IIT - Inventing the Future

There had been recent concerns about whether the Illinois Monetary Assistance Program (MAP) funding would continue for the remainder of the 2009-2010. Last Thursday, October 15, students from colleges and universities across Illinois traveled to Springfield to encourage state govenment officials to restare the MAP funding. Several IIT students attended a rally of nearly 2,000 college students and lobbied Representatives in the Illinois Gneral Assembly.

The students' concerns were heard and the following Sunday, October 18 Governor Pat Quinn signed the bill restoring full Map funding! There were a few IIT students were among a select group of college students present when the bill was signed. Additionally, Julia Gonzalez (IIT student and Admission Intern) spoke to the group at the signing ceremony.

You can watch the WGN news story here.

Did you know that about 16% of IIT’s undergraduate population are international students? I think this is one of IIT’s greatest assets—these students bring a great cultural diversity to campus which enhances the educational experience for all students!

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel for IIT to Mexico to recruit more international students to campus. I thought that you may like to hear more about my trip which was AMAZING! Not only was the weather perfect (80s-90s and sunny) just when it was getting cold in Chicago but I met wonderful students and was able to do a bit of sightseeing. Let me start by saying that Mexican food tastes SO MUCH BETTER in Mexico! My favorite dish was this chicken rice soup with avocado and a smoked chipotle pepper…mmmm. Everything was made fresh to order which just enhances the quality of the dish—I miss it already!

So my week began in Guadalajara. I had a fair on Monday so I arrived Sunday afternoon, giving me a few hours to sightsee before it was dark. I took a double decker bus tour of the city which allowed me to see the main sights in the city. There is a great downtown area with lots of churches and historical buildings as well as squares for people to relax and enjoy their surroundings. I attended a fair at the American School at Guadalajra and then it was off to Queretaro.

Queretaro is such a beautiful city! We stayed at this 16^th century Hacienda that was magnificent and the staff was extremely attentive and helpful—I would recommend it to anyone visiting the city. The College fair was great and probably one of the busiest of the week. We had a student who enrolled from this high school last year so students remembered that and wanted to follow in his footsteps J.

Monterrey was the third city of my trip and I was disappointed that I didn’t have time to explore the city as well as the natural areas including the mountains, canyons and forests (the scenery is gorgeous). Did you know that it is the third largest city in Mexico after Mexico City and Guadalajara. It is one of their biggest tech cities in the country and seems very modernized. Next year I plan to spend more time here! Anyways, so I went to the fair and one of the reps accidentally went to the wrong school location. He was supposed to give the Engineering presentation and they needed another representative to present instead of him. Guess what… I had an engineering presentation prepared for the American School in Mexico City so I jumped into it and wowed the students. Well, I don’t know if I would go that far, but I gave the presentation and I think it went well for a last minute substitution. There was a fair following the presentation that was great too! We have an exchange program with Tec de Monterrey which is a top university in Mexico so I met some transfer and exchange students from their school too!

My final stop was in Mexico City. Let me say that I LOVED MEXICO CITY! I was a bit hesitant because you only hear negative comments about crime and the size of the city but I really enjoyed my time here. It was nice because I had four days so I was able to get a good flavor for the city. I attended three college fairs and have two engineering presentations (luckily I had practiced in Monterrey J) so I was quite busy in Mexico City. The fairs were REALLY busy and I met with really students who had thoughtful questions (trust me, reps really appreciate questions that cannot be found online or in the viewbook) about IIT and our specific academic programs.

I would have to say that my favorite part of Mexico City (besides shopping) was when I walked over to Chapultepec Park. This area houses the Castle of Chapultepec as well as numerous museums and monuments. It is a nice area to walk around or just sit on a bench and enjoy a nice book. 

Unfortunately, I did not have more time to go into the museums but next time I will set aside a day for this. The National Museum of Anthropology was highly recommended from colleagues from other schools who were also on this trip.

Oh, I almost forgot. They had wastebaskets that were made out of pop bottles—very environmentally friendly! I had never seen this before and thought it was pretty neat!

As you can see, this was a great trip! I loved Mexico and look forward to going back next year. Hopefully, some of the bright and talented students that I met with will join the IIT community next fall!!

Adios,

Carolyn

I just wanted to remind you that the Early Decision dealine is quickly approaching: November 4, 2009. If you would like to apply for this deadline, please submit your application as well as transcripts, ACT or SAT and letter of recommendation. Early Decision is only for students who are sure that IIT is their first choice and will attend if they are admitted under this decision deadline. If you are still debating between a few schools or need more information about your financial aid package then you should not apply early decision--instead please review our other application deadline options.

We are here to answer any questions that you may have about the different application deadlines to IIT. Please ask us if you have any questions!!

Saturday's Chicago Sun-Times article, "Young engineers aid world," focuses on the work of IIT student groups Haiti Outreach and Engineers Without Borders in an interview with Civil, Architectural & Environmental Engineering undergraduate student Kathryn Weissman, who shares her experiences working to bring solar power to a rural school in Pignon, Haiti, and discusses future projects.

Read the article here.

This past Saturday, October 3, IIT hosted its first of two fall open houses for 2009. The event included the usual complimentary breakfast and lunch, a chance for guests to explore majors in their areas of interest, a department fair, welcome talks, and financial aid and admission overviews. What set this open house apart from the rest was that it was also Jerry Doyle's, Vice Provost of Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid, 50th birthday. Guests signed a giant card and helped us sing Happy Birthday as admission staff presented him with a giant happy face balloon and cupcake complete with candles.

If you weren't able to make it out this past Saturday but are still interested in visiting the campus, don't worry -- our next open house is coming up on Saturday, November 14. Details and registration are available here. We won't have any more giant birthday cards, but it's still sure to be a great time.

Photos from this past Saturday are available in our gallery.