Exploring Chicago’s Richness
Ph.D. Student, Brown University
Illinois Tech’s location offers a wealth of academic and cultural opportunities, which only can be found in a major city like Chicago.
Stanley Nicholson (AMAT '23)Stanley Nicholson says he was able to expand his horizons academically and find cultural experiences beyond the classrooms of Illinois Institute of Technology because of its Chicago location.
“I’ve really come to appreciate just how many opportunities there are here,” he says. “They are literally just sitting there, and I think 99 percent of the students here can really take advantage of them.”
Stanley says he was able to attend seminars and hear from guest lecturers at nearby campuses in the city, such as the University of Chicago, University of Illinois Chicago, and others to broaden his academic experience, and build a professional network.
“These were great opportunities to meet people,” he says. “It’s important to get outside of the Illinois Tech bubble. And in a city like Chicago, that might seem overwhelming.”
However, Stanly says his best advice is find mailing lists that align with your interests to guide you to academic and cultural events.
“Mailing lists are surprisingly useful,” he says.
He says through a mailing list, he discovered the Rockefeller Chapel on the nearby campus of University of Chicago hosts free organ concerts twice a month that are open to the public.
“You can go listen to a Ph.D. student who is really into organ music playing a niche piece of music that you might not be able to hear anywhere else,” he says. “I also found ways to go see the Chicago Symphony Orchestra play.”