University of Illinois Class of 2018
Posted: Fri Jan 09, 2015 3:01 pm
Thanks to AMilfordMan from the Class of 2016 Forum for the below UIUC info.
I thought it would be nice to start an Illinois c/o 2018 thread for those of us who are seriously considering attending.
I posted this guide to visiting C-U in the applicants thread. Hopefully it is still useful here:
Housing
Champaign
Many of the frats/sororities are between: Gregory - 1st Street - Wright - Green. Housing tends to be pricey in this region due to proximity to class and bars.
North of Green: Cheap, cheap, cheap. Lots of UG engineers and international students in this part of town. The places aren’t the nicest, but they are on bus routes and the closest to County Market (the most convenient campus grocery store). Don’t go any further north than University Ave.
West of 1st Street: Lot’s of grad students. Prices vary. Mostly old houses turned into apts
Urbana
North of Florida, East of Lincoln, West of Vine, and South of University (the “state streets”….Illinois, Pennsylvania, etc.) is often on the more expensive side, but it is a very quiet, nice area. In general, Urbana is thought of as the more liberal, bike friendly, farmer’s market part of town. And it is. Hardwood floors, radiator heat, plenty of trees.
North of University is still not good.
East of Vine can get sort of far away and sketchy at times.
South of Florida is much more non-student residential. I wouldn’t expect to find much here, but it’s generally a nice area so long as you stay west of Philo road.
Savoy
This is where The Village is, and I've been told a lot of law students live there. Driving distance or a long bus ride. Cheap, quiet, and far away from everything. While that might not sound like a ringing endorsement, there are really some nice places in Savoy for a reasonable price. If you don’t mind the commute, it is worth looking into.
Local restaurants and bars
Thai - Siam Terrace, Urbana
Indian - Bombay Grill, Champaign
Chinese - Golden Harbor, Champaign
Mexican - Mas Amigos, Urbana
BBQ - Black Dog, Urbana
Burgers/fries - Seven Saints, Champaign and Crane Alley, Urbana
Breakfast - Courier Cafe, Urbana
Italian - Mia Za’s, Champaign
Sushi - KoFusion, Champaign does $1 sushi on Sunday and Monday
Random:
Desthil - Champaign does good fusion/high end/comfort food
Radio Maria - Champaign for tapas
Bacaro - the only $$$$ place in town
Bars:
Bro bars, undergrads, cheap drinks:
Joe’s, Firehaus, Brothers
Hipster/low-key:
Murphy’s
Sports and/or casual:
Legend’s, Guido’s, Esquire, Quality, Crane Alley, The Blind Pig and The Blind Pig Brewery***
***Likely the most popular bars for 21-30 year olds
Visit a few study locations
If you have a lot of time to kill during your visit, maybe spend some of it doing what you’ll likely be doing in law school; studying/reading/browsing the internet at a library or coffee shop. For starters, the campus has an Espresso Royale at seemingly every corner and downtown Champaign has Cafe Kopi.
Tour the campus
While Champaign-Urbana is a smaller town than many people are used to, the university itself is without a doubt a world-class research institution. Definitely take the chance to get out and explore, and try to appreciate C-U. The whole “metro” area is less than 250k people, but there are a huge variety of cultures represented on campus.
For reference, the law school is on the southern edge of campus, close to the stadiums, workout facility (ARC), and freshmen dorms. If you walk one block east from the law school and work your way north, you will go through the south quad, main quad, engineering/Bardeen quad, and northern/Beckman quad.
The part of town you might want to avoid starts just north of the Beckman quad. While there isn’t a lot of crime in C-U, it’s still best to stay south of University Ave.
I thought it would be nice to start an Illinois c/o 2018 thread for those of us who are seriously considering attending.
I posted this guide to visiting C-U in the applicants thread. Hopefully it is still useful here:
Housing
Champaign
Many of the frats/sororities are between: Gregory - 1st Street - Wright - Green. Housing tends to be pricey in this region due to proximity to class and bars.
North of Green: Cheap, cheap, cheap. Lots of UG engineers and international students in this part of town. The places aren’t the nicest, but they are on bus routes and the closest to County Market (the most convenient campus grocery store). Don’t go any further north than University Ave.
West of 1st Street: Lot’s of grad students. Prices vary. Mostly old houses turned into apts
Urbana
North of Florida, East of Lincoln, West of Vine, and South of University (the “state streets”….Illinois, Pennsylvania, etc.) is often on the more expensive side, but it is a very quiet, nice area. In general, Urbana is thought of as the more liberal, bike friendly, farmer’s market part of town. And it is. Hardwood floors, radiator heat, plenty of trees.
North of University is still not good.
East of Vine can get sort of far away and sketchy at times.
South of Florida is much more non-student residential. I wouldn’t expect to find much here, but it’s generally a nice area so long as you stay west of Philo road.
Savoy
This is where The Village is, and I've been told a lot of law students live there. Driving distance or a long bus ride. Cheap, quiet, and far away from everything. While that might not sound like a ringing endorsement, there are really some nice places in Savoy for a reasonable price. If you don’t mind the commute, it is worth looking into.
Local restaurants and bars
Thai - Siam Terrace, Urbana
Indian - Bombay Grill, Champaign
Chinese - Golden Harbor, Champaign
Mexican - Mas Amigos, Urbana
BBQ - Black Dog, Urbana
Burgers/fries - Seven Saints, Champaign and Crane Alley, Urbana
Breakfast - Courier Cafe, Urbana
Italian - Mia Za’s, Champaign
Sushi - KoFusion, Champaign does $1 sushi on Sunday and Monday
Random:
Desthil - Champaign does good fusion/high end/comfort food
Radio Maria - Champaign for tapas
Bacaro - the only $$$$ place in town
Bars:
Bro bars, undergrads, cheap drinks:
Joe’s, Firehaus, Brothers
Hipster/low-key:
Murphy’s
Sports and/or casual:
Legend’s, Guido’s, Esquire, Quality, Crane Alley, The Blind Pig and The Blind Pig Brewery***
***Likely the most popular bars for 21-30 year olds
Visit a few study locations
If you have a lot of time to kill during your visit, maybe spend some of it doing what you’ll likely be doing in law school; studying/reading/browsing the internet at a library or coffee shop. For starters, the campus has an Espresso Royale at seemingly every corner and downtown Champaign has Cafe Kopi.
Tour the campus
While Champaign-Urbana is a smaller town than many people are used to, the university itself is without a doubt a world-class research institution. Definitely take the chance to get out and explore, and try to appreciate C-U. The whole “metro” area is less than 250k people, but there are a huge variety of cultures represented on campus.
For reference, the law school is on the southern edge of campus, close to the stadiums, workout facility (ARC), and freshmen dorms. If you walk one block east from the law school and work your way north, you will go through the south quad, main quad, engineering/Bardeen quad, and northern/Beckman quad.
The part of town you might want to avoid starts just north of the Beckman quad. While there isn’t a lot of crime in C-U, it’s still best to stay south of University Ave.