Ladies and gentleman, I present to you a list of some of the biggest mistakes a University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign freshman can make during their first year on campus.
1. Taking an 8 AM
Okay, this is probably the most common thing you'll hear, but in all seriousness - DO NOT TAKE AN 8 AM. College is different from high school in that you have a lot more independence, and with a school as social as UIUC, you're gonna regret that 8 AM after a night out in Champaign. Also, don't schedule 4 classes back to back. If you didn't like it in high school, you'll hate it in college.
2. Not going to ARC/CRCE
Every single person I know gained weight during freshman year. Avoiding the freshman 15 is nearly impossible when dining hall food consists mainly of carbs and ice cream. Late night at PAR is going to be your enemy. I didn't use either of these facilities during my freshman year which was a huge mistake since we're paying for them anyway! Make it a habit to work out a few times a week to avoid any excess weight gain.
3. Not joining any RSOs, Greek Organizations, etc.
With a school as large as UIUC, it can be hard to find your "people". Joining a club can seem kind of scary if you're doing it alone, but everyone in college just wants to make friends! Quad day is the best time to check out all of the RSOs and what they offer. Greek life is another great way to meet new people, but if you're not looking to rush, there's cultural houses and other organizations that can help you branch out. If you can't find an RSO you like, make one!
4. Using a fake ID
One of the reasons Champaign is the best college town in America is that the bar age is 19, meaning you don't have to be 21 to go out. I know way too many people that didn't want to wait, tried using a 21+ ID, and had to pay a hefty $340 fine and have their license suspended for a year. Also, you have to talk to a dean and complete whatever punishment they give you. Trust me when I say, IT IS NOT WORTH IT. You will NOT get into the bar with that ID from IDGod or your brother's license from 4 years ago. Just wait it out and go crazy on your 19th like the rest of us.
5. Try being best friends with your roommate
For most students, this is the first time they're going to be living out of home and with another person. This could either go really well or really bad. Sure, there are the people who do end up getting along really well with their roommates and everything works out fine. This doesn't always happen, and it is possible you could end up hating your roommate. If this happens to you, remember that you can put in a request to switch rooms or if you join Greek life, some of the houses may let you move in a semester early.
6. Not have the bus app/learn the bus system
If you live in the Six Pack or somewhere closer to campus, this won't apply to you as much. As someone who lived in FAR, I wouldn't have been able to survive without the busses. They're free to all University students and will take you pretty much anywhere in the Champaign/Urbana area. The 22N/S will take you anywhere on campus and runs super late at night - which becomes very helpful. They don't run as frequently on weekends though, so just remember that when you decide to go to the mall and end up stranded there for a few hours (trust me, I know from experience).
7. Not talking to your professors
Talk to your professors! Participate in class! Go to office hours! They aren't just there to teach you, most of them have worked in their departments for years and can give you tips on what classes to take and extra opportunities you could be taking advantage of. If you're trying to study abroad, you're going to need a recommendation letter from a University faculty member, so it's a good idea to start building these relationships right away.
8. Not knowing your limits
Look, I don't condone underage drinking. I've had a lot of friends get really sick from drinking too much, which is why I wanted to add this on here. Syllabus week is probably the most "eventful" week of the semester for everyone, especially new freshman. For the love of God - do not walk into a frat party and slam 10 shots because you want to impress your friends. You're going to end up getting sick, making a fool of yourself, making your friends mad, and possibly getting a drinking ticket if you get caught by a cop. These parties are a great way to make new friends and meet a ton of people, so blacking out isn't really ideal. Just take it easy, man. There's a reason why some of the older guys take part in "Freshman Fishing" - I'll let you figure that out on your own.
9. Wearing your lanyard around campus
Are you trying to advertise to everyone that you're a freshman? Keep it in your backpack.
10. Buying season football tickets
University of Illinois isn't really known for our outstanding football program. Sure, having Lovie as a coach is pretty cool, but it would be even cooler if we won a game every once in a while. Save the $60 and go to Chipotle instead. Plus, why go to a football game when you can go to TRL?
11. Not knowing your lingo.
UGL = Undergraduate Library. TRL = The Red Lion. Afties = After Party. Perfect Week = Going out and drinking every night for a week straight. Darty = Day party/day drinking. Six Pack = Ikenberry Commons. MNL = Monday Night Lion. Accyfin = Accounting/Finance. If you decide to rush, all of the Greek houses will have nicknames so you don't have to say Epsilon Gamma Omicron every time you reference it. Knowing all these terms can make your life a lot easier.
12. Bringing too many t-shirts
You will get a t-shirt for your college (LAS, ACES, etc). You will get a t-shirt saying your class graduating year. You will get a t-shirt in random raffles. Maybe that's where all of our funding has been going. You don't have to bring your entire closet to school, just bring what you absolutely know you will wear. Dorms are small so you won't want to make room for 300 shirts that you'll end up wearing once.
13. Ignore your parents
Call your mom and dad! They aren't paying all of this money for you to get an education only to have their calls rejected. Remember that this is a hard time for them too, so take a break from your busy schedule and make time for them.
14. Not knowing your days of the week
This doesn't really apply to you until you're 19, but UIUC has a work hard, play harder mentality. We like to celebrate our hard work every day of the week!
Monday: Monday Night Lion @ The Red Lion
Tuesday: Wine Night @ Cly's/ Country Night @ Kams
Wednesday: Karaoke @ Joe's
Thursday: Lion/Kams/Joe's/Cly's/Wherever the party is at
Friday: Happy Hour @ Lion/Friday Night Joe's for 18 year olds - get in before 5 and you won't be carded
Saturday: Again, whichever bar is lit but usually people use the weekends to stay in, do homework and rejuvenate. Sometimes frat houses will host darties if it's nice out.
Sunday: Get your life together and prepare for the week!
Bars can get expensive, especially with cover so try to avoid blowing all your cash!
15. Not making friends with someone in your classes
Getting someone's number who is taking the same class as you can make a world of a difference. Forgot if there's homework? Text classmate. Skip class and want to know if you missed anything important? Text classmate. Need a study buddy? Text classmate.
16. Buying your books before class starts
I don't know anyone that would want to pay $200+ for a book only to have it sit in the bottom of their desk for the entire year. Wait until syllabus week to purchase anything. Professors will tell you what you need for the class and you can almost always find it being sold in the UIUC textbook exchange, used on Amazon or used in the bookstore. If you're lucky, you'll be able to find a version of the book online by searching the title and then "pdf".
17. Have no idea where your classes are
So I finished scheduling and I'm ready to go to my first class! Except...how do I get to the English building from PAR? And then I have to go the Bevier and then after that I have to go to the Engineering Quad. I can walk there in 10 minutes, right?
Wrong. UIUC's campus is HUGE and it can easily take 15+ minutes to get from one side to the other. My advice is: look at your schedule, check out the locations of the classes and see how long it would take to walk there on Google Maps. If it takes more than 8-10 minutes, try seeing if there is another section open on Course Explorer. Large lectures aren't a big deal, but professors in small classrooms typically don't like being interrupted by someone coming in 5 minutes late.
18. Walk alone at night
If you wouldn't walk around alone at night normally, why would you do it at a college campus? UIUC has a safe campus, but especially in light of recent events, it is going to be very important to be cautious of your surroundings. Thankfully, the University provides resources such as Safe Walks and Safe Rides, where you can call and have someone walk with you or pick you up to bring you from one location to the next. However, Safe Rides won't pick you up and bring you to a bar/party and won't pick you up if you're near a bus stop, so be aware of that. These resources are available on the back of your iCard and are free for all University students.
19. Not use a planner
I was the most unorganized person before I came to college. Now, I have a notebook planner, Google Calendar, and a dry erase calendar in my room. It can become super easy to miss deadlines and not every professor is going to give you that extension. Trust me, they've heard, "My grandma died, I need an extension" more times than they can count. Keep yourself organized so you won't find yourself pulling an all-nighter at the UGL on a Thursday night.
20. Not make the most of your years on campus
Freshman year is by far the most memorable year of college, so enjoy every step of the way. University of Illinois has given me some of the most amazing friends and I've created the best memories while on campus. There's no other school that does it better.
Welcome to campus, Class of 2021! Go Illini!
