text: It is a place that is easy to both love and hate On one hand they have some unique academic programs and great professors but you will probably have to slog through lots subpar classes before you get the good classes nnBusiness is one of the better colleges but you would not know if from the lower level classes My least favorite class ever was an upper level econ econ is technically in LAS even though business people spend plenty of time in the department class that was taught by a TA who not only did not speak very good English but who also gave really harsh tests The first test average was a and there was no curve Grading is harsh here Lots of people repeat classes I also have plenty of bad things to say about accounting and finance classes but it depends on the class I guess nnLAS is the catchall college that gets shafted a lot Many of my lectures were too big and in auditoriums were literally falling apart Contrast that with the muchfunded engineering colleges glittering shiny collection of brand new giant buildings Oh well nnACES my college is a bit of a catchall college as well but some of the majors are quite small I have had my smallest and favorite classes in ACES For development and other niche economics specialties this is the place to be and undergrads get lots of attention It also has topnotch programs in other aggy stuff ranging from food science to animal science I adore most of my professors I have had in this college The only downside is that ACES has tended to attract some less than bright students in the past and has some programs within it in need of reform but I am sure that is true in many UIUC colleges I recommend ACES but only if you are truly interested in the curricula nnI would note that I skipped all geneds and a lot of ugly giant lower level classes thanks to APs and placements tests If you can do that it is worth it because the upper level classes are where you can really enjoy academics The lower level classes seem to be purposefully soulcrushing with harsh curves unintelligible TAs and professors who just read off powerpoints classes are where learning goes to die I basically did well on them by memorizing lectures off flashcards a sad way to learn if you ask me Do not be afraid to switch classes if you get a bad feeling on the first day I did that a lot and it was worth it for the Englishspeaking TAs nnI am personally not a fan of the Greek system which welds a little too much power here The drunken antiintellectual environment can be stifling if you do not find a niche Allen Hall is the place to be for antiGreekshippiesoutsiders and it has the bonus of small lower level classes often taught by people who actually care Avoid the isolated residence halls like PAR and FAR go sixpack only if you are Greekish and ISR is the place to be for engineers and other assorted people who want to live near the science and engineering buildings Dorm food is a mixed bagit is mostly just inexcusably bad but most people do not seem to notice because they think fries and hot dogs acceptable lunch nnI like the Chambana area even if it has some minor annoyances Illkept frat houses and a bizarre lack of oncampus grocery stores mar it but otherwise it was easy for me to find restaurants to eat at and assorted drunkfree places to hang out However I can think of about ten major cities where I would rather livennThe weather here is horrible In the summer you scald and in the winter you freeze so pack your snowboots and your shortshorts