How LAS feels like home

We are fam-ILL-y!

For Homecoming 2022, we asked LAS students how LAS feels like home. Here’s what they said…

Michael Kraft at a U of I football gameMichael Kraft

Senior in MCB honors and chemistry

With 70 majors, LAS is the largest college on campus and the most diverse when it comes to what you want to study. The LAS family is huge! Everyone has something special or unique to offer in a family, and ours is no exception. Being part of LAS offers tons of different experiences to choose from, either in the classroom or with friends. Plus, I love the opportunity to grow and learn from super smart professors we have. They guide us through our courses and challenge us, just like we are home.

Uma Lynch at a U of I football gameUma Lynch

Sophomore in English

Moving from a high school with a student body of 200 to a large university of 44,000 was inevitably an overwhelming transition. I valued the community that my small high school provided and feared losing that aspect of my education. By joining LAS, however, the level of support I received from faculty and advisors remained constant. From the get-go, I had an advisor that helped me choose my classes and continued to check in on me regularly throughout the semester. Additionally, LAS 122 with other incoming freshmen helped me meet others that were experiencing the same adjustment. For such a large school, it’s surprising to see how many people are rooting for your individual success. That is how I knew being a part of LAS was the best decision I could have made.

Madyson MagnusMadyson Magnus

Sophomore in LAS undeclared

At first you may wonder, "How can a college feel like home?" College does nothing but force you out of your comfort zone, and comfort is the one thing needed to make a home. The best way, in my opinion, to find that comfort in LAS is to engage with those around you. The most blissful feeling I've experienced here at UIUC is finding the comfort in the struggle. No matter your struggle, you are never alone! Between the wonderful support centers, amazing staff, and even the compassionate classmates I've met in LAS, I have been convinced that this is truly my second home!

Rajvi JaveriRajvi Javeri

Senior in psychology

To me, LAS has always been synonymous with home. Being an international student from a big city, my biggest apprehension coming here was the loss of familiarity. However, the incredible diversity of the college, paired with the large student and faculty body, made me feel right at home. Through thought-provoking discussions and interactions with my peers, I have realized that despite the diversity, LAS is comprised of like-minded people who all have one goal in mind— to contribute to our community and address the world's problems. This cohesiveness of thought reinforced a sense of belongingness. LAS has given me some of my fondest memories and some of my closest friends. I could not be prouder to call it my home away from home!

Tara LeiningerTara Leininger

Senior in classics and history

It’s remarkable how LAS is able to cultivate a community that unites its students. But there are so many ways the College of LAS connects its large student population and makes us all feel at home. Starting in the classroom, supportive faculty members uplift students and lead them to academic opportunities that help them excel and carve out their own unique paths. Outside of the classroom, LAS students are curious, motivated, and kind, and student organizations within the college foster a stronger sense of community that can be felt everywhere. Coming from a small town, I was initially worried about finding community at such a large school, but my home within LAS makes me feel like I’m right where I belong.

Kylie CorralKylie Corral

Sophomore in creative writing

To me, LAS is like a miniature of the world, but within the campus and community of the University of Illinois. There is so much to do, so much to learn, and so many ways to get involved with LAS on campus, and that brings so many opportunities along with it. Living at UIUC and studying within the college of LAS, you’ll meet so many people and so many people will meet you. Everyone here has an impact on everyone else: the community in LAS is one that is always growing. Learning to meet new people in LAS and having fun at college alongside them is what makes LAS feel like home to me, and that’s what LAS is for a lot of students to: a second home.

Ayden MazaAyden Maza

Sophomore in English and political science

LAS feels like a home since I am truly involved in all of my classes. In every one of my classes, there is always class participation, either from student-lead discussions or by the professor asking questions asked to the class. Either way, I am actively being engaged by each of my professors. Instead of simply having to sit though a lecture only having the professor speak, LAS offers class-lead lectures where the students are the ones leading discussion. On top of this, classes are more personal with each of my professors getting to know who I am. These simple things that I have noticed in all of my LAS courses really do make LAS home for me.