University of Illinois bucket list: The best of all seasons
As a high school student deciding where to attend college, evaluating what each school has to offer outside of the classroom is quite important. The University of Illinois and the Champaign-Urbana community have ample activities, events, and exciting opportunities year-round.
I look forward to late summer and fall at Illinois. One of the greatest days as a freshman (sophomore, junior, and senior, too!) is attending your first-ever Quad Day. Quad Day is one of the most picturesque moments you’ll have as a student.
More than 1,000 clubs (also known on our campus as registered student organizations or RSOs) set up booths along the main quadrangle. It’s the best occasion to find opportunities to be involved at Illinois, experience the vast array of clubs available, or just indulge in a taste of what the Illinois experience is like. The sense of comradery on campus this day is surreal!
In addition to this, the fall allows for students to go to football games at Memorial Stadium and be a part of the Block I’s historical card stunt halftime activities, tailgate with friends, go to Urbana’s Sweetcorn Festival, visit Curtis Apple Orchard, see the University of Illinois Homecoming parade and pep rally, go to the Urbana Farmer’s Market, go to a drive-in moviein Gibson City, take photos with friends on the Alma Mater, and enjoy a pretzel at the Illini Union. These are some of the many reasons I love fall at Illinois.
I look forward to the winter at Illinois because of the scenic and cold weather! (Yes, really!) The winter at Illinois offers gorgeous scenery and even fun snowball fights on the Quad. Our main quad is one of the most beautiful and iconic college quads, (ask Business Insider) and in the winter, it’s stunning. If you’re worried about trekking to class in the snow, don’t fear! The University of Illinois and the Campaign-Urbana community have an incredible bus service that can take you wherever you need to be, on campus or off.
Because of the cold, Illinois offers a wide array of opportunities to do indoors, like rock climbing at the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC), bowling at the Illini Union, basketball games at the newly-renovated State Farm Center, plays at the Krannert Center for Performing Arts, delicious restaurants and bakeries in downtown Champaign or Urbana, group fitness classes, the pool slides and hot tub at Campus Recreation Center East (CRCE), lunch at the historical Illini Union Colonial Room, scenic trips to Krannert Art Museum and Spurlock Museum, and concerts at State Farm Center and Foellinger Auditorium. I love winter at the University of Illinois!
I look forward to the spring and early summer at Illinois because of many amazing activities. My favorite part about spring at Illinois is being able to enjoy the ARC’s outdoor pool. As a freshman, it’s likely your dorm will be relatively close to the largest workout building on campus, which means you’ll be close to the pool! Enjoy a nice study break or a relaxing weekend with your friends lying beside or swimming in the pool.
Some other spring activities include kissing your sweetheart under the Eternal Flame when the magnolia tree is in full bloom, enjoying the activities and booths on Anniversary Plaza, the Spring Jam concert on the Quad (it’s free to students), Roger Ebert’s Film Festival in downtown Champaign (Ebertfest), visiting the beautiful gardens and parks in the community, trying new food trucks on campus, and enjoying Jarling’s Custard Cup (the BEST ice cream ever). You will certainly stay busy during the spring at Illinois!
There are so many things to do at Illinois, I couldn’t fit them all in this blog post. Our campus offers incredible activities, events, and destinations to explore as a student. Some are so great you’ll back enjoying them with friends as alumni!