Author - Rachel

The Hardest Goodbye

Four years ago, I was asked by Illinois Undergraduate Admissions to join a student blogging team. This blog, they said, would reach college seniors in their search for their collegiate home. Writing has always been...

It’s Not Goodbye—It’s See You Later

Dear high school seniors, I wish I could give you back your ABC countdown, prom, and senior ditch day. I wish I could give you one last game under the stadium lights. You were cheated and robbed of some of the best high...

Making a Dorm Feel Like Home

Anyone else have parents that never let them redecorate their room? I did! When I moved into campus housing, I had my first opportunity to decorate my room from the ground up. As a veteran reader of the Magnolia...

Welcome to My Book Club Part II

To follow up on a post from October, Welcome to My Book Club, I have two more exceptional books that every incoming freshman should read. These page turners will keep you captivated, keep you on your toes, and keep you...

A Guide to Acquiring Textbooks

These days, college students are faced with an impossible task: purchasing textbooks. And with the purchase of textbooks comes a boatload of questions. Today, I hope to not only address the most common questions about...

Keep On Keeping On

“One day, you’re 17 and you’re planning for someday … … And then quietly, without you ever really noticing, someday is today. And then someday is yesterday. And this is your life.”—John Green...

Attending an i-Program

Illinois Leadership Center This past school year, I had the opportunity to attend two different i-Programs through the Illinois Leadership Center. These programs focus on what it takes to be a great leader. The programs...

Freshman Year Friendships

Maybe it’s the 50 degree weather in Champaign, maybe it’s because the Fighting Illini men’s basketball team is tied for first place in the Big Ten Conference, or maybe it’s because graduation is...

Post-Admission Campus Visits

Congratulations, future Illini! You’re in! Whether you have committed to the University of Illinois or you are waiting until decision day, a post-admisison campus visit is worthwhile for all prospective students...

Should You Bring Your Car on Campus?

One of the most common questions I am asked is whether students need to bring their car with them to school. And the honest truth is that, well, it depends on a few things. Parking Photo from Pexels.com Parking can be...

Putting Preparation to Practice

For the first time in 17 years of schooling, I wake up each morning excited to go to school. And not just any school, but a local middle school. That’s right—read that again. I wake up excited to go to middle...

Living Off Campus

As a senior, I feel as though it is my personal duty, mission, and responsibility to debunk common UIUC stereotypes. I could tell you that dorm food is actually pretty tasty, that class sizes aren’t always 400 students...

Welcome to My Book Club

I can’t remember the last time I read simply because I wanted to get lost in a book. With hours of academic reading assignments adding up, I could feel my passion for reading slipping through my fingers. But this...