As an incoming freshman, is it a good idea to skip the general chem courses (i have ib creds) and take more advanced chem courses? or is it better to take it easy the first year and take general chem to boost my gpa? 
thanks!
Did you score a 6 or a 7 on the IB Chemistry test? If not, then you will not be able to skip chemistry. Know that the general chemistry classes are not easy. The rigor of a high school chemistry class (even an IB class) does not come close to the level of a university level class. It is not necessarily a guaranteed A. The students taking gneeral chemistry at UIUC are all high achieving, but some of them are bringing in the B’s, C’s, and D’s. It is a requirement for Pre-med, Engineering, etc—ie many smart students.
Don’t take them if you don’t have to. My brother is very intelligent and he’s in medical school now, and although he got an A in general chem, he said many people did not do well even if they were smart. The way it is taught at a university is hard to grasp, and it doesn’t really “click” for anyone easily. He told me that there were some aspects of what was taught in that class that took him years to fully understand.
General Chem isn’t going to be an easy GPA booster at UIUC, even if you did very well on the IB exams. Science courses at UIUC are rigorous - likely far more rigorous than the classes you took in high school. What is your major? If you’re majoring in a chemistry related field, it may be a good idea to take them at UIUC. If nothing else, your foundational knowledge of the field will be much greater for having done so.
Depends on your goals. If you are premed, you will not want to skip general chemistry. If you want to be a chem major, and want to open up room for more advanced courses/research later on, it might make sense, if you scored high (very high) on the IB exam.