STUDENT COMMENTS
The undergraduate business program office is steeped in bureaucracy and is terribly unhelpful. On multiple occasions the staff has been rude to me, both in person and on the telephone. The deans are absolutely unapproachable. Don't even try scheduling an appointment with them if you have questions. The best you're going to do are academic advisers who simply regurgitate information readily available on the College of Business Web site.
The administration is too self-congradulatory about their high ranking in
U.S. News every year. I've been through the so called No. 1 accounting program in the nation, and I do not see what all the fuss is about.
We have amazing advisers who put a lot of time and effort into helping students. Our Business Career Services center puts a lot of effort in a two-day career fair that is the envy of every other nonbusiness student on campus. The companies that come to visit us are among the largest and most successful in the country. There should be no reason why a University of Illinois business student cannot obtain an internship or a job.
Our Business Career Services is amazing! They offer workshops on résumé writing, internships, job shadowing, and interviewing skills. They also have advisers in their office who will help you if you make an appointment (they will critique your résumé, discuss a job offer, etc). They also host résumé critiques and mock interviews with many companies before the career fair. Last, they host the career fair with over 200 companies in the fall.
The experience has far exceeded my expectations. Over the four years I've been here, I have also seen a tremendous amount of change. The College of Business is continually building new resources and networks for the students. The professors and instructors are truly diverse. Many of them have had industry experience and teaching/researching experience at some of the best business programs in the country. (Several teachers have taught at Harvard Business School.) Teachers are very active in the lives of students (classroom help, career questions, and job searches).
Career Services has done an outstanding job. The number of employers and the range of positions available during the career fair were extremely impressive. They also do an excellent job preparing you for the interview process through training and mock interviews.
I really believe U of I's accounting program is vastly overrated. The professors are a complete joke and most of the work can be categorized as busy work. Classes are way too large and the only reason our accounting school gets ranked so high is because of the quality of the students. There are so many quality students because U of I is really the best deal in town for kids from Chicago.
Some say that TAs are too common at the University of Illinois. However, this concept is overexaggerated and they are more beneficial than detrimental. Also, they become less frequent in your classes once you are an upperclassman.
Pros: Several very resourceful, intelligent, and acclaimed professors; emphasis on teamwork; and freedom to choose your own classes that satisfy your major requirements. Cons: As a finance major, was not offered first finance course until second semester of sophomore year. No business-school library; buildings and classrooms in subpar condition; and TAs often have trouble communicating with students due to language barriers.
The University of Illinois is a school for go-getters. With a school of this size, they aren't going to hold your hand and guide you every step of the way. That is the beauty of this university. If you are assertive and seek out help, there is a wealth of information, services, and support. You learn the skills necessary to achieve what you want in the real world through the process.
Our career services does an excellent job in preparing its undergrads to compete for various positions. A new program the office began is its job shadowing program, which allows sophomores to shadow professionals for a day.
I feel that Illinois provides its students with an extremely sound technical basis and has recently made great efforts to improve skills such as teamwork and leadership, which employers greatly value. The Business Career Services Office has also been very helpful in coordinating recruiting events and giving students broad exposure to top employers in various industries, especially recently in investment banking.
There are too many generic business courses. I want to get to the heart of my interests more quickly. This school is hurt by a lot of faculty that do not teach effectively. There must be a balance between research and quality instruction. Currently, the research has been extensive but instruction is severely lacking. Give this school a C.
The College of Business at U of I is the best place to receive a valuable education and develop a substantial network of people to keep in touch with after graduation in the Chicago business community.
I had a great experience with the business college. I gained a vast amount of knowledge, and they helped prepare me for a full-time position. Also, they were very useful in helping me obtain my internship and full-time job.
U of Illinois Champaign/Urbana places an emphasis on communication, teamwork, and leadership. While it is important to be technically sound and pass the CPA, future career advancement will depend more strongly on your ability to communicate and lead others. I feel that U of I incorporates not only this important idea but also critical thinking to a greater extent than most other colleges. Furthermore, the efforts of the Career Services Dept. to assist students in career preparation (résumé critique, interview prep, offer advice) is priceless. But perhaps the biggest benefit of the business school is the Job Board and Career Fair, which provide opportunities for internships and full-time employment.
I feel that a lot of the professors in the business college are much more interested in doing their research than actually teaching.
After it's all said and done, I only really feel like I'm paying for the paper—for the degree. I didn't really learn all that many valuable skills to help me be a productive worker. Most of it is just common sense. The university just tries adding a level of prestige to it to make some money. Though in the end I'm glad I did it, I feel it was done for the wrong reasons.
I used the business career center to its fullest and fully reaped the benefits. I have marketed my self perfectly.
The College of Business at the University of Illinois provides an inclusive community that truly enhances the student experience. During my academic tenure, I found the university's student organizations to be a key contributor to my personal and professional development. More specifically, business-oriented fraternities such as Alpha Kappa Psi teach students those skills sought by today's top companies.
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