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Important Dates
Spring 2027 Courses Viewable on Course Explorer: Monday, Oct. 5
Deadline to drop a full semester course: Friday, Oct. 16
POT B (Second 8-weeks) courses begin: Monday, Oct. 19
Deadline to add a POT B course: Friday, Oct. 23
Registration Time Tickets available to view: Monday, Oct. 26
Advising Office Open House: Thursday, Oct. 29
Resource of the Week: Student Wellness Tools
The Counseling Center and the university offer several interactive services to help you care for your mental health. In addition to a range of counseling services and mental health programming, these tools allow you to check in on your mental health, look out for symptoms of distress in your peers, and connect you to necessary resources. Look over some of the services provided by the Counseling Center:
SOS for Higher Ed: This training gives you tips on recognizing distress in your peers and guiding them to resources on campus that can assist.
TalkCampus Peer Support: TalkCampus allows students to connect with peers around caring for their mental health.
Telus Health Student Support: This service allows students to access counseling services anywhere in the world via text or phone.
HealthiestYou: 24/7 virtual, free consultations with a professional to help you with a diagnosis, treatment, and prescription anywhere, anytime. You must be enrolled in the Student Insurance Plan to access this service.
Book Recommendation of the Week: Pizza Girl by Jean Kyoung Frazier
Recommended by Irini Mihas
“An 18-year-old pregnant pizza delivery driver suddenly becomes obsessed with a middle-aged mother who orders pickle pizza every week. Their relationship becomes messy and starts to complicate both of their lives in extreme ways. In the realm of weird-girl lit fic, this story deals with a lot of profound themes such as grief, love, existentialism, and more. It is a super interesting read with (I think) a super cool book cover. I highly recommend this book for a strange yet heartwarming interesting time!”
A huge thank you to Irini for the recommendation!
Do you have any books that you would like to recommend? Share your book recommendations here and we will try to get your recommendation in the Round-Up!
Gilman Scholarship Drop-In Advising Workshop
Are you applying for the Fall 2026 Gilman Scholarship cycle? Would you like feedback on your application before the October 1 deadline? Don’t miss the Gilman drop-in advising workshop!
Location: LAS Hub in Lincoln Hall (first floor, through the lounge area)
Date/Time: Tuesday, September 29, 3-6pm. Pizza will be served!
Advisors from the National & International Scholarships Program, the Writers Workshop, and Illinois Abroad will be on hand to provide feedback on application essays and information about Illinois study abroad programs. Resources from the Office of Student Financial Aid will be available.
About the Gilman Scholarship
The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship provides enrolled students who are Pell Grant recipients up to $5,000 for credit-bearing programs for study or internship abroad in any country. Students planning to study a language critical to U.S. national security while abroad can apply for an additional $3,000; students planning to conduct STEM-related research while studying abroad can apply for an additional $1,000.
Eligibility
Freshmen through seniors who are U.S. citizens or nationals, Federal Pell Grant recipients, in good academic standing, and planning to participate in a credit-bearing study abroad program or international internship are eligible to apply.
Deadlines
Applications are due October 1, 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time for the Fall 2026 cycle (study abroad programs beginning between December 2026 and October 2027). Students who miss the Fall deadline may apply in Spring 2027.
Application Requirements
Students must submit four 500-word essays on their motivation for studying/interning abroad; how studying/interning abroad will develop their knowledge and skills; how they will represent the U.S. as citizen-diplomats; their intent to promote the value of study abroad through a follow-on service project. Supplemental 300-word essays are required for students applying for Critical Language study and/or STEM-related research. Applications must be certified by study abroad and financial aid advisors.
Check out the Canvas page with additional advice and samples of winning applications!
For more information, please contact the NIS office at topscholars@illinois.edu or visit www.topscholars.illinois.edu.
The Truman Scholarship
Are you interested in a career in public service? Are you actively working to make change in your community, on campus, or in your world more broadly? Attend an upcoming information session and/or application workshop for the Truman Scholarship!
The Truman Scholarship awards $30,000 for use toward a graduate degree in public service fields. Public service includes government, uniformed services, public interest organizations, non-governmental research or educational organizations, public and private schools, and other non-profit organizations. As a non-negotiable condition of receiving funding, recipients are required to work in public service for three of the seven years following completion of their graduate degree program.
Information Sessions
In-person | Thursday 9/24, 3:30-4:30pm
514 Illini Union Bookstore Building
Online | Friday 9/25, 9-10am
Zoom (register here)
Application Writing Workshop
Friday 9/25, 3-4pm
514 Illini Union Bookstore Building
Submit Your Creative Writing to be Nominated to the AWP Intro Journals Project
The AWP Intro Journals Project is a literary competition for the discovery and publication of the best new works by students currently enrolled in AWP member academic programs. Program directors are invited to nominate student work, and winners are selected for publication in participating literary journals.
Harper Collins Publishers Spring & Summer 2027 Internship Opportunities
Wondering what a career in publishing is like? Interested in learning more about what working at HarperCollins Publishing has to offer? HarperCollins is recruiting for 2027 Spring and Summer internships!
Visit our website for more information & FAQs: https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/internships
2027 Spring and Summer Internship applications are live on their website. The deadline to apply will be October 1, 2026.
York Times Editors’ Choice and winner of the Texas Institute of Letters Best First Fiction Award and the Writers’ League of Texas Fiction Prize. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, Prairie Schooner, and numerous other publications. A Fulbright Scholar to Nigeria and Dobie-Paisano Writing Fellow, Specht currently teaches creative writing at St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, where she lives with her family. She was recently inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters.
Apply to the Humanities in Action Program
Organized by the Humanities Research Institute (HRI), with the support of We CU and the Community Learning Lab (CLL), Humanities in Action is intended to help remove some of the financial barriers that prevent humanities students from taking advantage of community engagement opportunities. During the spring semester, participants will work with a local community partner to apply their humanities training in new ways toward a service project. Each student will receive $1000 to support their participation in the program. All undergraduate humanities majors and minors are eligible to apply. Please contact Lázaro García-Angulo (log3@illinois.edu) with any questions you may have.
Applications are now open and due by October 16 at 11:59 p.m.
If you are interested in the HIA program, you can attend an information session to learn more about the program, get advice on preparing a strong application, and hear from past HIA Scholars about their experience. The information session will be held Thursday, October 1st at 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 pm at Room 422, Levis Faculty Center. Register now!
Submit Your Work
The Green Observer is a student-run publication of Students for Environmental Concerns (SECS). We publish prose, poetry, visual art, and musical compositions that engage with environmentalism and nature. Oue Fall 2026 edition is currently accepting submissions!
We strive to include the voices of all students on campus within our magazine and would love to feature those of the English Department. This edition’s theme is Migrations, and submissions should be loosely related to the theme. Rough drafts are due October 2nd, by email to samholt2@illinois.edu
Summer Internship at Boeing for English Majors
Apply for a paid internship in corporate communications. The positions allows you the opportunity to:
-Gain the skills and knowledge to become a future leader in the aerospace industry.
-Work directly with a mentor in your field of study while finding solutions to real-world problems.
-Experience our products up close by touring manufacturing, engineering, and research facilities.
-Interact with company leaders to learn about strategy and the future of aerospace
-Build a lasting professional network through social events and engaging activities.
The position responsibilities may require you to:
-Research, write, edit, and publish internal or external communications
-Support digital, social, multimedia, and employee-engagement content
-Assist with events, executive communications, and media/community activities
-Track communication metrics and help improve audience reach and effectiveness
For information on eligibility, role responsibilities, and pay, see the position announcement on LinkedIn.
Study Abroad with LAS
Discover the benefits of studying abroad in the College of LAS! Learn about program types, lengths, locations, scholarships, and the application process. This reoccurring workshop is the first steps for those considering getting started on a study abroad application. Please sign up with this form.
Upcoming AACC Book Club Meeting
Illinois Club Scholarships
The Illinois Club Scholarships online application is open through 5PM on Saturday, October 10, 2026. The 2027-2028 scholarships will support junior and senior students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Recipients are selected based on academic achievement, financial need, and participation in activities that enhance academic and professional development. Additional information can be found on the club’s website. Scholarship amounts vary from year to year. Any interested students can apply here.
Scholarships that will be of particular interest to English and/or creative writing students include:
Humanities and Social Sciences Scholarship
Open to students majoring or minoring in the Humanities or Social Sciences. Applicants should demonstrate the benefits that studying the Humanities or Social Sciences provides to themselves and their community. Majors/minors that may apply for the Humanities and Social Sciences Award include English; Philosophy; Religion; Comparative Literature; Cinema Studies; History; Classics; Art History; Communication; Anthropology; Psychology; Musicology; Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication; Human Development and Family Studies; Agriculture and Consumer Economics; all foreign languages; all ethnic studies; all Business majors and minors; and undergraduates in the I-School.
Isabelle Purnell Education Scholarship
Open to students earning a Secondary Education Certificate or College of Education majors. Applicants should indicate how they hope to make a difference in the classroom and in students’ lives.
Judith Life Ikenberry Scholarship
Open to students majoring in the creative arts including all majors within the College of Fine & Applied Arts and Creative Writing. Applicants should demonstrate how their art impacts their lives and the world and what they hope to accomplish with their art. This scholarship is generally given to a student who plans to make a living as a working artist, performer, or writer (e.g., painter, sculptor, musician, composer, dancer, actor, novelist, playwright, poet, screenwriter, essayist, or other creative professions)
Montage Arts Journal: Call for Submissions 2026-2027
Internship Opportunities with the Migration Policy Institute (MPI)
The Demetrios G. Papademetriou Young Scholars Program, named in honor of MPI’s founding president, has two goals: harnessing the valuable contributions of interns for MPI’s work and training the next generation of migration and communications leaders. Internships are available both in person and remotely, as well as to those residing outside the United States.
MPI is committed to recruiting and supporting interns who reflect the breadth of experiences, backgrounds, and perspectives in the countries where it works. As such, the Institute is committed to making sure that interns and staff members of all backgrounds work in an inclusive environment with equity and access for all.
General Internship Application Deadlines
- October 15 – Spring Semester (January – April)
- February 15 – Summer Semester (May – August)
- June 15 – Fall Semester (September – December)
Check out their webpage to find more information about their research and communications internships and how to apply!
iHelp 2026: Volunteering Opportunity
Interested in volunteering in the local community? Participate in iHelp 2026 on October 10th from 10am – 4pm!
Presented by Student Alumni Ambassadors, iHelp is the signature campus-wide day of service in the fall that brings together students, their surrounding community, and university alumni in an organized effort to create a culture of giving at the University of Illinois. Each year, over a thousand students come together to assist dozens of agencies across the Champaign-Urbana area in a display of gratitude to the community we call home. The Student Alumni Ambassadors (SAA) handle the logistics of the event, advertise the availability of volunteers to service agencies, and recruit students to participate. We strive to encourage students to realize the effect they have on the community via service in order to better not just the city, but also themselves.
Register now! Whether you want to get your RSO involved or just yourself, we would love to have you! All registration forms and other event info can be found at https://www.illinisaa.com/ihelp . Please reach out to us with any questions at illinivpoutreach@gmail.com .
Institute for Higher Education Policy
HEP is seeking a communications intern to join their team for the fall term (October – December, 2026). The communications and government affairs team amplifies the impact of their research and policy work by creating strategic communications to reach key audiences. This is a paid internship. Primary responsibilities include:
–Social Media Management: Assist in developing and implementing social media strategies to amplify IHEP research, drive engagement, and engage with our target audiences.
–Media Relations: Support media outreach efforts by tracking news coverage of state and federal higher education issues and policies, drafting talking points, pitching stories that highlight IHEP’s research and expertise, and supporting relationships with journalists.
–Data Analysis: Analyze social media performance, email marketing metrics, and website traffic to measure the effectiveness of communication campaigns and identify areas for improvement.
–Content Creation: As opportunities arise, develop creative and engaging content for various communications channels, including social media, website, newsletters, and/or blog posts.
–Event Support: Assist with promoting and supporting external presentations, events, and convenings by creating materials and managing logistics (as needed).
For more information please visit https://ihep.hiringthing.com/job/1055558/communications-intern-october-december-2026
Don’t Forget These!
The Jeffries Center Tutoring & Academic Services
Skeuomorph Press
Skeuomorph Press and Undead Media Lab offers hands-on experiences with historical book and information technologies from the 18th to the 20th centuries—including letterpress, book binding, typewriters, risography, and vintage computing—and sponsors creative activities such as poster or zine making.
Check out their photo gallery to see more!
ESA Welcomes You!
Open Houses for the Fall 2026 Semester – Mark Your Calendar!
Fall 2026 Proud to Be A First-Gen Series
How to Connect with LAS Career Services
- Mondays- 1-3 pm 105 Greg Hall (short chats)
- Tuesdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
- Wednesdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
- Thursdays- 10-3 pm LAS Hub (Lincoln Hall) with peer mentors
- Thursdays- 1-3 pm 105 Greg Hall (short chats)
- Handshake Appointments (in-person or virtual) are 30 minutes during available staff times. We have an energetic team to help you. Reach out to connect. Having trouble? Reach out to us at las-careerservices@illinois.edu.
Free Little Library
Check out the ESA Free Little Library outside EB 200. We have a rotating stock of donated books (thanks to all our anonymous donors) and you’re always welcome to stop by and pick something up. If you want to leave a book as well of course you can, but it’s not expected. If you feel like it, you can sign the sheet on the top shelf and tell us what you picked and why!
Share Your News!
As a reminder, if you have an award, a publication, or some other form of success (as defined by you!) to report please send news to engl-news@illinois.edu so the social media interns can celebrate you and your accomplishment. Also, if you are a member of a student group affiliated with the English department and you would like an upcoming event posted on our undergraduate calendar (now available at the bottom of the advising page) please send that info to the same address. Thanks!
