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I always heard people talking about how big greek life is at U of I so there's a little bit of a stereotype of how fratty UofI can be. However, a more pervasive stereotype I have heard is that people who go to UofI are nerdy.

Both of these stereotypes are true and false. As with any college you go to there are always fratty kids and always nerdy kids. That doesn't mean that everyone on campus fits into one of these two groups. While I see myself fitting into both of these categories at times, I have never had a problem fitting in or finding someone I share common interests with. UofI is such a big school that there is a lot of diversity on campus, one or two stereotypes cannot be used to generalize the entire student population.

At first I was unsure if I was going to like UofI. It wasn't my first choice and I had never visited before. However, upon arriving for freshman orientation I quickly changed my mind. The academic campus is very impressive and pretty. While the campus town is urban and not as pretty there is a lot to do there. The campus is big but it is pretty easy to learn your way around quickly. The student body is big, but between classes, joining a fraternity/sorority, or joining a club it is very easy to meet people. There is a good amount of school pride. Basketball games and football games are a ton of fun (they'd be more fun if we won more often) and people go all out for them. There have been a couple recent controversies, such as the clout list and the banning of our mascot, however I feel none of these have a had a negative effect on students or affected our school pride.

Depending on what you take or what your major is really affects how much work your going to put in. I started out as undeclared, then I switched to communications, and then I switched to biology. Each major was extremely different. Students in communications really only have to do about 5-6 hours of studying or homework a week whereas biology majors can put in upwards of 20-30 hours. Higher level major courses can get competitive but lower level general education requirement classes are pretty relaxed. Overall class participation is pretty common so if you're someone who likes to talk you can talk, or if you're more of a quiet type, someones bound to volunteer before you get put on the spot. Most of the professors are very helpful and make class interesting. Occasionally you will get a TA or professor that you don't care for that much but it's probably because you don't like the class that you're taking. Professors and TA's have a lot of office hours so it is easy to get help outside of the classroom. UofI has a lot of online homework sites that have discussion boards which can be used to ask professors questions or social network to find people in your class who can help you study.

UofI is very fostering for people of all kinds of backgrounds. When going through the application process I heard the word diversity so many times I forgot what it meant. You don't really understand what "diversity" colleges are talking about until you get there. At UofI there are students from all over the world. There are students of every age, race, religion, economic background, and sexual orientation. I don't think any student would have a hard time finding someone like themselves unless they were trying NOT to meet people. Anyone can feel at home. Most students probably come from middle class families in the Chicago suburbs area, but there are also a lot of out of state students, and international students, especially from Asia.

There are some big organizations on campus such as Illini Pride and Orange Krush. These are student organizations are centered around sports games like football and basketball, which a lot of people go to. These groups consist of thousands of members and help students get good deals on campus as far as sports tickets and sportswear go. Student groups at UofI are called RSOs (registered student organizations) and there are hundreds of them. Anything from fencing, to sports, to jam bands, to comedy groups, to debate teams, to chemistry fanatics (check out http://illinois.collegiatelink.net). I am involved in the Illini Racquetball Club team. We meet twice a meet for "Practice" where we play racquetball matches. We have tournaments once a month and get to travel to other schools nearby like Indiana, Purdue, and Bradley, as well as hosting our own tournament. I'm also a member of a fraternity. Greek life is the biggest in the nation at UofI, meaning about 6,000 students are in a fraternity or sorority. Being in a frat/sorority isn't necessarily important but it helps you meet a lot of people very quickly, although if your not in one you'll still be able to make friends no problem. Some of my best friends are not in my fraternity and I met them freshman year in my dorm. I had a great dorm freshman year. People on my floor left there doors open and a lot of us were friends. This isn't always the case but you'll find it is a lot of the time.

There is a big drinking holiday on campus called Unofficial St. Patrick's day. It's usually referred to as Unofficial for short. Basically people just get up early and drink all day. It never really gets out of hand but if your sober it's a weird experience walking down the street. Some people party like this all the time and some people don't at all. There are a lot of bars on campus and you only need to be 19 to get in (18 in Urbana). But besides that there is a lot to do on campus that doesn't involve drinking. The student union has a bowling alley and arcade inside. Chamapaign has a lot of great shopping, restaurants, theaters, and a mall.

It really depends on what people are interested some. There are some really fun classes like ice skating, wine tasting, intro to film, or flower arranging that always fill up really fast. Other than that it just matters what you are interested in. UofI has a wide variety of classes so you can definitely find something that you think is fun.

Depending on which dorm you are in, your experience could be very different. I lived in the six pack which used to be 6 dorms on campus that were all right next to each other. These were built a while ago and were a little out of date but in relatively good condition. The rooms are pretty small (11ftX13ft). Each room has two closets, a desk, and 2 beds, which can be bunked or separated. The bathroom and showers are at the end of each hall. The university started knocking these dorms down 2 years ago and building brand new dorms which are supposed to be very nice. On the other side of campus is LAR, PAR and FAR which appear to be a little newer than the 6 pack. I believe the rooms there are similar to the 6 pack.

There is a wide variety in professors. Some are young, old, men, women, white, black, latino, gay, straight, liberal, conservative, etc... If you like your classes you'll probably like your professor. Professors are pretty easy to get in contact with if you have questions or are having trouble. Professors are very passionate about their work and will love to talk to you if you have any questions about their field. Most are fair graders and will listen to you if you have any grading issues.

Recently students and faculty just voted to create a smoking ban on campus, meaning smoking would be banned on all campus property.

My most memorable day on campus this far was probably freshman orientation. This day stands out the most to me because everything was so new. It's a really eye opening experience. I just kept thinking to myself. "Wow, I made it." I spent the day meeting with my counselor to pick out my first semester classes, in a short orientation speech, and wandering around campus getting acquainted with my new home. The whole process was very overwhelming but extremely exciting. It's something I'll never forget.

There could be a couple typical weekends. Some people just like to hang out. I've often found myself in my dorm, frat, or apartment just hanging out with friends. We might play some video games, go get some food on green street, or just sit around and talk. Other weekends I'll find myself at one of the campus bars which can get packed, and pretty crazy, on the weekends. However, if I have a rough week for school coming up I might spend a weekend in the library.

A typical weekend usually consists of getting up around 11am, doing a couple hours of studying or homework, coming home and hanging out till about 10pm, and then if I'm feeling up to it I'll go out to a bar with a group of friends.

The University of Illinois is a Big Ten school known for it's engineering, agriculture, and business programs. It has a student body of about 30,000 undergraduates and about 10,000 graduate students. UofI has academic programs in almost anything you can think, many of which are top ranked nationally. The campus is pretty large but you can get almost anywhere you need to within a 20 minute walk. The surrounding area, including campus, can be described as micro-urban, meaning it has a lot of qualities of city and small town at the same time. Some people might describe it as a party school, but what college isn't?

Ask everyone that has gone to college or is in college as many questions as you can. As soon as you get to school everyone will be able to spot that you're a freshman from a mile away. It's good to ask around and learn the tips of college life early. This will not only make your life a lot easier but it may save you some embarrassment as well. For example, if you plan on joining a fraternity/sorority learn how to pronounce the Greek letters, that's something I messed up...

If you don't know what you want to do with your life or what you want to major in, that is totally fine. I came into college freaking out about what I wanted to be when I grow up and thinking I needed to know right now. You have a lot of time in college to figure it out and a lot of credit hours to play around with. Take your time exploring any possible career choices you think you might be interested in.

If you want to date someone I'm sure you can find them. About half of my friends are dating someone and the other half aren't. It's very easy to meet people, so finding someone you would like to date is almost inevitable. There's a lot of great places to go on a date like one of the classier restaurants in champaign, curtis orchard, or a movie theatre. I don't feel pressured to date anyone or pressured not to date anyone, so it's a pretty relaxed dating scene.

Greek life is huge at UofI, about 6,000 students out of 30,000 are involved with greek life. Greek life presents many great opportunities that might not otherwise be available. As well as social opportunities, there are also service and philanthropy activities, huge alumni networks, and academic help. By holding a house position, fraternities and sororities can be a great ways to gain leadership experience. Fraternities and sororities can be very diverse in their activities which range from academic to athletic to parties.

I think UofI is unique because of its location. The UofI campus is located in sort of its own little bubble. All of the academic buildings, dorms, frats/sororities, and businesses are located in campus town but if you go off campus you can find a lot of great stuff. Champaign and Urbana have a unique culture. There are a many interesting restaurants and stores, and there's always something to do if you get bored with campus.

Another unique feature is the alma mater. For some reason when my friends first started coming to visit me they always asked me about the alma mater. I didn't realize this statue was so well known, but apparently it is. Check it out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alma_Mater,_Lorado_Taft.jpg.

If you go too far north you run into a highway. If you go too far south you end up in cornfields. If you go too far east you're in Urbana, a quiet suburban town. If you go too far west you end up in champaign, parts of which can be quiet and suburban and parts that are a little shadier...

The undergraduate library is too loud and your bound to get distracted by seeing someone you know. If you study in your room or apartment you'll probably get distracted even easier. A lot of dorms have study rooms but being too close to your room can be tempting. Grainger is on the North quad, which can be a bit of a hike for some, but completely worth it. Grainger has quiet sections, talking sections, and private study rooms (if you can find an open one). There are also a couple computer labs and if you're an engineering student (or have an engineering student for a friend) you can use the EWS computer labs, which have two widescreen monitors hooked up to each computer.

I always heard people talking about how big greek life is at UofI so there's a little bit of a stereotype of how fratty UofI can be. However, a more pervasive stereotype I have heard is that people who go to UofI are nerdy.

Not at all. You can't attribute one stereotype to a whole university.

If you're looking to get a job on campus their are plenty of opportunities. The university has a virtual job board that various organizations within the university, such as the performing arts center, museums, and catering, post job opportunities. Many of these organizations also offer work-study programs. The work is usually not too hard and it's a great chance to meet to new people and boost your resume.

I decided to go to UofI for its academic reputation and because tuition was cheaper there than the other schools I applied to. These are pretty practical reasons but UofI is a really academically strong university and I figured I'd get the best education for the best price.

There are a variety of classes and each one is taught a little different. Most of my communication classes are large lectures, 50 -300 students. You go to class, you listen to a professor read off of a power point, and occasionally you answer a question or send in an answer via these things called iClickers. These types of classes can be interesting or boring depending on if you're interested in the topic. Most of these classes also have a discussion portion that meets once a week and is led by a TA. In discussion you fill out worksheets, discuss issues in groups, and occasionally present to the class. Most lectures and discussions are about 50 minutes long.

Other types of classes could be labs. I have had a number of chemistry and biology labs. These types of classes can be 3-4 hours long but they usually move pretty quick and a lot of the time you can finish your lab in 1-2 hours. In labs you usually have a partner or two and are given a lab to finish in the 3-4 hour period. The lab instructions are recorded in a lab manual so you and your partner(s) just follow the instructions all the way through.

Some other classes are more like what I was used to in high school. They are smaller and taught in a classroom. The teacher will talk about a subject and then ask for your input about a topic or have you work in a group to talk about an issue or fill out a worksheet.

Sports are a big part of UofI, as they should be at any big ten school. Football games are a lot of fun. All the student tickets are in the same area of the stadium so you sit with a bunch of other students and yell a lot of school spirited chants that have been passed down for many years. Basketball games are equally as fun but tickets are more expensive. A lot of sporting events are free or cheap, and not ticketed, such as women's volleyball, who have been consistently good since I started attending.

Dorm food can be good or bad. It has improved a lot since I was a Freshman but it still is not always the best. The dining halls are self serve in a buffet style where you can choose from selections like salad, pasta, stir fry, steak, chicken, rice, and other entrees. These can be hit or miss but you can usually find something you like.

UofI does a point system and a meal system. You can either choose from 2-3 meals a day or a number of points which you use like cash. It costs points every time you walk into the dining hall. Also you can use these points to buy snacks at different food "stores" in dorms around campus.

My favorite campus tradition is probably football games. I am in a fraternity so we have what is called block. This is when a fraternity and sorority pair up and rent out part of a bar for the mornings before all the football games. Every game day we get up extra early and head to a bar. Block is a great way to meet a lot of people and get your school spirit going. After socializing for a while we'll head over to the stadium for the game. It's a great feeling walking into the stadium and seeing everyone dressed in orange ready to cheer on the Illini. The student section has specific cheers planned out for different parts of the game like kickoffs, first down, and touchdowns, which can be pretty entertaining. There's just something about fall weather and football that make the campus atmosphere that much more exciting.

The best part about the social scene on campus is that there are so many different social scenes. Some people like to take it easy on the weekends and stay in. Some people want to go out but not drink. If this is your idea of a good weekend you may find yourself at the union or at a campus bar. And some people like to party. If you like to party UofI is great because UofI has a great apartment, fraternity, and bar scene.

The worst part of the social scene is that underage drinking can get you into a lot of trouble, if not with the law, then with your health. You have to be careful.