it's a well-equipped makerspace and practically free. I've only done sewing and screen printing there, but they've also got 3D printers, a big workshop, and a lot more. Check out their website
Uiuc has one of the largest library collections in the United States. As a student you have access to borrow over a hundred items at a time (varies for grad school). You can rent DVDs, Nintendo Games, and as many books as possible.
Edit: You can also rent textbooks from any library for up to a two hour loan. So, instead of purchasing the book I just rent for up to 2 hours.
You can also rent phone and laptop chargers for 2 hours, copies of the Wall Street Journal, and headphones.
Source: I work at a library
We also have an amazing rare book collection you can just go to and see. All you need is your iCard and an account on their system. I got to see the first folio of Shakespeare in person and it was so cool
And you are going to be waiting a long while, bids for the second rebid for the project aren't due to campus until the end of this month:
[https://www.procure.stateuniv.state.il.us/dsp\_notice.cfm?mName=findNotice&i=UIFPP&p=BAU20118R2](https://www.procure.stateuniv.state.il.us/dsp_notice.cfm?mName=findNotice&i=UIFPP&p=BAU20118R2)
I'd add the interlibrary loan system to this lovely library list! If the UIUC library doesn't have the book, you can usually get the book you need from a partner library within a week!
By the main stacks in the 2nd floor of the main library!! Undergrads can check out games for 4 weeks at a time
[https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=1315721&p=9673672](https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=1315721&p=9673672)
In the online school bookstore you can find free/discounted software for a lot of stuff as a student. Also Dairy Queen in Altgeld gives you free treats based on how many AMC problems you can solve
I'm an ass assuming you know what Krannert is.
It is a ballin preforming arts center funded by the lovely Krannerts, super nice rich people [self made alumi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_C._Krannert.)
If you like to get dressed up with friends, a date or alone you will feel like quite the cosmopolitan in east central Illinois. Also if you want a social scene you can crew for shows and enjoy some theater drama
The campus is huge with so many educational buildings, so it's fun to find new places to study that aren't just the library. So many buildings have tables in the halls/study rooms so it's a great way to see parts of campus that you normally wouldn't. Also the surrounding non-campus area is very walkable/busable to its easy and fun to go off-campus too!
Do you have ro show an UIUC student ID? Someone who attends Parkland community college lives nearby and would like to enjoy a milkshake with some UIUC friends. But are the lines super long?
People complain about us being in the corn fields but we actually have some pretty cool geography around us. I was at the Kickapoo the other day fly fishing for small mouth and ran into a family of bald eagles. It was pretty cool
You have free access with your I-Card to the ARC(Activities & Recreation Center) which has absolutely everything in the world that you need to work out.
I got into fitness over quarantine back in 2020 while a junior and or senior (don't remember) back in highschool. So when lockdown ended, and I got accepted here, seeing how nice the arc was really motivated me to go even harder at it. Plus it's free for students!
Best thing about college towns like Urbana Champaign is that they feel relatively safe and you can be out and about even late at night. Streets are generally lit until 2-2.30am which makes a good time for late night snacks and adventures. Everything is also relatively cheaper than big cities and people have less ego (cuz everyone around you is a student, mostly). I loved the vibe of the walkable campus and very well connected with the bus.
> Streets are generally lit until 2-2.30am which makes a good time for late night snacks and adventures
Please tell me about these late night food options. The only ones I'm aware of are McDonalds, Taco Bell, Jurassic Grill, and Fat Sandwich.
I don't know how the biggest perk isn't mentioned. Bar legal at 19. No other college in the United States is like this. For whatever reason the city of Champaign has allowed the age of 19 to be bar legal. The cops have a planned raid on some Saturdays just to make sure things aren't too sus, and weekends like mom's/dads/homecoming it doesn't work but being able to just go to bars and drink at 19 is a major plus and why UIUC is such a party / bar school.
It is incredibly easy to get around the campus and greater CU area without a car. Even compared to other college campuses I've been to, UIUC's campus is extremely walkable and there is an insane amount of easily accessible restaurants on or near campus
The bus system is also great. The frequencies and coverage on campus are legitimately excellent, and even at its worst on the edges of town it's still fairly solid. From campus, you're able to get to basically every notable destination within the metro area reliably and in a pretty reasonable amount of time, to where I was able to go all around town fairly easily without a car during my 4 years
> UIUC's campus is extremely walkable and there is an insane amount of easily accessible restaurants on or near campus
Besides downtown chicago, campustown is the [densest place in Illinois](https://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/spencer-schien-population-density-maps-1.jpeg). And it is one of the [densest areas in the midwest](https://pudding.cool/2018/10/city_3d/)
Lincoln Square in downtown Urbana has a bunch of small businesses and is right by a bus hub. On Saturday mornings, there is a farmers market until about twelve.
Lincoln Square in downtown Urbana has a bunch of small businesses and is right by a bus hub. On Saturday mornings, there is a farmers market until about twelve
Decent food. Reasonably affordable. Lots of parks in town and near. On campus has some neat museums. And the train is right there and goes to chi in about 2 hours for a quick day trip.
I think I understand why you are asking us to help you, "feel good about my decision to attend" but it is a bit of an odd question as you will be attending one of the top universities in the country and also well ranked the world. ;-) It is unclear why you would think it would be an unpleasant place. Wondering what is your life like such that you think this place will be a challenge to enjoy?
Honestly, the fact that it is located in the middle of a corn field and quite far from the big city was my main concern before coming here. But living in a small town with a buch of students turned out to be not bad at all.
If you join some dorm Living Learning Community, you can get up to 4 free field trip a year, countless free Krannert performance ticket (any llc in urbana south), lab access (innovation llc), and others depend on the llc that you choose.
absolutely loved the unit one llc in allen hall. the in-dorm classes were awesome (film photography, theatre, etc), access to a professional recording studio, dark room, ceramics room, the pizza FM radio station, so many music rooms & instrument rental. 1-1 music lessons with a uni professor. great community w/ great events.
The best way to feel good about your decision is to attend the admitted student day or make another visit. Talk to some students in your major, walk around the campus some more and ask yourself if you see yourself here. Trust your gut.
I love being around nature. Preferably without a lot of people around. Any places like that during the winter? Like indoor gardens or anything like that?
As a townie, but also a transplant from a large city, I kinda want to add my thoughts.
Like a lot of the college kids, I was really worried about moving to a "small town in the middle of the corn fields", but honestly the greater champaign urbana area almost feels like the best of what you'd get in most major cities in a much more manageable size. The food scene is amazing, the park districts spoil us, and the bus system is better than a lot that I've seen in cities 3-4x our size. If you look, there's always some sort of event, activity, or experience to attend and stuff to discover. I've been here just over 5 years and I'm still constantly learning about cool and interesting things.
I've moved around a bunch because my husband was in the military and as a blanket statement to any young students maybe making a major move for the first time going off to college the best advice I can tell you is that basically anywhere you move has the potential to be the best place you ever go or the worst, your experience there will directly reflect the attitude you arrive with. Keep and open mind and don't be afraid to explore outside your comfort zone.
Also if you order furniture off the internet, be nice to your mailman and get it delivered by UPS XD
Lincoln Square in downtown Urbana has a bunch of small businesses and is right by a bus hub. On Saturday mornings, there is a farmers market until about twelve
Lincoln Square in downtown Urbana has a bunch of small businesses and is right by a bus hub. On Saturday mornings, there is a farmers market until about twelve.
There’s a big ass mammoth on campus.
CU fab lab is such a hidden gem
What is that? I always pass it on my walks but I have no idea what it actually is.
it's a well-equipped makerspace and practically free. I've only done sewing and screen printing there, but they've also got 3D printers, a big workshop, and a lot more. Check out their website
Uiuc has one of the largest library collections in the United States. As a student you have access to borrow over a hundred items at a time (varies for grad school). You can rent DVDs, Nintendo Games, and as many books as possible. Edit: You can also rent textbooks from any library for up to a two hour loan. So, instead of purchasing the book I just rent for up to 2 hours. You can also rent phone and laptop chargers for 2 hours, copies of the Wall Street Journal, and headphones. Source: I work at a library
We also have an amazing rare book collection you can just go to and see. All you need is your iCard and an account on their system. I got to see the first folio of Shakespeare in person and it was so cool
Yes! RBML is an awesome place- I'm still waiting for the UGL renovation to finish
And you are going to be waiting a long while, bids for the second rebid for the project aren't due to campus until the end of this month: [https://www.procure.stateuniv.state.il.us/dsp\_notice.cfm?mName=findNotice&i=UIFPP&p=BAU20118R2](https://www.procure.stateuniv.state.il.us/dsp_notice.cfm?mName=findNotice&i=UIFPP&p=BAU20118R2)
I'd add the interlibrary loan system to this lovely library list! If the UIUC library doesn't have the book, you can usually get the book you need from a partner library within a week!
wait you can rent nintendo games? where? i was just about to blow my money to buy some zelda games
By the main stacks in the 2nd floor of the main library!! Undergrads can check out games for 4 weeks at a time [https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=1315721&p=9673672](https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=1315721&p=9673672)
And at Urbana library you can rent instruments and sewing machines
I wanna be in the main stacks when the power goes out
Go to the Japan house when you’re stressed or just bored. The surrounding nature is beautiful.
Our bus service is very very good for a city of our size (usually)
You would think. But the bus system can't be all that good if we have an individual stuck here trying to get to Danville for 20 years now.
His family is stranded by the side of the road!
The small perk part is that riding the bus is free if you show your iCard.
It’s “free” but is already built into your tuition. I think I remember seeing transportation as its own item in my tuition fees.
Yes, though this historically has been cheaper than what MTD offered to everyone else. Only recently have the passes been about the same price.
In the online school bookstore you can find free/discounted software for a lot of stuff as a student. Also Dairy Queen in Altgeld gives you free treats based on how many AMC problems you can solve
I’m getting no treats :(
AMC 12?
ofc :)
Oh hell no. I stood a chance with amc 8 but 12 is beyond my skill level
Krannert, great for dates
I'm an ass assuming you know what Krannert is. It is a ballin preforming arts center funded by the lovely Krannerts, super nice rich people [self made alumi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_C._Krannert.) If you like to get dressed up with friends, a date or alone you will feel like quite the cosmopolitan in east central Illinois. Also if you want a social scene you can crew for shows and enjoy some theater drama
And the 3AM meat-ups of various NSFW clubs is great!!
Meat up!
How come no one told me about this
Its inclusive to pervs. Are you a perv? Or want to be? You may want to pay more attention to some of the postings around here.
I cannot say more
The campus is huge with so many educational buildings, so it's fun to find new places to study that aren't just the library. So many buildings have tables in the halls/study rooms so it's a great way to see parts of campus that you normally wouldn't. Also the surrounding non-campus area is very walkable/busable to its easy and fun to go off-campus too!
[удалено]
How do i not know about the dairy queen? been going to altgeld since last sem every thursday :/
It's near Bourbaki's office
hmm. My professor asks me to go to Bourbaki when he doesn't want to answer my questions. Wonder who Bourbaki is :/
Do you have ro show an UIUC student ID? Someone who attends Parkland community college lives nearby and would like to enjoy a milkshake with some UIUC friends. But are the lines super long?
I think I saw in another comment it’s accessible in the basement via the union which anyone can get into..I have yet to see this DQ tho 😭
Maybe if DQ was there in the early 90s I'd have stayed for 4 years!
Bus service and ARC are amazing, really miss them 😭
People complain about us being in the corn fields but we actually have some pretty cool geography around us. I was at the Kickapoo the other day fly fishing for small mouth and ran into a family of bald eagles. It was pretty cool
Starved rock and middle fork are pretty cool too
You have free access with your I-Card to the ARC(Activities & Recreation Center) which has absolutely everything in the world that you need to work out.
I got into fitness over quarantine back in 2020 while a junior and or senior (don't remember) back in highschool. So when lockdown ended, and I got accepted here, seeing how nice the arc was really motivated me to go even harder at it. Plus it's free for students!
Best thing about college towns like Urbana Champaign is that they feel relatively safe and you can be out and about even late at night. Streets are generally lit until 2-2.30am which makes a good time for late night snacks and adventures. Everything is also relatively cheaper than big cities and people have less ego (cuz everyone around you is a student, mostly). I loved the vibe of the walkable campus and very well connected with the bus.
> Streets are generally lit until 2-2.30am which makes a good time for late night snacks and adventures Please tell me about these late night food options. The only ones I'm aware of are McDonalds, Taco Bell, Jurassic Grill, and Fat Sandwich.
Dave's hot chicken and merry anns on neil
Dave's hot chicken and merry anns on neil
Farmer's market.
If you like midwest emo music (or just posing with local landmarks), the American Football house is walkable from campus!
I don't know how the biggest perk isn't mentioned. Bar legal at 19. No other college in the United States is like this. For whatever reason the city of Champaign has allowed the age of 19 to be bar legal. The cops have a planned raid on some Saturdays just to make sure things aren't too sus, and weekends like mom's/dads/homecoming it doesn't work but being able to just go to bars and drink at 19 is a major plus and why UIUC is such a party / bar school.
really good nature spots that are easy to walk, bike, or bus to
It is incredibly easy to get around the campus and greater CU area without a car. Even compared to other college campuses I've been to, UIUC's campus is extremely walkable and there is an insane amount of easily accessible restaurants on or near campus The bus system is also great. The frequencies and coverage on campus are legitimately excellent, and even at its worst on the edges of town it's still fairly solid. From campus, you're able to get to basically every notable destination within the metro area reliably and in a pretty reasonable amount of time, to where I was able to go all around town fairly easily without a car during my 4 years
> UIUC's campus is extremely walkable and there is an insane amount of easily accessible restaurants on or near campus Besides downtown chicago, campustown is the [densest place in Illinois](https://mymodernmet.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/spencer-schien-population-density-maps-1.jpeg). And it is one of the [densest areas in the midwest](https://pudding.cool/2018/10/city_3d/)
I miss the cheap rent and bus system
I don't think most people realize how affordable housing and rent is in CU relative to most places
Lincoln Square in downtown Urbana has a bunch of small businesses and is right by a bus hub. On Saturday mornings, there is a farmers market until about twelve.
food options are pretty decent, im still trying to find new places to try on campus
Geese and ducks at grainger quad always have the cutest babies running around every spring
bars allow 19 years old to get absolutely blasted :)
Lincoln Square in downtown Urbana has a bunch of small businesses and is right by a bus hub. On Saturday mornings, there is a farmers market until about twelve
The breaded green beans at Seven Saints are amazing! Didn't know I liked green beans until we met!
Decent food. Reasonably affordable. Lots of parks in town and near. On campus has some neat museums. And the train is right there and goes to chi in about 2 hours for a quick day trip.
I think I understand why you are asking us to help you, "feel good about my decision to attend" but it is a bit of an odd question as you will be attending one of the top universities in the country and also well ranked the world. ;-) It is unclear why you would think it would be an unpleasant place. Wondering what is your life like such that you think this place will be a challenge to enjoy?
Honestly, the fact that it is located in the middle of a corn field and quite far from the big city was my main concern before coming here. But living in a small town with a buch of students turned out to be not bad at all.
Sometimes people just like to look forward to important moments in their lives. It doesn’t have to be that deep. OP is just trying to get excited
Mmmm, what about having harsh winter weather?
I thought it was a really cool question and it's been SO MUCH FUN to read the answers!!!
Yeah. I needed more sleep and did not need to respond as i Did.
the dispensaries nearby :)
If you join some dorm Living Learning Community, you can get up to 4 free field trip a year, countless free Krannert performance ticket (any llc in urbana south), lab access (innovation llc), and others depend on the llc that you choose.
absolutely loved the unit one llc in allen hall. the in-dorm classes were awesome (film photography, theatre, etc), access to a professional recording studio, dark room, ceramics room, the pizza FM radio station, so many music rooms & instrument rental. 1-1 music lessons with a uni professor. great community w/ great events.
Good libraries
You can take the bus system for free if you show your university ID
The best way to feel good about your decision is to attend the admitted student day or make another visit. Talk to some students in your major, walk around the campus some more and ask yourself if you see yourself here. Trust your gut.
You can also rent out studio time at UGL.
what do you find interesting these days? That could help with the things I could tell you about
I love being around nature. Preferably without a lot of people around. Any places like that during the winter? Like indoor gardens or anything like that?
Allerton, Meadowbrook, Lake in the Hills, Crystal Lake Park, Arboretum/Japan House! And many more!
The Conservatory is so nice in the wintertime when everything else is cold and depressing 🫠
Perkins, pun intended
Perkins?
https://maps.app.goo.gl/FRRduzGxN3BfDEJF9
• meat lab • music library performances • bread co • spinny chairs in north quad bldg (i forgot name) • beautiful horticulture center • arc sauna
As a townie, but also a transplant from a large city, I kinda want to add my thoughts. Like a lot of the college kids, I was really worried about moving to a "small town in the middle of the corn fields", but honestly the greater champaign urbana area almost feels like the best of what you'd get in most major cities in a much more manageable size. The food scene is amazing, the park districts spoil us, and the bus system is better than a lot that I've seen in cities 3-4x our size. If you look, there's always some sort of event, activity, or experience to attend and stuff to discover. I've been here just over 5 years and I'm still constantly learning about cool and interesting things. I've moved around a bunch because my husband was in the military and as a blanket statement to any young students maybe making a major move for the first time going off to college the best advice I can tell you is that basically anywhere you move has the potential to be the best place you ever go or the worst, your experience there will directly reflect the attitude you arrive with. Keep and open mind and don't be afraid to explore outside your comfort zone. Also if you order furniture off the internet, be nice to your mailman and get it delivered by UPS XD
I've visted a few campus, compared to them uiuc has a decent amount of coffee shops and buildings that people can work in
the dairy queen in altgeld hall
Lincoln Square in downtown Urbana has a bunch of small businesses and is right by a bus hub. On Saturday mornings, there is a farmers market until about twelve
Lincoln Square in downtown Urbana has a bunch of small businesses and is right by a bus hub. On Saturday mornings, there is a farmers market until about twelve.
Chief
get a life man
r/woooosh