Advice from graduating seniors

We caught up with a handful of graduating seniors to get their perspective on their time at Illinois, including advice for incoming freshmen. Check out what they had to say.

Alisha Alam

Political science

Don't let yourself chasing the idea of what you should be doing, stop you from what you want to be doing. It's hard to not compare yourself to others or feel like you need to do certain things to fit into the future career or vision of what you want. But college is meant to be a time of growth and building the version of who you want to be—so make sure you genuinely prioritize yourself and your own happiness!

Michael Kraft

Chemistry, MCB

My best advice is to enjoy every minute of your time. If you didn’t really find an interest in that club you recently joined, put your energy elsewhere. It is okay to say no! Time here feels short-lived, so take advantage of all the opportunities you can and have fun.

Rajvi Javeri

Psychology

My advice to incoming freshmen would be to seize every opportunity that might come your way. The U of I has so many different resources—use them! It will foster self-development and growth over the next 4 years. Join an RSO, attend social events, put yourself out there, and make friends!

Shreya Jeyakumar

MCB

My best advice for incoming students is to balance your work time and social time. College is not enjoyable if you spend all your time studying. Take the time to go out and make new friends, explore new passions, and have fun.

"What did you gain at Illinois?"

In 2019 we talked with incoming LAS students about their joys and jitters as they began their journey at Illinois. Four years later, we caught up with a four of them: Angela Cabrera (MCB), Krystal Sanchez (psychology, Spanish), Eman Zwawi (MCB), and Mia Castaneda (political science).