<p>just had a whole big reply typed out for you and it asked me to log in when i pressed reply. So it was gone when i did that. GRRRRR. So as a result you're getting an outline of my more helpful post. </p>
<p>Your assessment is pretty correct. Champaign-Urbana can get old, and does from time to time. There are no redeeming geographical features like lakes, rivers, beaches, mountains etc to act as a lifeline for social activity. BUT you could do worse. There's plenty of going out to be done if you like to drink, and most people who do don't really care where they go as long as there's booze. (Bars are 19 to get in, getting the alcohol is cake after thats done) If drinking isn't your thing, or you just don't like to do it all that much, there's plenty else going on. Poker Tourneys, LAN parties for video games like halo or WoW, sporting events or just pick-up games at the rec centers CIRCE and IMPE, Bowling at the Union, Frisbee on the quad, and very often, University sponsored events called IlliNites that are held at the Illini Union and usually offer something worthwhile..or at least a good way to meet people and just kinda relax. I've also got some friends that are in a minor program that takes a lot of trips to off-road go-kart places and paintball fields...so they must be around here somewhere. Chicago is not THAT far away if you want to get outa town with your friends for a night or weekend, and there are some campgrounds not far from campus for some time away too. There are always clubs to get involved with too so you're not twiddling your thumbs on weeknights (but how anyone finds time to twiddle thumbs between homework and hangin with friends i'll never know.) </p>
<p>In short, you could absolutely do better than Chambana. A comparable university like UW Madison's campus would rock the socks off Champaign Urbana, so would great cities like Boston, NY for NYU, and even smaller ones like Austin, but a lot of big ten schools will be about the same or worse. Purdue, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan....i'd imagine people do about the same things there as most of those are just as isolated as we are here. You won't regret champaign urbana the way you would regret DeKalb or Charleston or Macomb or Bloomington (NIU, EIU, WIU, IL State), the size of the university definitely lends some spark. </p>
<p>You can do better, you can do worse. Depends on what your other choices are. (my outline turned into just retyping it, oh well)</p>
<p>Edit: Forgot live music. If you like that, there's plenty. Jeff Tweedy from Wilco is here tomorrow night, Blue Man Group was here a week or two back, I saw Jack's Mannequin about a month ago, Lucky Boys Confusion a month before that. Sometimes the names are small, but I've seen bigger groups like Dave Matthews Band and Jimmy Eat World too.</p>