Leadership Symposium

Leadership Symposium is invitation-only. Those who apply by the Early Action I deadline of November 15, 2023, will be considered for eligibility to attend Leadership Symposium through the Camras Scholarship. If you apply for the Crown, Duchossois Leadership, M. A. Lila Self Leadership Academy, or Emerging Campus Leader scholarships, you will also be considered for eligibility.

Email and direct mail invitations will be extended to all finalists by December 31. If you are invited to Leadership Symposium, you will receive additional information about the event schedule, the scholarships that you are being considered for, and the scholarship evaluation process.

Below are examples of past Leadership Symposium activities from last year. Please note that activities are subject to change each year.

1. Academic information sessions
2. Campus, residence hall, and lab tours
3. Trolley tour of Chicago
4. Improv show
5. Pizza dinner
6. And of course...your scholarship roundtable discussion or interview!

For students and families requiring accommodation during Leadership Symposium, we provide rooms at the Hampton Inn Chicago McCormick Place at a special rate of $99 per night. Reservations at this special rate need to be made using this link. All reservations must be made no later than the extended deadline of Monday, January 22, 2024.

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We have added additional rooms for those who need to arrive on Wednesday, February 7. Guests will need to select “Edit Stay” and add the February 8 if they need the additional night at the group rate of $99.

Directions from the Hampton Inn Chicago McCormick Place to campus can be found at the following link.

2024 Leadership Symposium Schedule

Check-in begins at 9 a.m. on Thursday, February 8, 2024, and check-out is at 5 p.m. on Friday, February 9, 2024.

The 2024 Leadership Symposium detailed schedule will be published closer to the event date.

Attendance is by invitation only. Please check your email if you have received an invitation before registration.

Register

Please email Gavin Waits at Gwaits@iit.edu for an evaluation of your exceptions needs and for consideration for make-up sessions.

We recommend wearing business casual attire for your interviews. Please bring comfortable clothing and shoes to change into when needed for the rest of the event.

No, they are not required to stay on campus overnight. Staying on campus overnight is not a requirement for any attendee.

No. Attendees are responsible for their travel and accommodation expenses.

Weather is entirely out of your control. If there is a bad storm and your flight is either canceled or delayed, you will not be penalized. This goes for traveling by car as well. We want you to put your safety first. If you are unable to make it to the Scholarship Symposium, please let your admission counselor know as soon as possible—and provide any updates along the way. We will schedule you for a virtual make-up session.

Scholarship recipients are determined based upon a combination of the merit that was shown in their application, as well as their performance during the interview process at the Leadership Symposium. The Office of Undergrad Admission will look for qualities of leadership such as strong communication skills, collaboration, respecting all voices, content knowledge, critical thinking, and the ability to adapt to different situations. Ultimately, the scoring process is holistic in nature and several factors are considered.

If you are more than 10 minutes late for your scheduled discussion time, you will not be permitted to enter the session. A makeup session is available on Friday if this occurs.

Our ambassadors and counselors have offered some of their favorite Chicago activities in the PDF below.

Things to Do in Chicago