University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

The most popular student activity is hanging out at the campus bars. These bars are 19+, so you can go in soon after you enter college. However, alcohol can only be served to those who are 21+. The bars are popular not because of the drinking, but because people can gather with their friends, share some Irish Nachos and wings, and watch some games. There are over 10 bars on campus, and everyone has different preferences (pubs to watch games, or clubs to dance the night away).

Fighting Illini

The most popular would definitely be sororities and fraternities. The amount of organizations are enormous, which is over 95 organizations that are fraternities or sororities. I am involved in one of these groups and it is amazing. There is so much to do and meeting new people all the time. Also people party hard in the mainstream frats. The minority frats do not receive as much attention but they are also pretty big within the Latino community. I met my closest friends through the interest group for a Latina sorority. It was the best experience of my life, which I absolutely love.

The U of I has a lot of RSOs on campus and its up to you to decide what you think you would like. At the beginning of each year we have a huge Quad Day where most of the RSOs come out and provide lots of information to incoming students. You can ask them questions to gauge whether it is right for you and sign up to receive additional information via email.

In terms of student organizations, I'd say Greek life has the most amount of students. But there are clubs and organizations of every interest. In terms of partying, you can go out literally every night if you wanted to. I'd say that most students (at least in greek life) go out about 3-4 times a week. Most of the bars are only 19 to get in, so the bars are always hopping. In terms of frats and sororities, they usually have at least one exchange a week. These exchanges are usually themed from anything from superheroes to anything but clothes. Unofficial short for unofficial St.Patrick's day is probably Illinois' most storied party tradition. It takes place the first friday of March and most students decide to skip class. Some professors are nice and give you the day off, but sometimes teachers aren't nice about and purposely schedule a test.

Fighting Illini is the major topic of the whole university. We have one of the best football teams in the US, and you can't imagine the situation at the assembly hall every gameday. Also, there are countless other student clubs. You can almost find everything you like on campus.

There are so many opportunities for students to get involved on campus. There are hundreds of registered student organizations (RSOs) that cover a wide variety of interests from accounting to zoology. Get involved! One of my favorites is the Orange Krush, which I was involved in last year. It's the student section at the home basketball games. They are a very passionate, dedicated, and rowdy bunch. In order to join, one must raise hundreds of dollars that go to many worthy causes.

Greek Fraternities

greek, cultural organizations, and theme-based clubs as well as graduate student organizations such as the black graduate student orgs.

Honestly, the most popular organization on campus has to be the Greek system. I, however, am on the opposite end of the spectrum. In high school, I was highly involved in academics, like the scholastic bowl, and the arts, such as choir and musicals. Once in college, I continued these activities by being involved in my dorm's a cappella group and auditioning for any production put on student-run theatre troupes. While I do not know the habits of the other residence halls, in my dorm, Allen Hall, residents leave their doors open all the time. Athletic events, such as basketball and football, even hockey, are very popular. School pride is huge here. We have even had guest speakers, such as Common, and the response has been very positive. All kinds of traveling troupes bring productions through the Assembly Hall, and tickets usually sell out quickly. Dating here is pretty easy since you are bound to find someone who shares the same interests as you! I met my closest friends through my dorm's orientation, the 2015 class discussion page on Facebook, and just by wandering the halls and quad. If I am awake at 2 am on a weekday, I am usually on my computer or hanging out in a friend's room. Each dorm has its own traditions, such as mine as that has a week long celebration after returning from Thanksgiving Break called Allen Hall-iday. It is much like a homecoming spirit week with dress-up days, festive gingerbread house making, and a dance at the end of the week. UIUC, like any college, has partying, and while there are parties every weekend, people usually do not feel pressured to go to them, much like the fraternities and sororities. Last weekend, I went shopping with my friends at the mall, to a dance in my dorm, and did laundry on Sunday. The university also offers several alternatives to partying such as bowling or karaoke at the Illini Union or perhaps seeing a movie in Savoy.