The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the No. 24 university in the world, according to Times Higher Education’s world reputation rankings. Harvard takes the No. 1 spot and Kyoto University in Japan precedes the University at No. 23. The University of Michigan, ranked No. 12, is the only Big Ten school which precedes Illinois. 

The rankings were determined by a survey taken by over 16,000 published scholars from 144 different countries. Each scholar named up to 15 universities that they thought were the best in the world, based on excellence in research and teaching within their own discipline.

In honor of our No. 24 spot, I have named the top 24 things about the University. Do you agree?

No. 24 Squirrels

No place has friendlier squirrels. Cute and fluffy, what’s not to love? Just keep an eye on your food!

No. 23 The Daily Illini

The Daily Illini is the independent daily student newspaper of the University. Not too many college newspapers can boast that. Not to mention, in 2012 The Daily Illini won first in general excellence by the Illinois College Press Association.

No. 22  Bus system

The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District offers a great bus system that takes us all-over campus and to surrounding towns. It also gives us SafeRides, which comes in handy late on a Saturday night.

No. 21 Registered Student Organizations

Illinois has over 1,000 Registered Student Organizations ranging from Nuts for Nutella to the Ballroom Dance Club.

No. 20 Research

The Research Park offers valuable research internships for students where established companies work with faculty and students to develop new technologies.

No. 19 Best band in the land

Illinois Bands is a program of firsts, most notably the first college band program in the world. John Philip Sousa himself called it the “world’s greatest college band.” The Marching Illini, one branch of the band program, also keeps the football games interesting.

No. 18 Krannert Center for the Performing Arts

Krannert offers a beautiful concert venue for performances ranging from campus instrumental groups to Circus Oz from Australia. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra sometimes uses Foellinger Great Hall, the main performance hall in Krannert, to record.

No. 17 History

Illinois has a long and interesting history. It started when Abraham Lincoln signed the Morrill Act in 1862, which granted public land in each state for the creation of universities.

No. 16 Tradition

Even though Chief Illiniwek is no longer the mascot, he still maintains a presence for many students. How long this tradition continues is up to fans at football and basketball games who yell “Chiefff” during the Three-In-One.

No. 15 The Quad

The Quad is the central gathering place on campus. This year, it held the Harlem Shake dance, the mass snowball fight on the snow day and sunbathing students on the few and far between warm spring days.

No. 14 Diversity

Illinois is an ethnically-diverse university, bringing students from all 50 states plus 118 countries, with 20 percent coming from outside the country.

No. 13 Weekends

There are so many things to do on campus all the time. From sporting events to Illini Union Board activities to club meetings to parties, you’re missing out if you go home for a weekend.

No. 12 Micro-urban community

Though it is 140 miles south of Chicago, the University doesn’t feel like it is in the middle of cornfields. Campus, as well as the cities of Champaign and Urbana, offer numerous things to do.

No. 11 The bar scene

You can get into most bars on campus at 19. Need I say more?

No. 10 Professional relationships

The student-faculty ratio is 17:1. This allows students to get to know their professors and form connections.

No. 9 Retention

After their freshmen year, 92.7 percent of students return. That’s a high retention rate. Students want to be here.

No. 8 Jobs

According to the University, 73 percent of job-seeking seniors find work within six months of graduation. The odds are in your favor.

No. 7 Green Street

Green Street makes for the perfect heart of campustown. A variety of restaurants, bars, a Starbucks, apartments, bookstores and so much more.

No. 6 Future

Illinois is a great university to attend if you don’t really know what you want to do with your life. With more than 150 undergraduate programs and more than 100 graduate programs, you can basically study anything you like.

No. 5 Sports

Illinois is a Division I, Big Ten school. No matter how our teams do, it’s pretty cool to be a part of that atmosphere.

No. 4 Top programs

The University boasts the No. 1 spot in the nation for its Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Engineering holds the No. 5 spot.

No. 3 Aesthetics

A large part of a university’s appeal is its aesthetics, and Illinois has it. Three grassy quads, century-old beautiful buildings and large leafy trees create the perfect collegiate atmosphere.

No. 2 School spirit

I-L-L! I-N-I! Though we may have some trouble winning football games, we all still bleed orange and blue.

No. 1 Feels like home

Coming to Illinois feels like coming home. You build an entire life here and can come back at any time without feeling like an outsider. While the campus landscape may continually change, the core of Illinois stays the same. Once an Illini, forever an Illini; you belong here.

Kirsten is a sophomore in Media. She can be reached at [email protected].