Hey! I'm an incoming freshman at UIUC and I was wondering if you could tell me about your experience at the university :) I'm really excited for the fall and I just thought I'd ask for a few tips or pieces of advice :)
Sorry for replying to this so late: I just got back home from Taiwan last night, so I’m still adjusting to the time change and that stuff.
My experience at UIUC was pretty rocky at first. During my freshman year, I started off as an undeclared major, and I honestly had no idea what I wanted to study – this was most likely because I didn’t do enough research prior to getting accepted into the school. I was actually supposed to be going to a different university, but ended up changing my mind since UIUC was much better in terms of academics. The only thing I knew about UIUC was that engineering (for computer science) and business was good and it would be ideal to get into a major from those schools. So I tried, and to quickly summarize: I realized that I wouldn’t be a good fit for either of those departments haha.
I took an introduction to food science course, and after talking to my professor, I ended up deciding to transfer into the food science department, and have no regrets doing so – I mean yeah, some of my classes weren’t easy to get through (We all have a few tough classes from time to time), but it’s been a lot of fun otherwise! There are a lot of extracurricular clubs (RSOs) that you can join on campus, and I’ve met most of my friends through the Taiwanese American Students Club (TASC). And speaking of Taiwan, I just got back from studying abroad from there, and it’s honestly one of the best decisions that I’ve ever made since being at UIUC; so I can make a separate post about that if you want!
Overall, UIUC has a lot of great opportunities, and I’m glad that you’re excited for the upcoming semester!. It took me a while to get used to things and figure everything out, but once you have everything established, then college is a lot of fun! Here are a few tips that helped me up to this point (I’m going to be a senior this year):
It’s okay to stumble. Not every class was easy for me to get through, and never be afraid to ask for help when you need it! Whether it’s from professors, classmates, or so forth. The university wants you to succeed, so take advantage of every resource that’s available in your classes and that stuff!
UIUC is a big school, so sometimes depending on the person, it can be hard meeting new people. Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to others, and join some RSOs! I find those are often a great way to meet other students from different majors.
Work hard, play hard. A lot of people like having fun on campus, but just make sure you’re keeping up with your school work as well haha.
Remember to exercise at least every once in a while. UIUC has some pretty good gym space for workouts and that stuff (e.g. Activities and Recreation Center [ARC]), and it’s included with your student fees, so I would take advantage of that. Plus, it’s a good way to relieve stress in my opinion.
I also recommend checking out Krannert Center – They have music concerts (classical, student groups, etc.), and I think this year Ellnora (Guitar festival) is coming back. Plus the really cool thing is that for students, we get a discount, so tickets are only $10 for us (It can be much more expensive otherwise).
If I have any other tips, I’ll add onto it here, but if you have any other questions, feel free to ask! Again, I’m really sorry for answering this late, and I hope this helps!
