What Students Say
Likes
- Offers good employment opportunities - Student worker, Graduate Assistants & CPT.
- Campus is huge and has an airport. Students of aviation gets a great exposure.
- Campus has parking areas close to each building, making it easier to reach, especially in winter and rainy seasons.
Dislikes
- Campus is about 40 miles from Chicago city, which is an hour plus drive if you live in Chicago.
- Food isn't always available through out the day, so if your class is in the evening and you are hungry, better eat outside and don't expect anything in the campus.
- Orientation programs aren't designed well. International students often have no clarity about the classes, login information and sometimes they aren't even aware of how to pay the fees.
Course Curriculum
8
- Most of my classes were practical and required a lot of research to understand the concepts. I had a theory only in one class. I was pursuing an MS in Computer Science with Cloud Computing as my major. I was focusing more on AWS cloud, Network Security & Digital Forensics. These courses add a lot of value to your learning.
- We had two classes per week in person and one class used to be online.
- We always had 20 students in each class.
- 90% of the class were Indian students and 10% were of various nationalities.
Admission Experience
- I have only applied for Lewis University and got the admission on the first attempt. Also, my visa was approved on the first attempt. Since I did not apply for any other schools, there were no other admits or rejections I encountered. Likewise, I thankfully have no rejections to discuss at this point. However, I believe most rejections often occur due to bad academic performance in our last qualification.
- I chose Lewis based on the feedback from my friend, who was already at Lewis. I opted for this university for the fact that it had a great visa approval rate at the time I applied, and the University was close to Chicago city with a moderate fee structure. Course I pursued aligned with my interests.
- Admission process is very simple and self-explanatory. Just navigate to the website, create an account, submit an application (by selecting the course you want to pursue), and upload supporting documents such as your transcripts, English test, financials, LOR and SOP, and submit the application. If they find you eligible, they will acknowledge it with an admit. After receiving your admit, in about a month's time you will receive your i20. You may then apply for your visa. English Tests can be DUOLINGO, IELTS, PTE, TOEFL, etc.,
- Admission process was very simple.
- I applied for spring 2022. I was inspired by my friend and colleague who also applied at the same university and gave me very positive feedback and recommended me to apply at Lewis. The process was quick and easy at that point and time and I got my admission in about a month's time. In another month's time I received my i20 after submitting the necessary documents.
Faculty
8
- 1:20 ratio for each class. Each professor gets 20 students in each class. This was standard for each class among all courses at Lewis. Teaching was very practical and consisted of real-life scenarios.
- I have not seen any faculty assisting students in finding part-time or full-time jobs; however, they recommend great strategies to find jobs.
- Professor Manoj Bhat was amazing with his interactive and collaborative teaching techniques and forcing students to complete the assignments. His skills to engage students in interactive learning are unique.
Campus Life
10
- 3 Campuses as of today. Romeoville, Oak Brook, & New Mexico
- Each campus has library, sports facilities, multifaith prayer rooms, medical facilities, parking, etc.
- Every Indian festival is greatly celebrated, such as Eid, Diwali, Dussehra, Christmas, etc.; in addition, every social event is celebrated.
- Sports events take place throughout the summer. Various events at the state and international level are conducted across Lewis and other campuses.
Part Time Jobs
- It is hard to say the exact count; however, every professor hires two Teaching Assistants, and 2 departmental assistant positions. They get a 75% concession on their tuition fee and a standard monthly pay of about $400. Whereas for other jobs, such as student work, they get paid $12/hr and get to work 20 hours per week.
- Securing a job is very easy; simply navigate to jobs.lewisu.edu and look for the type of job you need and apply. Once applied, walk into the respective department and meet the hiring manager so they can see who you are and may decide to hire you.
- $12/hour on campus for student worker positions. At lewis jobs.lewisu.edu and handshake are the best resources to apply for jobs. Handshake shows full-time, part-time and internships as well. However, one must be careful in accepting offers, as a student visa has restrictions on employment outside campus. Finding job right now is quite tricky and difficult.
Placement
6
- Market is very competitive right now and with new rules every day, it is difficult to give a time frame for finding a job.
- However, references may help secure a job, yet the fate of H1 sponsorship lies on the role and company. Average salary differs based on the skills and experience.
- There is no exact number to specify. Campus interviews do give an opportunity; however, it all depends on how well you perform during the interview. United Airlines hires a lot of students on a contract basis.
Accommodation
Off Campus
10
- My friend helps me with my accommodation. However, there is a Telegram group of Lewis that can help find a stay.
- My monthly rent was $300 as it was a shared accommodation with no parking. I had to pay separately for parking.
- Thankfully I had no challenges for my initial arrival; later I changed my stay using Telegram references. Always use the Telegram channel of Lewis to find students. Accommodation was not too far from Lewis, around 6 miles.
Exams
- Duolingo, IELTS, TOEFL, and PTE all qualify for English requirements.
- Transcripts, LOR, CV, Financial Proofs, Statement of Purpose are necessary to complete the application.
- There was no interview at the time I applied; however, I am not certain if they have added an interview as a requirement for admission at this time. At least, I have not heard from anyone about the interview so far.
Fees
- Fees:
- $2500 per class/subject.
- Each international student must undertake a minimum of 10 classes (30 credits) to qualify for a degree. Some may have to take more classes if they have no prior work experience or educational qualification in that particular field. If so, they have to take prerequisite courses.
- $2500*10 = $25,000
- Hostel—I have no idea since I stayed off campus.
- Insurance = $750 per semester
- Fees can be paid semester-wise, either in advance or through Nelnet EMI. However, enrolling in Nelnet EMI costs an additional $60 enrollment fee per semester.
- Each semester, international students must enrol in a minimum of 3 classes; that is $7500 + $750 insurance.
- Average Fee per month = $2062
- Rent = $400-$2000 (depends on type and location of stay)
- Food = $350-$800 (depends on how often we eat outside)
- Car/Transport = $650-$800 (If purchased on EMI)
- Insurance = $200
- Fuel = $200
- Mobile = $60
- Estimated average based on midpoint will be around $5022 however it may vary based on several factors.
- Most international students earn about $3000 per month; hence, they manage their stay and food at a lower price and also they often buy a used car to prevent monthly EMI.
Scholarship
- Scholarships are available; however, those are very competitive and mostly have multiple eligibility criteria and are hardly achievable. I have never received one; however, I was able to get a student worker job right in the first semester and later got an offer to work on CPT.
- I do not know of any other batchmates who received scholarships. Most scholarships are awarded in the sports category.
- Many students receive scholarships as they meet all requirements. I wasn't one in that list.
