Books? Check. Pens and Pencils? Check. Now What?
Books? Check. Pens and Pencils? Check. Now What? Heading link
You’ve registered for classes. You’ve started counting down the days until August 25th. You’ve even updated your LinkedIn profile with your new graduate school endeavor. Now what? Let me introduce you to…
The Top Five Things To Do Before Classes Start
1. Get your UIC i-card.
Your UIC i-card is your official University ID card. What’s great about the i-card is it gives you access to various services and facilities on campus. If access around campus isn’t extremely important to you, remember you can always use your i-card for that lucrative, “Student Discount.” Discounts at the movies? I think, “Yes!”
To get your i-card, you need two pieces of information:
Your current semester schedule and a state ID, driver’s license, or passport
You can find a copy of your schedule on the Registration and Records Menu, under the Academics tab of my.uic.
Once you have your two pieces of information simply go to the Photo ID Center and say, “Cheese!”
The Photo ID Center is located on both sides of campus:
East Side West Side
Student Services Building (SSB) Student Center West (SCW)
Suite 1790 Room 241
1200 W. Harrison (@ Racine) 828 S. Wolcott (@ Polk)
Monday – Friday 8:30 AM -5:00 PM Monday – Friday 8:30 AM-4:00 PM
(312) 413-5940 (312) 413-5944
2. Determine how you’re getting to class
When it comes to commuting to and from campus students have a couple of different options.
If you’re registered as a full-time student you’re eligible for the CTA Ventra U-Pass. This awesome pass provides unlimited use of CTA trains and buses during the semester.
To get your U-Pass just go to the ID-Center and show your i-card. To get more information about the U-Pass Distribution, click here.
You may be thinking that you have no use for the U-Pass so why bother, but you’ll never know when it might come in handy, and besides the U-Pass program is not optional. All full-time students have assessed the $140 CTA Transportation Fee for each semester.
If you’ve decided to drive to campus there are a number of parking options at your disposal.
Campus Parking Services issue parking permits to students for designated lots. While there are many options, permits are issued on a first-come, first-serve basis. To take a look at permit pricing or to download a permit application click here.
Aside from parking permits, there are also cash lots and meter parking available around campus.
Also, you could bike to class! There are a number of Divvy stations around UIC’s campus, as well as over 800 outdoor bike parking spaces. To learn more about biking at UIC click here.
3. Learn about CampusCare
CampusCare is the student health benefits program available to eligible students and their covered dependents. Since health insurance coverage is mandatory for all registered students at UIC ALL students are automatically enrolled into CampusCare when they register for classes, and the $471.00 fee is added to your student account.
If you wish to waive CampusCare or learn more about CampusCare’s benefits click here.
4. Join a Student Organization
One sure-fire way to enhance your UIC Liautaud experience is to join a student org, or two, or three. Student orgs offer a great opportunity to socialize and get to know your classmates better. Additionally, student orgs on campus complement the academic programs by offering hands-on leadership and networking opportunities with faculty members, alumni and the business community. For a full listing of UIC Liautaud Student Orgs click here.
If any of the student orgs spark your interest, I encourage you to attend an event. I promise you won’t regret it.
Some of the awesome events hosted by UIC Liautaud Orgs include:
UIC Graduate Marketing Association: Leo Burnett Company Visit
UIC Liautaud Women’s Network: Wine & Cheese Fundraiser
UIC MBA Association: Accenture Information Session
5. Stay Connected!
Stay in the know by following UIC Liautaud on social media!