UIUC was the other major college Ivisitied during my vacation. Located in the twin cities of Urbana and Champaign, this Illinois school offers a great engineeering program and a great location. Just 1.5 hours from Chicago with a frequent train service, you get to enjoy the best of both college town and big city life, and I could feel the charm of the town. The campus was always buzzing with activity, and there was a real sense of community, including with the bands. The professors were very kind and helpful, and I even got to look at some labs.

A small creek runs through the engineering quad of campus, with the historic Engineering Hall standing above it.