On the first day of finals, from U of I to me: a gen ed that I’m failing On the second day of finals, from U of I to me: 2 peer reviews and a gen ed that I’m failing On the third day of finals, from U of I...
Category - Academics
You can only learn so much from reading. Get a closer look at what academic life is like at Illinois from people who have actually been there! From honors programs and research to specific classes and projects, our students have lots of experiences to share.
KateGRE, MCAT, LSAT, oh my!
When I decided I was going to apply for graduate school after my undergrad, there were so many things I had to consider: where I was going to go, what program I would be doing, and what tests I needed to take. I went to...
AlexGraduating Early
As an eager and over-zealous freshman, I plopped down in front of my academic advisor the second week of school with three spreadsheets detailing the next three years. Poor Gary, bless his heart, stayed patient and...
Frank’s Midterm Survival Guide
I hate midterm season. You’re stressing out all week, spending the majority of your day in the library, and sleeping late to cram material. Worse yet, you have to balance studying with all your other classes going...
FranklinHow to Ace a College Exam
As another round of midterms roll around, my study habits and grind are on full mode. Over the past few years, I’ve developed different studying skills and habits that have allowed me to perform well on my college exams...
KripaA Day in the Life of a Freshman Engineer
One of the biggest things I wondered about as I came into college was how I would structure my days. It’s no longer as simple as driving to school, walking into the building, following my daily schedule, and then going...
AbbyStopping The Glorification of “Busy” In College
In college, it can be hard not to get caught up in the competitive atmosphere. It seems like every day there’s a scholarship to apply for, jobs to get, internships to fight for, etc. This as well as the nature of...
TaylorPutting 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...
RachelHow to Stop Procrastinating
So you’ve put off the big project until the very last day, and now you’re rushing to finish it before 11:59 pm. Or you keep not calling your dad for your weekly talks, and you suddenly realize you...
JadaNote Taking in College
While I was an “A+ student” in high school, I never found it necessary to take many notes to succeed. Sometimes in high school, teachers print out slides or give you the lecture material after class. While this still...
Post-Grad Decisions: More School or Work?
Hello everyone! Today was a beautiful day of fall here at Illinois, and I could not be more happy. I love summer, but it’s sweater season, and I’m going to start dressing. Luckily, this (hopefully) won’t be...
JulissaBuilding Strong Study Habits
Studying isn’t learning, unless you do it right. If you’ve ever heard someone talk about studying, it tends to come before they mention an exam. Studying has become something that too many of us dread; it...
MaazMy Experience Getting Involved in My Departments
Two of my most rewarding jobs at the University of Illinois are my positions as the Social Media Intern for the History Department and as the Student Public Outreach Employee for the Gender and Women Studies (GWS)...
Should I Drop My Class?
You’re nearly halfway through your first semester of college, and you’re feeling stuck. Whether you keep skipping the class because a midday nap seems so much better, or you just can’t award the brain space to this Econ...
Professors Are People Too!
So you’ve just started your year here at the University of Illinois, and it’s not going as you planned. That calc class isn’t as easy as it was in high school or suddenly studying just doesn’t seem like it’s enough...
What a Class at Illinois Is Like
Before I came to college, one of the things I wondered about the most was how my learning experience would change. I couldn’t imagine moving from classes of 20-30 to 700, but the change was a lot more seamless...
NoahHow to Stop Procrastinating (Tomorrow)
We all work differently, and that’s fine. But if your study habits leave your pulling your hair out and crying over your biology textbook at 2am each Tuesday, maybe it’s time to reevaluate. The most obvious...
Let’s Talk About Research
What is up, my dudes? Its the end of week 4 here on campus, and things are rolling. There was no slow build this semester; it hit like a truck. A lot of the reason my workload is huge this semester is because, on top of...
Pros and Cons of Being in a Small Major
With over a hundred different programs, Illinois is a very academically diverse university. However, that doesn’t mean everyone’s distributed equally across all majors. Some majors (like Finance or...
The Tutor Becomes the Tutored: A New Approach
In high school, I was always the friend that people came to for help with homework. I was a math tutor in my school’s peer tutoring program, and I answered dozens of late-night text messages from people panicking about...
