Muaz Ali is a senior studying philosophy with a minor in legal studies. In addition to being a Brand Ambassador for the College of LAS, Muaz serves as Head Coach for the Calisthenics Club and is head of the Muslim Student Association's Knowledge Team.
My journey with philosophy has not always been straightforward.
I was originally admitted to Illinois as a political science major in Fall 2024. However, I quickly realized that my heart wasn't in it, despite not having taken any political science classes. Around my second week at Illinois, I reached out to my advisor, Andrew Smith and switched to philosophy.
After a journey of exploring different paths; taking statistics and data science classes, then thinking about transferring to Gies and taking economics and communication classes in case law school didn't work out, I realized those paths were not for me.
So, although I was officially a philosophy major, I hadn't taken any philosophy classes or decided that philosophy was what I wanted to study.
In the Fall of 2025, registration day came... and went. I hadn't signed up for a single class because I had no idea which direction to take. The next day, I sat in the Union, pulled up every single major Illinois offered, and worked through them college by college. Eventually, I got to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and I found a major I could genuinely imagine studying: philosophy. I looked at the sample four-year plan, registered for the classes I needed, and somehow everything fit perfectly. For the first time, I wasn't just considering philosophy. I was committing to it.
I expected philosophy to improve my reading, reasoning, and critical thinking. What I didn't expect was to gain a deep passion for it. Professor Noël Saenz's metaphysics class opened a whole world of questions I hadn't known existed. Between the readings and discussions, I could practically feel my brain gaining new wrinkles (and my forehead, too). Saenz also showed me what it means to take an argument seriously, including when you disagree with it. Andrew, meanwhile, has patiently helped me plan my path, answered countless questions, and made the department feel like somewhere I belong.
The lessons didn’t end when the class did either. Philosophy has changed how I approach conversations with family and friends, and it's taught me that philosophy is in every facet of our lives. One of my favorite experiences has been representing the philosophy department at LAS events to both parents and students. There's something funny about going from the student unsure of his major to the student telling others to pursue philosophy.
My interest in law, however, started much earlier than my newfound interest in philosophy. My law school journey started in two criminal justice classes I took in high school. At Illinois, pre-law advising, law school fairs, lectures, and courses such as LAW 199: Great American Cases and LAW 301: Introduction to Law have kept that interest growing. During a criminal law lab, I loved weighing the facts to argue whether first or second-degree murder charges were legally justified. I had to separate what I felt someone deserved from what the law supported.
I encountered the same expectation-altering experience again while shadowing a criminal defense attorney. I expected to observe court proceedings and head home. Instead, I sat in on client meetings, observed conversations with prosecutors, and reviewed discovery. Even the less glamorous work, scheduling dates, requesting continuances, and dealing with charges, held my interest. It strengthened my desire to become a lawyer who does right by his clients and always stays true to himself.
College hasn't been straightforward. I've struggled with time management, belonging, and uncertainty about the future. But I've also learned to lean on my advisor, professors, friends, and family. As I prepare for the LSAT and law school applications, I'm doing my part and trusting God that everything will work out.
If I could tell a prospective student one thing, it would be this: there's no single right way to go through college. I still don't have every answer. But I found a major I love, people I'm grateful for, and a direction worth pursuing. That's more than I could have said that day in the Union.