Illinois is the best university in the Midwest and probably the country

Because I’ve lived in Illinois my whole life, I originally dismissed the idea of spending another four years in this state.  Yet deciding to become an Illini was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Chambana may be in the middle of nowhere, but that doesn’t matter when all you could want is about 10 minutes from The Quad. If you think that UIUC is just an engineering school or just a pre-med school, a closer look will show you that it’s so much more than that. With all the different clubs, teams, fraternities, sororities and classes, you would be hard pressed not to find at least one place where you feel like you belong.

For some, the sound of a school with about 44,000 people sounds terrifying, but it really means that you meet new people every single day. With everyone superglued to their magical iPhones, making new friends may not be as easy as it used to be, but new friendships are always waiting just about everywhere at UIUC.

Unlike some other schools, Greek life isn’t even necessary to have friends to go out and get drunk with, or whatever it is you prefer to do on a Friday night (or even a Tuesday). Staying in, watching Netflix and drinking wine is a good time too. Highly recommended.

We even look good in the snow

Speaking of going out, Unofficial is pretty much the most official party ever. While this will be the first I ever attend, the stories I’ve heard make it seem like something only a school as lit as Illinois could pull off. I mean, the only Facebook notifications I ever get are from the Unofficial page, so it’s gotta be pretty legit. Even when it’s not Unofficial time, there’s always some kind of event happening. And just because all of us turn up on occasion, that doesn’t mean that we all don’t work our asses off to get the highest GPA we can. You should see the UGL during midterms/finals. Talk about a hot mess at 2 a.m.

The sun never sets on Green Street – image from wiki commons

I know what you’re thinking: not all (okay, most) of our dining halls are five-star quality, but Mediterranean food night is pretty solid. And tacos at PAR Late Night on Tuesdays? That’s what I’m talkin’ about. If you’re still not feeling the dorm food, you can always treat yo’ self and go out to one of the many amazing restaurants we have. With the amount of restaurants on campus that are open all hours of the night, eating at 3 a.m. is always fantastic. Shameless plug for Cocomero because it’s a great first date location.

For all the nerds reading this, having the second largest research library in the nation after Harvard (but who cares about them anyway?) is something to get excited about. If you’ve never explored the main stacks, I suggest you give it a go. There’s like eight different floors to get lost in.

It may not always be mentioned, but the shows, concerts, art exhibits, plays and all the other abundant artistic talent on campus, is really beautiful. There are flyers for events all over campus and Krannert isn’t the only place for performances. Places like Canopy Club always have shows that even people who aren’t that into music will love.

Above all, I think it’s safe to say that The University of Illinois is a place where we can all grow out of our awkward teenage phases at and learn what the hell we want to do with our lives. Sometimes that required course that you think you’ll hate will change your life. With all the amazing things U of I alumni have done around the world, there’s no doubt that we’ll all leave as prepared adults, even if you got pneumonia last week because you walked to Red Lion without a jacket on.

When you find a free minute, take a moment to look around at the beauty of college. We’re all in this together, Illini.