Study, Study, Party, Study...

Introduction
I decided to come here because I really wanted to go to a big school. It has a good engineering school. I figured an engineering degree would be good for me.

I love it here but there are just so many people. You just meet so many people. It’s nothing like back home. Back home is just a bunch of townies. There is always something to do here at night, especially in the dorms.

I play intramural softball. I go out and play tennis with whoever I can find to play tennis with. I know the university has a bunch of different clubs. On Quad Day, you can go out and join whatever club you want. I was in ping pong club the first semester. They have everything.

Campus Life and Social Life
Apparently the reputation of the engineering school at U of I is high. I happened to wander into the number one civil engineering school in the country. It’s pretty damn hard here. The classes I have to take are all technical classes where I study my ass off and there isn’t much free time. The only way to make free time is by not reading or doing homework in engineering. It’s really competitive. Everyone else is very smart. You come from pretty high up in your high school class and all of a sudden you are down near the middle or bottom because everyone else is so much smarter than you. If you work hard, you can get by, I believe. Academics
Dorm life is awesome. You become really good friends with the kids on your floor. The dorm I live in is co-ed. It alternates floors. I do know in the ISR, guys are in one building and girls are in another. So it makes it difficult to see someone else. Here if you want to go see a chick, you can just meander downstairs or upstairs. You have both male and female friends here which make your social life easier.
Personally I like the dining food here. A lot of kids say they don’t like it, but it’s not as bad as what they serve at other schools. They have specialty restaurants every Wednesday during nice weather. There is Fat Don’s where they cook everything they could possibly cook on an open grill. A couple of nights ago, they gave us an entire lobster for dinner. It was good. It was a new experience for me. I don’t think you get that at other schools. I would say it is pretty casual. All the committed relationships seem to stem from high school. You go out and have a good time. You go out to the bars and you meet some people. It’s casual and laid-back. It’s very easy to meander upstairs and downstairs at 2 am. I don’t condone it but it happens.

Student Body
Basketball season was electrifying. Going to school where your basketball team is number one in the country is amazing. Camping out to get seats for a 2 pm game is nuts. After every win, especially during the NCA tournament was phenomenal. There are 2000 people out in the streets. The entire campus is outside partying. Other sports—tennis is really good. Wrestling is good. Our football team has seen better days. But it’s still fun to go out and tailgate on Saturdays. Big 10 here, and U of I sports, is fun to be around. It gives you something to look forward to sometimes.
IMPE is wonderful to have, especially since it is right across the street from where I live. You can go play any sport except for like tennis, which kind of bugs me. There is a swimming pool. I find that swimming is one of the best ways to relax during the week. I find that if you go swimming instead of study the night before a test, instead of study too much, it’s great. It’s right across the street. Everything is basically right across the street from the dorms—the 6 pack. Anything you could want is really close, and it is all free. So that is really nice.

In Closing...
You go to every class. It helps out phenomenally. If you don’t go to class, you are stuck doing work you don’t understand and it takes you twice as long. You have to pick and choose. Working 20 hours a week and going to class is difficult. You have to pick and choose your battles with homework. You do what is necessary. When tests come along, you study your ass off, and you hope you do well. You have to find time to relax on weekends though. If you do your work and go to class, you will do well in school.


I listen to the professors in lecture. I don’t really go to office hours. I don’t have time to go to office hours. They have their office hours but I don’t see a lot of personal attention from the professors and the TAs. But that is what I like about it. You can get lost in the crowd here at U of I. You are on your own. It’s good practice for the real world.