Biochem and the Cowboy Monkey

Introduction
I’m from down South and a lot of my friends came here. I knew a lot of people here. That is pretty much it. There wasn’t really any other influence outside of that. It is close to home. I had a stable basis as far as friendship is concerned.

Campus Life and Social Life
When it comes down to it, it seems rather clique-ish. You definitely notice the Greek scene here. But when you first get here, moving into the dorms, you get to know a lot of people as individuals. It is fairly diverse. I roomed with an Asian American and a Caucasian. We all had our stereotypes about each other. We all got along really well. Advertisement
Academics
The coursework in general is pretty difficult. I’m taking a lot of Molecular and Cellular Biology. Those class sizes are fairly large because it is a very diverse and developing new field. You learn new things every year. Classes are pretty large. Lectures are always full. The department as a whole has very knowledgeable professors. They know that they are talking about. The only problem is that most of them are researchers, so it takes away from their ability to teach effectively when it comes to a one on one basis. Other than that, the Biochemistry program as a whole is pretty solid.

Student Body
I live off campus, near downtown Champaign. Being placed in the dorm was quite the experience because there were people I didn’t know and I was forced to be in that environment. It helped me become more outgoing. I met a lot of people. I lived in ISR, the engineering dorm or the smart people dorm. Everybody was really fun. The benefits of that was fast internet and the food was great. Free food.

In Closing...
Being a freshman, the Greek scene was a really big thing. I personally did not become part of the Greek community but that was what most of the parties revolved around. That is because it is just easily accessibly to freshman. We could get in, have a good time, and meet new people. As I became a sophomore, I moved off of campus. Things became more personal. It was a pretty big change. We shifted from the Greek parties to the house parties and got to know people a little more personally. As for drinking and drugs, there is a fair mix of both. There is a lot of underage drinking. A lot of drugs trafficked in and out of Champaign. That is probably because we are so close to Chicago. Overall, the effect isn’t exactly negative. People tend to stick to the same people with the same interests and you go which way you go pretty much. Quad Day is when all the registered student organizations come out to this Quad and show off what they have. There are a lot of cultural, activities-oriented, and Greek organizations. You just get a chance to talk to a few people from the organization. You sign up with the organizations you are interested in. This campus is infamous for having an organization for just about everything. I personally began wrestling for the Illini Wrestling Intramural Club. That is because I wrestled in high school. I found that as one of my comfort zones because this is such a big place. I started an aggressive in-line club and I found a lot of people that like to aggressive in-line skate. We go around to skate parks and we skate around campus. We try to establish a stronger community with the people who like to share the same interest as us. The Engineering and Business school are nationally known for being some of the best. Every other person you meet is an Engineer from Chicago. From what I know, the Engineers work hard, and they definitely play hard. The reputation, as it stands, is that we are a good school for business and engineering. If that is what you are looking, then I suggest that you come here. Champaign is extremely diverse. You have the college scene which is campus town. You have Cams and CO Daniels which is the hot spots for the incoming college students. At the same time, you have places in downtown that are very chill. You have places in Urbana, like the Office and Cowboy Monkey where the grad students and older community tend to go. It is a very nice family-oriented place. But at the same time you have this crazy college town going right in the middle of it. The mall, the business district—I think this town a lot to offer.