University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Top Questions

Since I was an athlete I really got to see a lot of sporting events, these are a great way to socialize and meet new people.

The social life is awesome here at the University of Illinois. There are definitely dorms geared towards what type of scene you are into. The six pack (peabody and gregory halls) are very social. I lived in the six pack and everyone always had their doors open. I loved everyone in my dorm and was constantly socializing. I met my closest friends from my dorm. I was very lucky as my roommate and I got along extremely well. She is now one of my best friends, along with the two girls next door to us, and two other girls down the hall. I was with these girls 24/7 my freshman year and I loved it! We are all in different sororities, so we have our escape from each other, but we will always be best friends. If I am awake at 2am on a Tuesday, I am most likely walking out of Joes Brewery after 90's night. I will most likely be walking with my friends to the bus stop or the nearest after hours party. People are always partying, but at the same time they are always studying. Illinois students know how to balance academics and social events.

the greek system at illinois is the biggest in the world and the most active. you can't walk down the street for more than ten feet without seeing a greek shirt. i joined a house my freshman year and it was the best thing i've ever done. it helped me become me. going into school, joining a house was the last thing on my mind. once i got to the house i joined, i just felt at home. i really think that every person who goes to school should join a house so that they can have the same feeling that i had.

Your social life on this campus depends your perspective and your personality. People gravitate to people they are comfortable with. And people also go to events they are attracted to. U of I and its organizations provide many events, speakers, etc for every kind of person.

Athletic events are wildly popular when the teams are playing well (volleyball, hockey, football) and at rivalry games. Most everyone is in a frat or sorority. People party on weekend all the time, and usually start on friday. Thursday is not completely out, but rare for most people.

The greek system rules the social scene. If you end up going to Illinois, seriously think about rushing. My main regret of freshman year was waiting until second semester to rush. My best friend that I've met at school are my fraternity brothers, but I am also close friends with some kids who lived on my floor. The bars allow everyone 19 and older in the door, so thats a popular destination every night of the week for some.

Orange Krush is a huge student organization on campus. They are the main cheering section for sports games, and guarantee students basketball tickets. I am involved in SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers) and Dance 2XS Caliente. SHPE is known to be one of the best run student organizations on campus. It's a great way to gain responsibilities and leadership positions, travel to nationwide engineering conferences, get to know the engineering department and staff better, and most of all it's the best support system possible. Upperclassmen in SHPE mentor newer students, giving opinions and advice regarding course selection and difficulty. Dance 2XS Caliente is a latin and hip hop performance dance team. There is also a Dance 2XS UIUC hip hop team. Illinois has innumerous dance teams and clubs to become a part of. Some are more competitive as others, but there are many styles and difficulty levels to choose from. It's a great way to stay active while having fun and meeting amazing people.

The social life is great. There are planty of frats to give frat parties on certain weekends if that is your thing. There are also many on campus bars that allow you to get in at age 19. As long as you have an id that looks some what like you and has the 19 age on it, you are money to get in.

Well, U of I has the biggest greek system in the country. That's really popular, but it's just as cool not to be in the system. It's about half and half; I never joined one. Definitely check out Broomball. Its like hockey but with a ball and smaller sticks. Oh, and no ice skates. REALLY fun. And check out the football games. Now that we're good, they're really super awesome to watch. The university sponsors a bunch of speakers and lectures and stuff. I've been to a few, but they're not really my forte. There's plenty of social life going on here too. I always tell people- If you are looking for a 'party school', you will find people to party with you. If thats really not your thing, then you will find people to hangout elsewhere. COLLEGE IS WHAT YOU MAKE OF IT. Thats my best advice. Especially in the 6-pack (currently under construction to be the 8pack?), people leave their doors open and are super friendly. Please don't think that theres nothing to do if you don't drink. There's plenty. But of course, there's also many bars and parties if you do.

Greek Life is obnoxiously large at U of I. But dont feel the need to have to join. If youre interested, go through the rush period open mindedly but dont feel as though if you rush, you must join. See if its for you or not. Talk with people who are in it, arent it in, used to be in it. I rushed because my roommated wanted to, and I went into it thinking if it seems like its for me, I'll join; if not, I only wasted a few weekends. I joined, and my roommate did not. Neither of us regret our decision.