University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

If you're used to paper notes, definitely stick with paper. That's how I've taken all my notes, and it works for me. Even if some lecturers provide pre-written notes, I don't find them helpful during class. Also, I had a great time in IB150—the professor was awesome.

I took IB 150 with a really great professor who was incredibly kind and always willing to answer questions outside of class. The class was a lot of fun and serves as a solid introduction to the rest of the mainline IB courses.

I took the design experience class and didn't get much out of it. I'd recommend using a note format that lets you draw and write equations quickly, which can be tricky with some digital versions. Also, address instructors as Professor or Dr if they have a PhD, and non-professor staff as Ms or Mr unless they prefer something else.

Having a car on campus is super expensive and barely useful as a freshman since it's stored far away. Amtrak is a decent option from the East Coast with sleeper rooms and meals, but it takes a day. Buses from Chicago aren't free either. Overall, transportation here is pricey and not very convenient.

You're required to have a meal plan, but you can choose the dining dollars option instead of meals. You get around $100 per week to spend at convenience stores and coffee shops in the residence halls. It's not perfect, but you can definitely find things to use it on.

I transferred to UIUC and was really health conscious about food. I managed to get my meal plan reduced after some haggling, but housing wasn't super helpful with this. I mostly lived off salads and sandwiches from IKE using carry-out boxes. I did get sick from the lettuce once or twice, but overall it was more affordable than the other options I found.

I took PHYS 225 and it was a turning point. For physics majors, this class sets the pattern for all subsequent courses. The exams are challenging and there are no multiple choice questions. If you're considering grad school, take this seriously because advanced books like Jackson E&M make 225 look easy. Use this chance to master the math. Speaking from experience.

I was confused about the role of academic advisors here. They’re not mental health counselors or career advisors, despite sometimes having experience in those fields. Their job is to refer you to the appropriate specialists. There are separate offices for that. It’s helpful, but I wish they were more upfront about it.

I started in Fall 2015 and took 6.5 years to graduate, so I got to enjoy a good chunk of normal semesters before COVID hit. I really feel for my younger friends who graduated in 2021 or 2022—they missed out on the vibrant campus life that made my early years so memorable. The university handled things okay, but it's a shame newer students didn't get the same experience.

I've tried both tablets and notebooks for note-taking here. The tablets let you upload pages but you lose the written notes. Notebooks with photo-to-text apps let you keep the paper. I still prefer paper, but professors may have different requirements and you'll definitely need some tech device in class.

I asked about fees for online students and got an automated reply saying they're mandatory regardless of location, citing campus infrastructure. It feels like a scam, but what can students do?

My experience in this class was a mixed bag. I did well on some exams but bombed others, and it felt like luck. The class is poorly structured — you spend more time memorizing tips and tricks for exams than actually learning the material. The real strategy is to grind extra practice and memorize labs. That might get you a grade, but it won't teach you the subject.

Having been a sexual assault victim, I was harassed by a campus police officer. They didn't care at all, treating me like an inconvenience. It's a terrible experience that shows how UIUC fails to support survivors.