Category - Campus Life

College is more than a degree. It’s your life for 4 years, and a lot can happen in that time! That’s why our students so often talk about their everyday lives. We hope you enjoy their stories, both big and small.

How I Began Eating Breakfast

For the majority of my time in college, I haven’t done a great job of eating breakfast. Now, I know—I know—breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But I just always found myself rushing getting ready to go to...

What to Do Over Spring Break

Although my classes have been going great, it’s nice that we’re about to go on spring break. The first half of this semester has been a steady stream of busy days and hard work—I’m in dire need of a...

What to Do With Your Downtime on Campus

Before coming to college, it can seem like all of your time might be possessed by work and stress. While this can (sometimes) be true, there are many times where you’ll find yourself without assignments to do or...

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...

How to Travel to and From the Chicagoland Area

Hey friends! Last time, I wrote a blog post about how to get around campus. I strongly encouraged people living in the residence halls against bringing cars to campus. Afterwards, I realized, what if people want to...

Packing for Winter Break

As the end of winter break is approaching, I came into the realization that it is important to know how to pack for a month. Even though this is my third year in the university, I somehow still manage to overpack my...

Fostering Change on Campus

The great thing about student organizations in college is that if you can’t find one you like, you can just create your own. The process is fairly simple as well. My experience with wanting to start my own student...

Bowl Games, Bridges, and Bands

After five years, University of Illinois was finally selected to go bowling! This year we traveled to the Redbox Bowl in Santa Clara, California—our first bowl game since the Heart of Dallas Bowl in 2014. Despite the...

New Semester, New Me!

I’ve survived another semester of college! Sometimes that’s a “yay!”, but a lot of times that’s a “dear god, there’s another?” College is super hard, and even with all the fun parts, it can still be super...

Holiday Shopping On A College Student Budget

I’ve always been a lover of the holiday season. Something about the festivities that go on from November through January, giving gifts and spending time with my friends and family has always brought me a lot of joy. I’m...

What Not To Do During Finals

It’s finals season, which means that students are generally feeling a lot more stressed, overwhelmed and tired than usual during this last push of the semester. While finals time is a stressful part of the semester, I...

Reshaping Yourself During Break

Being surrounding by class, tests, quizzes, and all school-related material can ultimately leave one’s brain fried. Leaving campus for a long break, or even in high school for the 5 day weekend my old high school use to...

Holding an Executive Board Position

With over 1,800 registered student organizations at Illinois, you’re bound to find a group that you enjoy being in. The opportunities are endless—you can try a new sport, build robots, or even just watch squirrels...

Congratulations, Future Illini!

I doubt I’ll be the first to say it, and I certainly won’t be the last: Congratulations! You’ve worked so hard for this, and it’s safe to say that you deserve it.  The next few years of your life, whether you...

On-Campus Jobs: Are They Worth It?

I know a lot of people with on-campus jobs, and a lot of people without. Some people conduct research with professors to build their resumes, and some work at campus facilities to make a couple extra dollars. So, is it...

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...

Getting Around on Campus

Living on a large campus is an incredible experience, but something I was worried about is how I was gonna get from class to class on time. Especially if a class is far, it can be stressful to figure out how you are...

Holidays with Friends

There’s nothing more festive than the holidays! It’s a time to come together with the people you cherish most and share a meal and some quality time. But as a college student, you might want to do a bit more than eat...