Tops in the nation in many departments, but they don't cater to their undergrads the way they should, and forget it if you're a non-traditional student. I've often thought they should change their name to 'Illinois A&M' because Engineering and Ag are their strengths. Undergraduates will frequently have grad teaching assistants (who have little interest or talent for teaching) for their 100- and 200-level courses. The campus has a lot to offer in terms of culture and the arts, but the education is best had by grad and professional students. How did they put it? 'At Illnois, you're not a number, you're nine numbers.' So definitely apply, but understand that the comparitively lower tuition than that of large private universities means giving up that feeling that you're a VIP.