

First of all, not *all* of the undergrad courses will be taught by TAs. Some may, depending upon the department, but that's far from a universal situation. Typically if the course is large one--say freshman bio or psych, the professor presents the lecture while a TA oversees the lab section and homework review. You will likely have a TA for freshman writing, though. But the section will be small--about 15 students tops. Also TAs can be very, very good teachers. In some cases better than the professors. (For lots of reasons including the fact their teaching performance is evaluated every semester--a prof's is not.)

Yes, there will be approx 5000 freshmen at UIUC this coming fall. The size can be overwhelming, but not necessarily so. A student at UIUC will have to be more pro-active to get noticed, but it doesn't mean he won't. If he attends office hours and make an effort to participate in class, chances are the instructor will know who he is.

And there are research opportunities--even for freshmen, provided the student seeks them out. Grad students do not "take them all". (It's a fact--I have a friend on faculty at UIUC and he tells me there are many research positions reserved specifically for undergrads. That was true when I was a student there too many, many years ago...)

A larger university may offer more opportunities for specialty interest majors--like sports psychology or supply chain management.

And I can testify that there are a million things to do on the UIUC campus--even in the winter. Lots of clubs, lots of amateur and professional performances. Lots of people.

This is not to say that UIUC is better than UR--it's just different. Each type of college setting has advantages. You have to choose the college that you think offers you the best fit for your learning style and the best advantages for your future.

04-08-2008, 01:39 PM	#4
WayOutWestMom Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New Mexico Gender: Not Saying Threads: 6 Posts: 141	I think you're overstating your case worried_mom. UIUC is an excellent school. (I'm an alumna and, yes, I was TA there too.) Yes, UIUC is a large research university and it will be very different there than a smaller university. First of all, not all of the undergrad courses will be taught by TAs. Some may, depending upon the department, but that's far from a universal situation. Typically if the course is large one--say freshman bio or psych, the professor presents the lecture while a TA oversees the lab section and homework review. You will likely have a TA for freshman writing, though. But the section will be small--about 15 students tops. Also TAs can be very, very good teachers. In some cases better than the professors. (For lots of reasons including the fact their teaching performance is evaluated every semester--a prof's is not.) Yes, there will be approx 5000 freshmen at UIUC this coming fall. The size can be overwhelming, but not necessarily so. A student at UIUC will have to be more pro-active to get noticed, but it doesn't mean he won't. If he attends office hours and make an effort to participate in class, chances are the instructor will know who he is. And there are research opportunities--even for freshmen, provided the student seeks them out. Grad students do not "take them all". (It's a fact--I have a friend on faculty at UIUC and he tells me there are many research positions reserved specifically for undergrads. That was true when I was a student there too many, many years ago...) A larger university may offer more opportunities for specialty interest majors--like sports psychology or supply chain management. And I can testify that there are a million things to do on the UIUC campus--even in the winter. Lots of clubs, lots of amateur and professional performances. Lots of people. This is not to say that UIUC is better than UR--it's just different. Each type of college setting has advantages. You have to choose the college that you think offers you the best fit for your learning style and the best advantages for your future.