University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

The dorms in the 6-pack (the central cluster of dorms), are all essentially the same. They are all very similar in size, which is pretty small. If you have bunk beds, there is enough room for a futon, but if you want to separate your beds then your extra space will be virtually nonexistent. Not that this is an issue, but to some people it could get cramped. The dorms can be very social, although it varies from dorm to dorm and from floor to floor. There are nearby bus stops by all the dorms. Most dorms have events held a few times a week in the commons, which aren't mandatory but some students really like to attend them. The RA's are always helpful and available to you when you need them. The dorms aren't exceptional in any way, but they are average and I don't see a problem with that at all. Dorm life is perfectly fine and average for the college experience, but I would definitely recommend living in the dorms over apartments freshman year.

While not super spacious, the dorms offer sufficient space for you and your roommate. There are countless dorms on campus, and all of them have cafeterias which serve a variety of different foods! The buses all service the dorms so you don't have to worry about living too far from campus.

The dorms can be small, but they are a really fun place to live. Each hall is unique and offers different things to its residents. There are all girl dorms, there's "living learning communities" which means you could end up having class in the same building you live in! Talk about no travel time. There's a dorm with an all vegetarian dining hall and there's the newer dorms too! I lived in PAR (Pennsylvania Ave. Residence hall) and while it was a little further from campus, it's not a bad walk, and you get the best bus service because you're further away. Also, they just got a brand new dining hall!

There are two types of dorms: private and public. I personally stayed in a private dorm, Illini Tower (IT). The rooms are the biggest and nicest of any dorm on campus, public or private. Each room has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a common area. Another private dorm is Bromley. The rooms there are smaller, but still nicer and bigger than public dorms. I didn't have the best experience in IT, so I would recommend living in public dorms. I think public dorms have better food and is more social, something that was kind of lacking in IT. This isn't the case for everyone, so I would still check out the private dorms. Everybody's different. Public dorms are great. They have good food and a very social environment. Everyone's door is always open. Floors become really close and really good friends. The main public dorms are called Six Pack, for there is six dorms in this complex. There is a common area at Six Pack, which includes a cafeteria and study lounges. There are also FAR, PAR, and LAR. These are the farthest from campus. Six Pack is the best public dorm.

Definitely do your research before choosing your dorm. Different dorms have different cultures to which people tend to respond better. Nothing is worse than trying to study in the "party" dorm.

I lived in Allen Hall for two years. The second year, I worked at a Program Adviser in the dorm. It was an incredible place to live (since living in a dorm is required for your first year). In many ways, Allen hall lives up to it's reputation--it is full of the artzy fartzy types. However, it is a kickass experience. At all hours of the day, you will probably find someone cooking in the communal kitchen. There are several common areas throughout the dorm that are populated with people either hanging out or studying. In that sense, you can easily meet people. This dorm tends to attract people who are friendly and personable. When I lived there, people left their doors open, but I'm not sure that's the case anymore. There have been several situations in the dorms that resulted in complete lockdown. The best part about Allen Hall is that there's constantly programs going on. There are roughly 30 student groups and all of them put on different programs each week. There are also classes that you can take in the dorm. I especially enjoyed the photography classes that I took (there's a darkroom and ceramics studio in the dorm). I don't know that I can speak about the rest of the dorms on campus, but I know that after living at Allen for two years, I saw "Allen-ites" everywhere around campus.

I'm a resident advisor, so I've seen the dorms more than the average student on campus. I'll make this concise based on what I know students want to know coming into U of I: Florida Avenue Residence Hall (FAR) -2 large "high rise" buildings, Oglesby and Trelese -comprised of 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} freshmen -closed lounges on each floor -girls on even floors, girls on even floors. -3 buses to campus Pennsylvania Avenue Residence Hall (PAR) -4 separate buildings all connected by common area downstairs in lobbies -many study rooms scattered throughout the building -large dining hall with great food -no air-conditioning in the rooms themselves -open lounges and closed lounges on each floor -rec room with pool/ping pong table etc. -each building has only one all girl floor, the 2nd floor -3 buses to campus Illinois Avenue Residence Hall (ISR) -closest hall to engineering campus -air-conditioned rooms (self controlled) -comprised of mainly engineering students -open lounges and common spaces -small study rooms on each floor (co-ed divided by floors) -much more quiet than all the other halls -1 bus to campus Ikenberry Commons (formerly the "six pack") -construction taking place for the next couple of years -larger rooms than the average -home to the largest college dining hall in the nation -very handicap assessable -air-conditioned rooms -large, wide open living spaces and common areas. More info if I missed anything! http://www.housing.illinois.edu/Future/Freshmen/Great{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}20Locations.aspx All dorms have a computer lab and rec rooms with games and other fun activities and are stocked with cabinet space and chairs for each student. RA programming is also a big part of dorm life, so expect that there is always something going on to help you meet people. I can't speak for Private Certified Housing- the "luxury dorms." Refer to this site: http://certified.housing.uiuc.edu/

There is a dorm for everyone. There is the "6-pack" which is are 6 dorms of 4 floors each that are all right next to each other near the football and basketball stadium. It is not too far from the classroom buildings and bar scene. It is way a lot of people want to live because it is the most social area for freshman. I met a ton of people when I lived here, and my fraternity is right across the street. This area is also being re-done and there is already a huge, new cafeteria that I never got to experience. I heard it is amazing. There are also other dorms that are more equipped for those who are not as social or want to study more/be more independent. Each dorm has a unique style to it, and there will be a spot for you.

The residence halls are comparable to what you would find at any other university, but we may have a few more perks. We have two types of housing, University Housing and Private Certified. University Housing University Housing is through the university and most students choose to live in a residence hall through the university. Most rooms are doubles (although there are some singles an triples) that come with two beds, two desks, two chairs and two closets with locks that will only open with your key so your roommate cannot access you closet. The beds can be lofted to different lengths so keep that as an option. You can bring your own microwave or fridge or rent one from a company that the university works with. You also have internet but you need to bring your own ethernet cable, but if you and your roommate both bring one, you don't have to share internet because there are multiple plugs on the modem. University Housing also has community bathrooms, but male and females have different bathrooms so it's not completely "community". There are usually 2-3 community bathrooms per floor, so you'll never have to worry about all the showers being taken up. Each bathroom is cleaned 2x a day and deep cleaned 1-2x a week. All University residence halls have libraries and computer labs. We have library system at Illinois that you can request a book from one library to be sent to the library at your residence hall so you don't have to venture out if you don't want to. All computer labs have on site staff to help you if necessary and printing services in case your own printer starts to fail. All residence halls also have lounges. A few of our residence halls are air-conditioned, but many aren't, but if you live in one that is not air-conditioned, it is just your room that isn't air conditioned. The lounges with TVs in them have A/C as well as the foyer, dining halls, computer labs and libraries. The biggest perk to university housing is that you can eat at any other dining hall on campus that is also university housing. So you can eat at Busey-Evans one night, then travel to Illinois Street Residence, then to Champaign the next night if you want. I lived in Busey-Evans both my freshman and sophomore years. It's all female, air-conditioned and I loved it! Private Certified is housing approved by the university, but owned by a private company. Examples would be the Newman Catholic Center, Bromley Hall, Presby, Illini Tower etc Private Certified housing (PCH) tends to be more expensive, but there are usually more amenities. For instance, the rooms tend to be suit-style so you would usually have your own room with a share common room and bathroom instead of community bathroom. Presby, for instance, is one of the most expensive, but features leather couches, nice furniture and a kitchen with newer appliances and Bromley has a beautiful lounge with an indoor pool. The biggest downside to PCH is you can only eat at that residence hall and no others. However, if you miss lunch, some residence halls, like Bromley, will give you a "sack lunch" so you have something to eat even though you missed lunch.

I read recently that one of the dorms here, Garner Hall, was rated by students as the worst dorm in the country. But despite criticism I know that the dorms are actually nice places to live after having been a resident for almost a semester. And I have been in Garner Hall, and it is just like any other dorm. Aside from the current construction going on outside of Garner Hall right now, there doesn't seem to be anything especially bad about it. Actually, it is the dorm closest to the dining hall in its area. The dorms are fairly basic, nothing too flashy or special. There is a variety of styles of dorms, the nicer ones usually farthest from campus. Some differences between the nice dorms and lesser dorms is whether there is carpeting in the hallways and the quality of the dining hall. There are also a few private dorms on campus, which are a step above all the residence halls. However, they sacrifice quality of food for favorable living conditions. Dorms are usually co-ed, but may switch off boys and girls on each floor. Each floor has one of two R.A.'s (Residential Advisors), who are responsible for a certain section of students. All of the dorms are fairly close to campus, none more than a fifteen minute walk to the main quad. Dorms aren't exactly ideal places to live, but they could be much worse and no one complains about them too much.

Our dorms are about as diverse as the rest of the university. We have dorms that house thousands of students and others that only house hundreds. We have dorms that are all-girls, all-boys, and co-ed. Some dorms are really close to the majority of campus buildings, while others are pretty far away. Some dorms are known for being really social, while others are known for having a quieter atmosphere. Many of our dorms are made to be very handicap-accessible. In general, the dorm rooms are pretty small, but that is to be expected. Some dorms have been recently upgraded and feature recently installed air-conditioning or new furniture. Some dorms are in the process of being rebuilt in order to update them. Most dorms have a community bathroom, with each floor having 2 bathrooms for boys and 2 for girls. Some of the newer dorms are suite style, so 1 bathroom is shared among 2 rooms. For those who are dreading living in the dorms, certified private student housing is always an option. It is more expensive, but it is also nicer. Honestly, although the living conditions are a bit tight, the dorm experience is unlike any other and is one to look forward to.

I really lucked out with my dorm situation. I ended up being in PAR, and everyone told me I was going to hate it, but it was actually quite the opposite. We had RA's who had "open door" policies, which meant that they encouraged students to keep their doors open as much as possible, so we could all get to know each other. I took advantage of all of the floor and building activities that were offered, and by October, I had already made a tight knit group of friends that became like my family. You share everything with your dormmates from stress to meals to tears to having fun. On the other hand, there are many students who haven't had such a positive experience in the dorms. There are certain dorms, like ISR for example, that aren't exactly known for being social, and if you are a social person, you probably won't enjoy those very much. Food at the dorms isn't great, but you'd get that pretty much anywhere. Terrible dorm food is just a part of being in college.

The University of Illinois is unique in that there are two different types of housing that are open to all students, starting freshman year. The majority of students choose University Residence Halls (aka dorms or public housing to most people, although they are technically neither). There are over 20 different halls that you can choose from, and they're organized into 6 different complexes that are all about the same distance from the Quad to the north, south, east, and west. The most-requested hall on campus is Allen Hall. It's a pretty unique and close-knit community, and a lot of the people living there have artistic interests, although it is by no means limited to any certain majors. It's been described as a little enclave of private liberal-arts college atmosphere within a Big 10 school like Illinois. If that's not your thing, then you could try the Ikenberry Commons. It's a group of 10 residence halls on the Champaign side of campus where they're actually in the process of tearing those buildings down one by one and rebuilding. There's already one new hall open, and another is opening next year that will have suite-style living. Also, the Ike dining hall over there is pretty awesome and it's the largest student dining hall in the country. To the north, Illinois Street Residence Halls (ISR) are a popular pick for engineers or bio majors because of its location. It, like Florida Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue (FAR and PAR) to the south, has an institutional look to it from the outside, but the insides are pretty nice. All the residence halls are kept clean and well-maintained and you wouldn't know how old they are just by looking. The other option for housing is Private Certified. There's a lot of these around campus. Some are religious-affiliated like Newman, others are just family owned units like Hendrick House, and others are corporate-owned like Illini Tower. They're especially popular with sophomores and upperclassmen because they are often suite-style and may have kitchenettes or other extra stuff to make it seem a bit more like an apartment. They still have RAs, dining plans, and are safety-inspected just like the regular university res halls, but they are just privately owned. Some cost a little more too. Bromley and Presby are a couple other popular PCH units you may have heard of. I love University Housing because of the community feeling you experience by living there. I've met so many great people through living in the residence halls. Also, it's an easy life. You get three hot meals cooked for you, no utility bills to pay, your bathroom gets cleaned twice a day, and internet and cable are included too. It makes adjusting to college life pretty smooth.

The University of Illinois is unique in that there are two different types of housing that are open to all students, starting freshman year. The majority of students choose University Residence Halls (aka dorms or public housing to most people, although they are technically neither). There are over 20 different halls that you can choose from, and they're organized into 6 different complexes that are all about the same distance from the Quad to the north, south, east, and west. The most-requested hall on campus is Allen Hall. It's a pretty unique and close-knit community, and a lot of the people living there have artistic interests, although it is by no means limited to any certain majors. It's been described as a little enclave of private liberal-arts college atmosphere within a Big 10 school like Illinois. If that's not your thing, then you could try the Ikenberry Commons. It's a group of 10 residence hall on the Champaign side of campus. It used to be called the 6-Pack, but they're actually in the process of tearing those buildings down one by one and rebuilding. There's already one new hall open, and another is opening next year that will have suite-style living. Also, the Ike dining hall over there is pretty awesome and it's the largest student dining hall in the country. To the north, Illinois Street Residence Halls (ISR) are a popular pick for engineers or bio majors because of its location. It, like Florida Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue (FAR and PAR) to the south, has an institutional look to it from the outside, but the insides are pretty nice. All the residence halls are kept clean and well-maintained and you wouldn't know how old they are just by looking. The other option for housing is Private Certified. There's a lot of these around campus. Some are religious-affiliated like Newman, others are just family owned units like Hendrick House, and others are corporate-owned like Illini Tower. They're especially popular with sophomores and upperclassmen because they are often suite-style and may have kitchenettes or other extra stuff to make it seem a bit more like an apartment. They still have RAs, dining plans, and are safety-inspected just like the regular university res halls, but they are just privately owned. Some cost a little more too. Bromley and Presby are a couple other popular PCH units you may have heard of. I love University Housing because of the community feeling you experience by living there. I've met so many great people through living in the residence halls. Also, it's an easy life. You get three hot meals cooked for you, no utility bills to pay, your bathroom gets cleaned twice a day, and internet and cable are included too. It makes adjusting to college life pretty smooth.

The University of Illinois is unique in that there are two different types of housing that are open to all students, starting freshman year. The majority of students choose University Residence Halls (aka dorms or public housing to most people, although they are technically neither). There are over 20 different halls that you can choose from, and they're organized into 6 different complexes that are all about the same distance from the Quad to the north, south, east, and west. The most-requested hall on campus is Allen Hall. It's a pretty unique and close-knit community, and a lot of the people living there have artistic interests, although it is by no means limited to any certain majors. It's been described as a little enclave of private liberal-arts college atmosphere within a Big 10 school like Illinois. If that's not your thing, then you could try the Ikenberry Commons. It's a group of 10 residence hall on the Champaign side of campus. It used to be called the 6-Pack, but they're actually in the process of tearing those buildings down one by one. There's already one new hall open, and another is opening next year that will have suite-style living. Also, the Ike dining hall over there is pretty awesome and it's the largest student dining hall in the country. To the north, Illinois Street Residence Halls (ISR) are a popular pick for engineers or bio majors because of its location. It, like Florida Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue (FAR and PAR) to the south, has an institutional look to it from the outside, but the insides are pretty nice. All the residence halls are kept clean and well-maintained and you wouldn't know how old they are just by looking. The other option for housing is Private Certified. There's a lot of these around campus. Some are religious-affiliated like Newman, others are just family owned units like Hendrick House, and others are corporate-owned like Illini Tower. They're especially popular with sophomores and upperclassmen because they are often suite-style and may have kitchenettes or other extra stuff to make it seem a bit more like an apartment. They still have RAs, dining plans, and are safety-inspected just like the regular university res halls, but they are just privately owned. Some cost a little more too. Bromley and Presby are a couple other popular PCH units you may have heard of. I love University Housing because of the community feeling you experience by living there. I've met so many great people through living in the residence halls. Also, it's an easy life. You get three hot meals cooked for you, no utility bills to pay, your bathroom gets cleaned twice a day, and internet and cable are included too. It makes adjusting to college life pretty smooth.

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.

Depending on which dorm you are in you experience could be very different. I lived in the six pack which used to be 6 dorms on campus. These were built a while ago and were pretty 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. They 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 are so many dorms on campus it will be easy to find one that fits you. Most students live in public university housing. This option will probably give you the best way to socialize. Sharing a bathroom with an entire floor of people helps you get to know everyone really quickly! I lived in Bromley, which is part of private certified housing. The rooms in Bromley are called suites, which means two rooms are next to each other with one bathroom connecting them. My room and my neighbor's room each had two girls, so our bathroom was shared among four people. However, some private dorms have singles, triples and quads. Private certified housing is supposed to have bigger rooms, although my dorm room was still smaller than my room at home. I loved living in Bromley. My roommate and suitemates became my best friends even though we were randomly assigned to live together. As a senior I still spend time with them and consider them family.

There are so many dorms on campus it will be easy to find one that fits you. Most students live in public university housing. This option will probably give you the best way to socialize. Sharing a bathroom with an entire floor of people helps you get to know everyone really quickly! I lived in Bromley, which is part of private certified housing. The rooms in Bromley are called suites, which means two rooms are next to each other with one bathroom connecting them. My room and my neighbor's room each had two girls, so our bathroom was shared among four people. However, some private dorms have singles, triples and quads. Private certified housing is supposed to have bigger rooms, although my dorm room was still smaller than my room at home. I loved living in Bromley. My roommate and suitemates became my best friends even though we were randomly assigned to live together. As a senior I still spend time with them and consider them family.

There are so many dorms on campus it will be easy to find one that fits you. Many students live in public university housing. This option will probably give you the easiest way to socialize. Sharing a bathroom with an entire floor of people helps you get to know everyone real quick! I lived in Bromley, which is part of private certified housing. The rooms at Bromley are called suites, which means two rooms are next to each other with one bathroom connecting them. My room and my neighbor's room each had two girls, so our bathroom was shared among four people. However, some private dorms have singles, triples and quads. Private certified housing is supposed to have bigger rooms, although my room was still smaller than my room at home. I loved living in Bromley. My roommate and suitemates became my best friends even though we were randomly assigned to live together. As a senior I still spend time with them and consider them family.

Illinois offers many living options for students. All freshmen live in the dorms, of which there are many to choose from both on the Champaign and the Urbana side of campus. As far as dorms go, students can choose to live in public housing (most students choose this) or in private certified housing. In public housing, you will live with one or two roommates on and have a common bathroom down the hall. Private Certified Housing costs a little bit more than public housing, but offers suite style living and a cleaning service for student rooms. As far as your choice, it really comes down to personal preference. For students living in public housing options, Illinois offers 7 Living-Learning Communities, allowing students with similar interests and areas of study to live together and take specialized course together. To find out more about Living Learning Communities, visit http://housing.illinois.edu/Future/Freshmen/Great{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c}20Locations.aspx. After freshman year, students can opt to stay in the dorms, live in their sorority or fraternity house, or move into a house or apartment.