Illinois State University

Don’t go here. This school sucks. The classes and teachers are way below average and you will feel overloaded with learning nothing. You will not feel prepared for the real world upon graduation.

Attended football game there this past weekend and it was the first time I saw a football game turned into a venue for everything other than football. Pathetic turn out by home team on homecoming and pregame activities non existent for the most part. Campus looked nice. Downtown area East of stadium is nice.

I warn transfer students to steer clear of Illinois State University if you are undeclared. They make it EXTREMELY difficult to get into certain majors if you did not start here as a freshman. Transfer students, if you do NOT get admitted to your major program when you apply for admission, do NOT go here! It created so many problems for me. I transferred here as undeclared and applied to many majors, and was DENIED more that once! This blocked me out of many classes and kept delaying graduation. One major I applied to only accepted 8 people! 8 people, for a large state university. Are you kidding me? Mind you I was already accepted to their school and had a pretty good GPA as well. I was treated like a student that was on academic probation. You are just a number here, and that is why I transferred out to another school where I was accepted to a program. So glad I transferred OUT of this institution and I wont have to deal with the emotional distress it has caused me anymore. It is not a crime to be undeclared and to be unsure of what you want to do, but this school makes it seem like a bad thing and just punish you for it.
I do like this school and I have always had positive outlooks on it, but my experience has made me think differently. The people who attend ISU are very nice, there is a lot to do, it is a nice town. The academics are good too. But sorry ISU, when you make it impossible for certain students to get into programs especially when they have a good academic record, it doesn’t give you a very good reputation. Ive had a positive experience socially, but academically, it has been a NIGHTMARE!
Please, transfer students, listen to my review. You will not regret it. I wish all students who attend this school the best, and I do not wish what happened to me on anyone. Good luck.

I really enjoyed my grad school experience in the History department. The faculty were DEDICATED, INSPIRING, and INFORMATIVE. It was truly an enriching experience to learn at this school — Normal is… probably not the funnest place on earth, but my time there was definitely worth every dollar spent. Thanks ISU! ;)

The thing I liked best about my daughter’s graduation from Illinois State (besides my getting 3, count them 3 kids through college) is their graduations.
Sure the pomp and circumstance was there, (naturally). But the really, really, GOOD thing, was when my daughter was graduating they really picked up the pace. They rocketed those names out one after another.
It STILL felt like 3 hrs. But at least they made an effort to do it quickly!

I loved my education here: namely with the sociology department (soa 106) Dr Richard Sullivan is a very good teacher. So was Professor Johnson of his 111 and Dr Whightsel of wgs 120. I also loved all of my professors in the communication school and some professors in the art department.
Food was good when I went, although I hear it stinks now. Had one too many run ins with cockroaches in the dorms but if you raid you’re okay (don’t rely on dorm management to take care of it).
I’ve met many good friends there too. I will miss it. Unfortunately I will not be returning to ISU because I cannot afford to live away from home anymore. You will be missed dearly!

You can’t really write a review about a university, one person’s experience varies greatly from the next.
That said, I wouldn’t have gone anywhere else, and I have many friends who feel the same way. It’s not for everyone, so anybody checking this site out for information, just come down to ISU and visit for a day or so… you’ll know if it’s right or not.

You brought me my closest friends, how can I ever repay you?! (And no, that wasn’t an open door to call for donations)
I will always remember you fondly… along with all the great memories had here… totally drunk and not so drunk…
It really brings a tear to my eye thinking of all the fun and work college was. (but lets be serious… it was way more fun than work)
Anyone who can call themselves an alum of this wonderful institution is lucky :)

I graduated here a few (*cough*) years ago. Now that I’ve been out on the streets for a while, I thought I’d weigh in on my alma mater.
Education Program:
If you are going to be a teacher, especially a teacher in Illinois, do not go anywhere else. This is hands-​down the best teaching school in the state. They take the education program very seriously and are very good at what they do.
Teaching in General:
ISU believes in small class sizes and having professors actually teach. Compared to larger state schools and research institutions, this isn’t always the case. While not all professors are necessarily good teachers, you at least have access to them. My experience with the History Department and the Education Department was positive in this respect.
Value for Money:
It is hard, if not impossible, to justify the cost. And the fees. The fees never end. When I look back at my years at ISU, I mostly remember endless ass-​raping with no lube. I’m surprised they don’t have pay toilets and coin-​operated drinking fountains. Sure, relative to other schools, ISU is on the less expensive side. But it’s hard to justify $ 9k tuition, $ 7k room & board (not counting other fees and living expenses). So, let me get this straight: you want me to pay you $ 64k so that I can go earn nothing as a teacher? Hmm… maybe I should have been a math major so I could understand this better
Social Scene:
It’s downstate Illinois. It’s what you make of it. Bars are fun. House parties are fun. The cops like to crack down on house parties once or twice a year, but still. If you want a major scene, you need to go to school in NYC.
The Town Itself:
Ah, Bloomington-​Normal, where I wasted away my formative years. The town seems to have a love-​hate relationship with the University, especially the student body. Yet, they have no problem accepting all the cash the students pump into the local economy. In any event, most of the townies are decent people, even though there are a high % of wack-​job born-​again extremists. I don’t blame them for getting sick of an army of 18 – 22 year old kids descending on their town in a drunken stupor.
The Student Body:
A lot of suburbanites who can’t figure out what to do after high-​school, couldn’t get into a good school, don’t want to start work quite yet, might as well go waste several thousand dollars of mommy and daddy’s money. Many of them are weeded out by their sophomore year. Other core constituents include future teachers, townies that aren’t ready to leave the nest, and people who don’t want to pay for UIUC. These populations combine to produce some good parties, some intelligent discourses, and some great scenery on the quad in the early fall and late spring.
Overall:
Within a month of graduating, it no longer mattered what emblem was on my piece of paper (degree), just that I had one. Since the day I graduated, I’ve referred to my degree as my «receipt». I would have the same opinion of any non-​ivy league school. In all, ISU is what you make of it. With a little work and some research, you can have a great experience. All the tools are available, you just have to be a little on the aggressive side in finding them. If you’re not-​so-​diligent, you’ll end up with a mediocre experience and blame it on the university.

The school serves it’s purpose: educating people and moving them away from the area. Many may knock on the little to do ho hum-​ness of the area, it makes for a nice island away from nearly everything for some. The political science department is nice, though overly liberal in most 100 classes, the rhetoric kinda dissipates as you advance. The teachers are passionate and easy to find. It was uncommon for me to run into my professors while out or while reading under a tree on the quad. I throughly enjoyed my time at ISU and would recommend the department (Wahlrab, hands down is the best they have now that Nassar is no longer there), the only thing needed is that high speed Metra that has been talked about for years now.
I knocked it down one star because of the various mistakes I had heard/​seen from advisors. Though never happening to me (Krista Jackson rules), claims of students needing to retake a year’s worth of classes is not uncommon. The advising department gets it’s fair share, but there are gems (Krista Jackson gets a big golden star)
If you’re gonna live in the dorms, go for Southside; it’s more ethnically diverse since the international students live there, wet dorm, and a better cafeteria.

Illinois State University, you gotta love it. Every fall, the town of (Normal, which it is anything but) increases by 75% to allow for all the university kids to live, learn, grow, and drink in excess. Upon ariving you may see the local Delta Chi Fraternity guys holding up signs reading «Fathers, drop your daughters off here.» In a school that specializes in education, it is a males dream. The ratio of guys to girls is about 1:4.
The nightlife isnt like your typical «Lets go to the bars, and have our over 21 friends sneek us drinks.» It is more of a house party town. You can just walk the streets of normal and find well over a dozen partys that are open to the public. If you cant find a party, just head over to our famous Cherry st. and all your wishes of drinking come true. This street always has something going on. If house, or block partys arnt your thing, and your female you can do the fraternity partys which go on from thursday till saterday. If your male make sure there is a 3:1 female to male ratio in your group to get in. Or find someone in the house you wish to party at before it happens and make friends with them. I hear the Delta Sigs are a pretty good house to go to. Some say that frat guys are assholes for not letting most guys in, I say its population controll.
As for food we have all the finest fast food you can dream of, with the exception of white castle. We have a 24 hour Mcy D’s. Dennys for your late night hungoverness, and El Famous Burrito, which i really dont like but hey thats me. We also have nice resterants to eat at, so try to con your parents to go to them when they come to visit. They include but are not limited to, Damons (a nice sports grill that serves only the best steaks, as you watch the game on one of four huge screen tv’s), Biaggies for your italian delight, as well as Lone Star, Mings China Buffet, Olive Garden (Ask for me), Outback, Chillies, Steak and Shake just to name a few.
Over all i love this town, if your 18 – 26 and dont like the bars, this is the place for you.

While my favorite teacher from my major has retired, I highly recommend the Deaf and Hard of Hearing sequence in Special Education. I was over-​prepared for the field of Deaf Education, and was often times ahead of the game compared to other grads. With Northern’s program folding, MacMurray doesn’t even begin to compare!
While I had a blast with campus life, there are so many options to keep yourself busy here! Not to mention the bread at Avanti’s! Yum!!!