Northern Illinois University

It has been a few years since I earned my degree. I have to agree with some of the other reviewers. I had a similar experience in that I enjoyed my undergraduate degree. If I had stopped there I would probably have given the NIU school of nursing five stars. Unfortunately I returned to NIU for my masters degree in nursing.
Based on my experience I would not recommend the school of nursing at NIU for those persuing an advanced degree. I graduated in 2012 after completeing the Family Nurse Practiioner program.
Problems arose when attempting to find clinical placement for the women’s health portion of the curriculum. As a male student many doors were closed to me.
A clinical preceptor turned me down because I was a male student. The same preceptor turned around and accepted a female student for the same semester. NIU school of nursing was just fine with this.
I went to affirmative action. The complaint went no where as they said there wasn’t case law established to support my claim. In other words not enough men in nursing had complained about discrimination up to that point. Lesson learned: take your complaint out side of the institution. Affirmative action at NIU was in no way impartial or objective.
The last year of the program was filled with conflict and stress. I rose above it. I graduated from the FNP program with a 3.9 GPA. My experience was a bad introduction to advanced practice nursing. My dipolma hangs outside in my garage. Theres a 10 cent sticker on the frame. That’s really an overvaluation though.
If I had it to do over, I would have selected a school like Rush or Loyola where your clinicals are arranged for you by the school. I am a veteran so my money went farther at a state school like NIU, but you do get what you pay for.

I loved my professors here, but the Student Conduct Board is not trustworthy.

Average small-​town college with a pretty wide array of programs and majors. The dorms are pretty nice except for Neptune, which has a bad reputation. Crime is a given in a college town, so I don’t recommend being out at night anywhere north of Lucinda Avenue. I’ve had some issues with administrators and advisors though. One was friendly and helpful; one was bitchy and rude; one was straight up confusing. As an English major, I am so far enjoying my classes (with the help of
). Sidewalks are usually paved and salted. Parking is a joke no matter which kind of pass you have. Parking Services is quick to issue tickets and they’re definitely anal about timed parking lanes (I’ve personally seen them mark tires), but you can contest tickets. I think the tuition is fair at about 10−12k per semester (as a student who lives in the dorms). I personally didn’t need financial aid but I have heard countless negative stories about that office from other students.

Do people actually consider checking Unilocal reviews when deciding on a college? If so, cool! I mean seriously… this is the place for some unbiased stuff! Of course EVERY college puts on a «show» for prospective students and picks those among the most HAPPY there to give campus tours, and post their thoughts on their website, social media, etc. I don’t think there is a site that rates colleges this way… professors, yes, but I love that you can rate colleges on Unilocal,as I hope my review helps someone.
By the way, I have over a decade of experience WORKING in higher education, I also teach part time at a college in Chicago, so I’d like to think I know my stuff.
So I attended NIU for a year back in the 90s… I was a transfer student after attending two community colleges. At the time I was torn between ISU & NIU… a lot of my family went to NIU so I thought I’d carry on the family tradition, and well… my friends were going there too. Seeing I stopped talking to my friends who went there at the same time as me even before classes started, I figured I made the wrong decision. Also, ISU had a Criminal Justice-​type program as NIU had Sociology/​Criminology. Make note that this all took place a while ago, I’m not sure how much has changed.
My advisor was a Sociology Graduate student… I also met with the department chair as I had questions about what I could do with such a degree and the woman pretty much had me in tears… in all of my college years I’ve never had a person talk down to me so much, it was horrible. I don’t remember her name, but she helped my decision to later transfer out… not impressed, NIU… NOT impressed.
Some of my classes had about 40 students and you could pretty much get to «know» the professor, but some of my classes had a LOT more students… the professor lectured and the TA did all the work. It was hard to figure out if I would know any professors here because I knew at some point I would need some grad school recommendations.
Another con… someone told me this was a suitcase school, and as a transfer student I learned that right away. I lived on a 21 and older floor and yes, everyone on the weekends went home. I was 21 at the time, I wasn’t looking for a party experience, but I didn’t go away to school to come home every weekend… though, eventually that just happened, it was kind of weird, and that also influenced my decision to leave… why was I living out in the corn fields only to return home every weekend whether my mom picked me up, a friend drove me home… or I drove myself when I got a car that spring. I know a lot of the younger kids stuck around out there, so if you’re going here straight out of High School, you may experience something different.
One of the nice things is, I lived in Stevenson Tower North the fall after they renovated the place… our dorm was a suite with a bathroom, and that made for a much better experience than my friends in Grant (at the time) with their teeny tiny rooms and community bathroom. I’m sure by now they have all gone through renovations and probably need updating again! Other things I enjoyed were frozen custard from Ollies, walks through campus by the lagoons, beer nuggets, seeing bands and the big cups of beer from Ottos, and riding the rail at Mollys! :)
I’m sure the education here is great… as every school has it’s pros & cons. I have friends and family who have graduated from here. There is another state school which I won’t mention and I know plenty of people who attended, few who finished!
I will say I’ve visited the campus a few times recently, and guest lectured at a class last night. So much has changed!!! It’s a lot better these days, they have made a lot of improvements… there are a lot of places to eat, shop, etc. I do like visiting this place once in a while, so this place didn’t keep me away for good! I just went on to finish my education elsewhere… and at the time, I transferred to a private school in the city which gave me more financial aid. I didn’t live there, but I was able to finish faster than staying at NIU while living there as well. When you’re a college student, time is money… you have to weigh your options!

NIU has its ups and major downs. All in all, I got a great nursing education– the program is tough to breed the best nurses! I keep up with all my former classmates and the are all very successful, and many have gone back for higher education! The nursing school has updated its simulation lab for more realistic practice, and has tons of hospitals it uses for clinicals. I passed my boards without issue, thanks to the prep I got here. Major upside of the school!
As for the downside, ehhhh I didn’t end up feeling very safe a lot of times. There is a fair amount of crime here, you know that if you read the news. But it’s affordable and it does have good programs. The incidents that happen are pretty random, so just be safe and weigh your options carefully!

NIU NIU NIU NIU!
Academically
NIU is a solid school that offers great opportunities for students to develop as leaders. As a business major, I’ve spent the recent years in the College of Business (COB)/Barsema Hall which is one of the nicest buildings on campus where classes are held. The faculty and staff can be very helpful especially when a professional relationship or mentorship is developed with them. Be sure to explore as many extracurricular activities tailored to major as possible. A lot of the hidden gems (real world experience opportunities) take some searching to find but the return is well worth it.
Socially
One of the big issues that may challenge the «traditional social college experience» for a student is the proximity of student-​hometowns to the campus. Many students find it convenient to go home on the weekends which is noticed throughout DeKalb and NIU. However, this is improving little by little over the years and any student can make the most of their social college experience at NIU by taking the initiative to get out around town, explore extracurriculars and make friends in classes.

Wonderful university! I worked on double majoring while there. One at the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the other at the College of Business. Both provided me with all the tools I could need to get a job out of school.
I have raving reviews on the College of Business. The work is intensive, but that is because you will be fully prepared for the business world once you have graduated. The staff is very helpful and the professors are very knowledgeable.

Attended NIU for B.A., MsEd, and now working here. Great school and many competitive programs. Love my Alma Mater and that I work here now!

My review is SPECIFICALLY for/​about my GRADUATE (M.A.) experience and program in the COMMUNICATIONS DEPT. at NIU from Fall 2006-​Spring 2009. I must stress that this review is tailored for myself. Each person and each department or program is obviously going to be different.
Like another reviewer below, I ALSO attended NIU for my undergrad program, between Fall ’03 and Spring ’06. That experience for me was incredible, easily 5 stars. It was so fun and enriching that I would stay that age and do that for a career if it were possible! I cannot say the same for my M.A. degree.
In hindsight, I would have chosen a different school to complete my Masters. Based on my overall experience from the inside, I would be hesitant to recommend THIS DEGREE EMPHASIS and the COMMUNICATIONS DEPT. Again, each department and people’s experiences will be different — this is mine:
— Starts with a GRE Test. In fairness, the GRE test is not «from NIU» and is probably universal across the state, at least when I took it in ’06. Short and sweet, the GRE test is 60−70% mathematics. And by math, I don’t mean simple, common-​sense type math or even material such as algebra or geometry. ALL math on the GRE test is literally advanced trig and calculus.
** Now, UNLESS you were a math major OR had EXTENSIVE math in high school (OR your undergrad years), this portion of the test many people — arguably — will do poorly on. I only had geometry and very minor pre-​trig in high school, which was years ago. Naturally, there is no way for me or many people like me to be able to answer these extreme mathematical equations — you can’t ‘study’ per se, nor is it possible to go back to high school for several years to «learn» such material.
— The director of the COMS Grad dept. accepted my application, but basically berated me for not doing well on THIS (math) portion of the GRE test. This is despite the fact I had «4» letters of recommendation (only «2» are required) from HIS OWN COMS DEPT. COLLEAGUES, and a 3.2 GPA (only 2.8 is required). It also didn’t matter to him that my past B.A. degree (from NIU mind you!) and the M.A. degree I was seeking had NOTHING to do with advanced mathematics, nor did it matter to him that I did not have this type of math in high school, and I had no feasible way to prepare for such on a test. I will not use this professor’s name, but he was very arrogant, snide, and judgmental towards the ‘non-​suck-​ups’, and we grew to dislike each other very quickly.
— Related to the above dept. director and MOST of the department itself: You will notice VERY QUICKLY the «internal politics» and brown-​nosing that comes with grad school. This is most prevalent in the Graduate program, therefor many undergrads in this department (or other depts.) may not immediately pick up on this, or even care.
— VERY LEFT WING. If you are male and anything other than liberal and dare to be articulate or ask fair intelligent questions against the ‘PC’ grain, good luck. I myself am ‘Independent’, and saw this and the internal politics run RAMPANT. Many of my classes required MANDATORY «NY Times» newspaper subscriptions (about as partisan and far-​left as you can get). You’d also see ‘certain students’ be asked on committees, given graduate assistant-​ships, or simply preferential treatment due to their political correctness, gender/​race, or sexual orientation. While I know this is becoming more common, I find this absurd — there should be political diverseness as well as fairness to the mainstream folk (many of whom are center-​right, but remain mute) at the upper collegiate level.
— MOST professors in the department graded ‘subjectively’ (on THEIR liberal opinion of what’s right/​wrong, rather than an ‘open to interpretation’ mindset). Most of those SAME professors also have very negative reviews on certain ‘professor rating sites’ — which isn’t science, but it all cannot be coincidence either. Students are generally very fair. I did like a very select few professors, who were gems.
— One of the final things I did NOT like about the dept. is how almost each class required students to ‘borrow’ the main reading (s), to go make your own «Xerox copies» of, rather than charge a universal ‘material fee’ of say an extra $ 100 per semester to have this material provided to you. Many of the readings and material was 40+ pages worth, which took literally an hour or more standing at xerox machines several times a week (you needed an NIU-​one card to make copies, not free!) — of course many times the class master copy always got ‘lost’ (i.e. ‘stolen’) by somebody, too. Most of us went to Kinko’s to do this and make mass copies for all of us, but it would have been more REALISTIC for the department to do this and just charge a fee, IMO.
— I could go on with the nitty gritty, but my main points have been made. NIU is a great school and I appreciate my degrees, but based on my GRADUATE experience, I would NOT recommend THE COMS DEPT.

I’ll have to update this review when I’m done with NIU. So far, so good. However, I do hate their schedule for final exams and I wish that they did more to help commuter students.

I miss NIU. I loved my time here and wish i could have done my masters here. They set me up for success in that as well though. During my undergrad they were so easy to deal with and the classes were wonderful. I had 1 professor who was an ass but his wife is cool. Whenever I need transcripts they are easy to deal with as well. My department isn’t as much help with job prep as they could be but that is expected in liberal arts and sciences. Definitely a step up from the U of I system though. I was even awarded a scholarship while I was there, that was a nice surprise on my bill. I miss DeKalb as well, it is a unique place.

Like every school, there are good things and bad things about it. I am a transfer student and this is my last semester. The two years I have been here, I have met some pretty cool people, including teachers and students. Some of my teachers have been there to help me with almost anything. BUT I have had a couple that have been @$$ O’s as well. One in particular, no names will be mentioned, kept me from graduating in May. Now, I will be graduating in Dec. Also, the chair for the department I am in, is not that great. Nice guys I supposed, but it is almost as if he is afraid of some of the teachers under him. Therefore, not much gets resolved. It sucks. If I were just reviewing my department, I would give it 2 stars because I hate it! Unfortunately, there is only one counselor and she sometimes makes you feel like crap. Overall, she could be really nice when she wants to be.
Back to the school, I like the campus a lot… the layout is very nice and they are improving on it all the time. The faculty members, outside of my department, are very nice and helpful. Overall, I like the school itself. BuT, I AM SO READY TO GET OUT OF THERE! haha

Just an aside: I never attended NIU.
Moving on…
My cousin chose to get married on a Friday in June last year. Great news except for one thing: she chose the Friday that landed on my finals week.
I asked my professors during that quarter if I could take my finals early so that I could spend more time in Illinois with my family; however, my bio stats professor was a real stickler for protecting the integrity of the final. She also required that I take the final the same exact time that everyone would. 8 a.m. for my classmates, 10 a.m. for me. Win!
NIU was the closest campus to my relatives’ home that would be willing to proctor my final.
Corresponding with NIU’s testing services was easy and prompt. They charged $ 25 per hour that I needed to take the final. I wound up taking my two finals at NIU because they were so nice and accommodating. Their testing services made my life way less stressful. I thought it was neat that they had a little scale to weigh my exams before they were sent back to California. All I had to do was write them a check in the end.
I wish it hadn’t been pouring buckets the day I took my final. The torrent of rain and thunder highlighted the age of the building that I was in. I was in half-​awe at how old it felt, half-​terrified that it felt like the beginning of a scary movie. NIU’s campus was a startling comparison to UC Irvine. I would’ve loved to have the opportunity to explore the campus more.

I got my edjumucation here. ;0)
Good ol’ NIU… I loved it so much I didn’t want to graduate and I ended up doing a double major and a minor.
Any school is what you make of it. I liked Northern because a) I went to class and studied and stuff, and b) I met nice people and hung out with them. I think if you’re missing one of these two things, you’re bound to not have the best college experience, no matter where you go.
Things I loved:
–taking the 4 hour Husky bus tour to get out to Wal-​mart and back. It was a whole evening’s worth of entertainment
–living in the foreign language residence program (FLRP) and meeting awesome polyglots (see… big words… edjumucation!)
–participating in ROTC (even though they eventually kicked me out because I wasn’t a U. S citizen, even though I’d had permanent residency for 17 years already, even though they said there were issues with my insurance not covering it even though my insurance was the same as everyone else’s but I’m not bitter I swear)
–joining ETS military and veteran’s fraternity
–walking across the stadium field to come back from Molly’s at 1 a.m.
–stopping by Lukulo’s on the way home to fill up on beer nuggets
–my French classes with those wacky, colorful teachers (I’m a wacky, colorful teacher myself, now)
–working in the Douglas Hall cafeteria (okay, maybe not so much that part, but I think it was part of the dorm experience)
–seeing what life was like in a school with boys and no uniforms… heh, I was a Catholic School kid
Good times, good times. I met some of my bestest friends there, and I’m still friends with them 16 years later (some thanks and credit must be issued to Facebook!). I always think of college with a smile on my face and a slightly nostalgic feeling. I wanna go back!
(Post-​script: I know, I know… if I actually DID go back, I’d be that slightly creepy person in their mid-​thirties who thinks they’re cool and hip and can hang out with 21 year olds but really everyone’s laughing at them cuz, well, they’re 30-​something and dancing on the speakers in the bar that used to be called Amnesia, and well, that’s just not cool so I guess I’ll just live on the memories…)

After four and a half years of painfully attending this school I cannot be more happy to graduate and never have to go back there. I have not had on positive experience at this school when it comes to the staff, aside from the professors. They have consistently tried to squeeze every last penny out of me. For example, student health insurance, I waived my insurance every semester. However, this last semester they decided not to accept my waiver information and never bothered to tell me they didn’t. I didn’t find out that I was charged for it until reviewing my account in mid-​October. At that point it was too late to attempt to waive my insurance and my only option was to fill out an appeal form. I did this and the response I got was that my request was denied b/​c I had enough time to waive my insurance… uhm… excuse me but I did and you failed to accept it. So now I am stuck spending $ 400 on insurance that I never used and never even needed in the first place. I filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau about this and NIU refuses to respond to my complaint. Also, when I tried paying my tuition I only authorized one payment online but NIU sent through two payments. I have not and will not recommend anyone to go to NIU unless they would like to have a consistent headache for the next four years of their life.

…oh dekalb.

I love the academics, but some of the people of DeKalb are weird! I got my PE degree here! Great PETE program!
Again the campus is just old, but they are updating. I didn’t mind NIU… besides the aforementioned people of DeKalb, the terrible basketball team, and the losers/​frat boys at the Rec Center (needs to be updated).
Great food choices around include Thai Pavillion, Inboden’s, Ollie’s. Pizza… drive to Aurora.
NIU Football team has picked up the MAC the past few years.
I’d go for grad school if I was closer, but I am not! GO HUSKIES!

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE! Sorry. I’m really bias on this one guys. This is my third college in three years, and I’m finally home. I’m in the School of Theatre and Dance, and it’s fantastic. I can great everyone in the hallways, from faculty to grad students to undergrads, and they all know my name too! The campus is beautiful, and there are hidden places all over that you may never know are there, but make really good photoshoot locations. The quality of education is fantastic, and there is always something you can be doing. YAY Theatre School!!!

Ok, I really fell in love with the lagoon when I came by in 1993 for a fall tour. Then remembering those fond autumnal hues, I tried to make the best of the following four years… through the three years of commute, and through the last year of living in Stevenson South without a cafeteria and through the west campus revival (deconstruction…) project.
I eventually made it out alive and proud of all the cool people and great connections I was able to make… oh yea! and all the information that I squeezed in-​between my ears.
I miss the free movies in Watson… the odd color of Zulauf, the pr and language classes in DuSable… the decaying grandeur of Altgeld, and the fun meteorology and geography/​geology classes in the science building… I never did make it upstairs to the observatory for one of the star gazing shows alas. The weird obligatory set of points earned participating in the psychology experiments for our class grade… the building of the campus life building, and the terror of my advanced international marketing presentation in front of *gasp* a real-​life company representative.
Good times.

If you like large public schools then you probably will like NIU. It’s certainly not very prestigious, but it can be nice place to get that piece of paper some people are so overly concerned about. The things I enjoyed about this university: small greek system (I wouldn’t get near it with a stick and am glad there was no pressure to be a part of it), large student population, all sorts of people from a variety of backgrounds, CHEAP, easy drive if you don’t want to live on campus, … and more that I’m not thinking of right now. Things I didn’t like: Dekalb is sooo boring, the classes were far from challenging (in Math and CS), and the CS department was a joke. Then again, I knew all that going in so it didn’t really bother me.