Becoming a UIC Student

            After going through and reading the blogs my fellow classmates wrote all I have to say is WOW!  There is so much of UIC that I didn’t even know about.  Here I am finally making my way from class to class thinking I’ve seen all there is to see.  Oh boy, was I wrong!  I’m taking it that most new UIC students think that the University doesn’t have anything else to explore besides the quad, Student Center East, the main lecture halls, and all the other main buildings surrounding the quad.  I know for sure that’s what I was thinking.  I always said that UIC has a huge campus; but I underestimated it.  There are parts of the campus that I haven’t even seen yet, which sounds ridiculous knowing that I have been there for exactly a month now.   I now have a lot more knowledge and respect for the school I attend.

            I consider the area which I did research on, as more well-known to UIC students than most of the others.  Area four, which are consisted of; Grant Hall, Douglas hall, Lincoln hall, and the Art and Architecture building are almost always being used.  Almost every student has been inside these four buildings at one time or another.  Then on the other hand, there areas like the fields and physical education building that I had absolutely no idea about.  Quite honestly, I would have never known about the section if Leslie Padilla had not written about it (probably because the walk is so long, but still). She makes me aware that there is a whole recreation center that will be useful for all types of students.  Even if you are not into sports, there is a beautiful view of downtown you can see and in which you can go sit there and relax.  Her blog lets me know that there are nice, quiet areas I can go hangout at with not a lot of student traffic.

Another classmate, Nicole Galvin, made me aware of UIC’s history.  “Do you want to know a secret that not everyone knows? SSB used to be…a mall!”  Nicole Galvin shares this with us in her own blog.  I always did think that the student service building was built in a weird way but now it makes sense to me.  I’m guessing UIC was on a budget back then.  Melanee Neely also gave me a lot of information on UIC that I never would’ve known.  Melanee wrote, “Did you know that UIC was built in 1982, after destroying various historic sites?”  After reading about the history of UIC, I know Melanee means site like Maxwell Street, which have been destroyed to make new dorms to fit the thousands of students at UIC.  I would’ve never guessed though, that the school was built that recently.   With the way some of the buildings look, I figured that school was WAY older.  I mean almost all the buildings are built with dark brown brick, and all have the same boring rectangular shape to them. I know that might seem old to some people, but I always thought that the school was much older than it really is.    

       

                 After reading what all my classmates had to say about the University of Illinois, my opinion of UIC has changed.  I have always liked the school from the first day of orientation, but now I have a broader sense of it. I definitely have underestimated the school.  I knew the school was big but never realized how big. I knew that the school was full of history but never really knew how much history.  I really do feel comfortable being at UIC, and I’m proud to say I go here.  I feel that all the blogs I have read would repeatedly say how the school is so well-respected and very valuable to the city of Chicago.  Not only has the University changed the views of the city in a bright and positive way, but also has trained professionals in all different kinds of fields to go out there working with and for the best. After reading the blogs I feel like UIC would be a perfect school for anyone. It has the perfect amount of everything.  With all the resources, teachers, and help you can get, you can’t find anything better.  No matter who you are or what you do, you will be able to find what you need here.  With all the huge diversity UIC has to offer, I find it impossible to feel alone or uncomfortable, especially with all the different groups of people and the different sections of the campus. This project made me realize that the world has so much to offer but, I’ll never actually know until I go out and explore.