Urbana Champaign college town of U of I

Anyone who studies at UIUC, please tell me your experiences beyond academics and extracurriculars. Just how is life in Urbana, how does campus life add to your college experiences?

Hi there, I’m a current student.

Urbana and Champaign are small cities but they does have a really nice music (majority emo/alt) scene for a relatively small area and has a bunch or really nice cafes. There’s the awesome Art Theater that always has some interesting films going–go see The Room at the Art, it’s a bucket list activity for sure. Finally, make sure to venture off campus, you get free access to the CUMTD transit system so you should use it. There’s definitely people who’ve never gone off campus and they’re really missing out in my opinion.

Anything more in particular that you’re looking for?

Thanks! @literallymarx

Hi. Parent of a current student. My daughter would echo the post above. She enjoys exploring off campus. Many different restaurants with great food. She says the bus system is easy to use to head off campus. There are parks, escape rooms, the movies, and she’s found a church to attend occasionally. Lots of off campus housing and apartments within walking distance and by bus. The buses and trains to Chicago are easy to books for school breaks. Ask us anything! Good Luck to you.

Hey! So I’m planning to attend UIUC next year, but the one thing holding me and my parents back is the college township. My dad’s worried that I won’t have much to do in my free time and might get bored since the cities are so small. Does your daughter think there’s enough to do?
Also, I’ve been seeing comments that people in the town are extremely shady and the city itself is kind of shady. Any chance you can falsify these claims??

lmao probably just racists that see one PoC and freak out

CU is fine, even though I live in a “shady” area.

Also there’s plenty to do in the area.

There are “shady” areas around nearly every Big Ten university, but not venturing off campus would be a shame. Honestly it depends on how sheltered your life is and how you define “shady”. I’m sure this is true of most colleges and universities, though there are certainly exceptions. Campuses are generally very safe and secure, though no matter where you attend, a small percentage of problematic students are usually the biggest safety concern.

Campustown is essentially part of campus at UIUC. Downtown Champaign is very nice and trendy compared to 30 years ago. Downtown Urbana is a pretty typical midwest rural downtown with its own charm. If you’re coming from an ultra-affluent modern suburb with a huge tax base and essentially zero crime, I’d decribe the CU area as “real-world” typical midwest town rather than “shady”.

Here is UIUC from the point of an international graduate student in early 2000. This is dated but may provide some insight. Also, look at the follow-up questions listed below the article for further insights. TBH, I was so busy studying and working, it didn’t seem difficult to find things to do in my free time. For me, that was over 35 years ago. https://www.quora.com/What-is-it-like-to-live-in-University-of-Illinois-at-Urbana-Champaign

If you’re looking for nirvana, it’s not in Champaign-Urbana. That said, crime and demographics of the towns aren’t a reason not to choose UIUC. Among smaller college cities in Illinois, some are better-Bloomington-Normal, some are worse-DeKalb in terms of crime in the immediate campus areas and the cities in general. You have to be security-aware and watch out for your safety on and off campus anywhere.

Through a mom’s eyes, yes, some parts of C-U look worse in daylight than at night, and I do draw certain lines as to where my student should venture off-campus and live…i.e., spend more on rent and live a few blocks this way or that…for you and your parents, DO listen to the security lectures given at admissions and orientation sessions, heed campus police advice, and use campus security services.

In terms of having enough to do…yes, there’s lots to do on and off campus. Take every advantage of campus events…some of those are pretty incredible and they are right in your face. Alas, you may find that there’s a great event and you have an exam or class that night…if a student is bored it’s the student’s fault!

@merdolgon: Yes, my daughter says she finds plenty to do. With a large student population at UIUC, there are so many ways to get involved on campus and also off campus with structured and unstructured endeavors. As long as you are willing to explore and try groups and activities, your downtime will be easily filled up!

I agree with IL2023’s post about the cities of C-U. It is real world. Perhaps, taking a self defense seminar may ease your parents’ concerns and it can bolster your confidence. I did a hands on role play class with my daughter and truth is, she handled situations better than I did. And I learned to be more street smart as well!!

Let us know if you have more questions.