UIC Ignite

Sparky meets admitted students at Ignite. ­(Photo: Julie Jaidinger)

About 1,700 admitted students and their family members visited campus Saturday for the fourth annual UIC Ignite to see what their UIC experience could look like.

“It was our best event yet,” said Oscar Rodriguez, director of recruitment and outreach. “Every year it’s gotten a little better with a bigger crowd.”

Students had the chance to connect with faculty and staff members, visit campus facilities, meet classmates and learn more about academic undergraduate programs offered on campus.

Admitted students must make their college decisions by May 1.

“What we’re attempting to do with Ignite is try and help students determine whether or not UIC is a good fit for them,” Rodriguez said. “UIC is a lot of things, but it’s not all things to all people. We want students to find the right fit so that they can get here, excel and take advantage of all of the things this campus can offer them.”

This year’s class of admitted students includes 22 students with perfect ACT scores, 180 valedictorians and nearly 500 students with a 4.0 GPA. Students are represented from 49 states and 62 countries.

“It’s an incredibly diverse class,” Rodriguez said.

The colleges of Applied Health Sciences; Architecture, Design, and the Arts; Business Administration; Education; Engineering; Liberal Arts and Sciences; and Urban Planning and Public Affairs showcased their offerings through demonstrations by faculty and students.

The Center for Student Involvement hosted UIC Live with music, giveaways and opportunities to meet with representatives from 30 student organizations. For the first time, the warm and dry weather cooperated so that the UIC Live event could showcase UIC’s outdoor spaces.

“This is the first year we’ve been able to activate the Quad in a way that we have been unable to do in years past,” he said.

Students also received information on campus housing, financial aid, undergraduate research opportunities, orientation and more.