<p>Hi again @devileng</p>
<p>You might try @hopingforbetter he is in chemical engineering. You certainly have a bunch of questions… here goes</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Yes, our students do go to highly selective graduate programs (I hate the word “elite”). It is not so much where you get your degree but your ability to take advantage of all the resources available to you by taking the most demanding coursework (and doing well) and getting significant research experience. I can tell you that in physics, the students who go to these graduate programs find themselves as well or better prepared than their classmates. I think it is true for engineering as well. IIT expects just as much of its students as many other technological universities.</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, there are professional societies for just about every field and then there are other teams for competitions. For example, robotics, steel bridge, concrete canoe, electric vehicle and so on.</p></li>
<li><p>I don’t know the answer. I suspect the International Center can answer if the Admissions office cannot.</p></li>
<li><p>You have to make your own opportunities. I can tell you that any undergraduate who really wants to get involved can do so. There are only 3,000 undergraduates on campus and so the student faculty ratio is pretty good. Not everyone wants to get involve in research. What you will not find is a research matchmaking office. However, it is easy to talk to faculty, just engage tham after class or go to their office. most of us are more than happy to speak with undergraduates.</p></li>
<li><p>There is plenty to do and you can stat your own club easily enough. However, ECs enrich your campus experience but mean nothing as far as getting a job or getting into graduate school. Graduate programs care nothing for ECs, just your preparation in academics and research.</p></li>
<li><p>Absolutely! The best event we have at IIT is the International Fest. We have many international graduate students and a growing number of international undergraduates too.</p></li>
<li><p>You need to do a bit of research on your own. The curricula are all [on</a> the web page](<a href=“http://engineering.iit.edu/programs/undergraduate/bachelor-science-mechanical-engineering"]on”>Mechanical Engineering (B.S.) | Illinois Institute of Technology) and in the [2014-2016</a> Undergraduate Bulletin](<a href=“http://www.iit.edu/ugaa/pdfs/ugbulletin14-16.pdf"]2014-2016”>http://www.iit.edu/ugaa/pdfs/ugbulletin14-16.pdf).</p></li>
<li><p>Yes, the student faculty ratio is relatively small and your upper division courses will generally be under 20 students so there is plenty of opportunity to get to know faculty. You will also have a chance to develop a professional relationship with your academic advisor who is a professor. Mechanical Engineering is one of our larger departments and so the classes might be a bit bigger but there is still the same opportunity if you take advantage of it. Believe me, not all students do.</p></li>
<li><p>There is a renovation gong on in the Engineering 1 building right now. This is where the Mechanical Engineering program resides. This renovation includes some lab facilities as well. You might wish to contact the department about this directly.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>no problem with all the questions, I would much rather have them than not get any…</p>