SIUC is a great school if you are looking for a school that has countless opportunities. I have only been here for a semester and I have gotten email after email from my respective college (Education and Human Services) about different opportunities that would interest me based on my interest of study. This school always has events going on so it is really easy to find your place here on campus.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Look at what fields the school excels in because you are going to college to get the best education you could possibly get in your field of study at a reasonable price. Also, look at what kind of clubs and support groups they have on campus to make sure you will be able to enjoy your college experience with people of like mindedness.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
I always feel like I am being challenged in my classes. Especially since they are all small sized classrooms (all of my classes have no more than 15 students) so I feel more connected with the professor and the professor clearly tries to benefit the student in any way possible through the rigorous work. Lecture hall classes are the only huge class sizes, but the professors are still there to help you after class and during their office hours if the coursework is a little too challenging for you.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
SIUC has LLCs (Living Learning Communities) where people of the same interest whether it be engineering, going green, sports, international students, women, LGBTQIA community and many other interests all live on the same floor. The RAs (Resident Assistants) always host activities and help the floor grow as a family so no one has to be alone unless they choose to be alone. Dorm life is great!
Describe the food and dining at your college.
I love the food there because they try really hard to diversify the food. We have your typical American food (hamburgers and hot dogs), Asian food, Hispanic food and many others. They always have vegan and vegetarian options, a salad bar, sandwich bar and amazing desserts. Also, for holidays they set out special food that can only be served during the holidays. On top of that, most if not all of the food given to us is locally grown on the school's local farms by the Agriculture students, staff and department.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
SIUC is in a small town so coming from a big city it is hard to find much fun. However, there are always locally ran events on campus and around campus for literally every little thing you can think of. Every week there are different events happening and you can easily find something fun to do around town or in town. If you love the nature and wilderness then this college is definitely for you because there are so many different parks and wild life habitats to venture off into during any time of the day and year. Also, SIUC has so many RSOs (Registered Student Organizations) that go out and have fun on the weekends and hang out, so it is almost impossible to not have fun.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
I seriously believe this school is a bang for all the bucks. I originally planned on going here for simple fact that even though I had to pay out of state tuition it was still cheaper than the in state colleges I planned on going to back home in California. SIUC is really affordable on my part and they offer many services to help each individual student continue their education. This school also has its own accolades from various competitions and magazines that help make it well known around the world. I have had so many people come up to me back at home in California while wearing my SIUC shirt telling me they went their as well or that they know many people who go there or went there in the past, so its name is also worth something.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
All of October, SIUC students celebrate Halloween by dressing up every weekend and go out and have fun. It is great seeing people dress up as different stuff every week. The weekend before Halloween it is called Unofficial and that is when most people go out in costumes to have a great time.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
SIUC is great for all kinds of students. If you love to have hands on experience then SIUC will definitely supply you with those opportunities. There are even opportunities for undergraduates (even freshmen) to do graduate work with professors and graduate students. SIUC makes sure all students under all fields have some sort of opportunity supplied to them throughout the year and years to come.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
SIUC has over 400 RSOs (Registered Student Organizations) that peek an interest out of everyone. You can't possibly find a RSO you do not like and it is so easy to make RSOs if you want to make one of your own for whatever reason. There is always something going on in the Student Center and Student Rec every day and definitely every weekend with shows and fun game nights. SIUC makes sure something is always going on so people can always have a good time with friends or meet new people.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
Greek life is a huge thing on campus. There are 32 different fraternities and sororities on campus. A lot of people are afraid of hazing and it is actually unacceptable and if someone is hazed and let's the school know then the greek house will get banned and the term of banishment varies from occasion to occasion. All the greek life always host different shows and events for the students and public, and do different volunteer experiences to give back to the community.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
SIUC has many different campus safety and crime prevention routines in place. At night there is a bright way path where there are poles located on the path with bright blue lights and emergency buttons on each pole with a response time of 0-90 seconds. There is also a safety bus transit that runs till 2am to take people back home and avoid any danger. There are also cops (a mix of city cops, student cops in training and cops hired by the college) roaming around campus to make sure everyone is safe. If somehow someone is harmed in any way on campus, all the students are notified by email of the dangers and make sure everyone is aware. And the beginning of every semester, students are asked to take an hour class on any given day just once on how to prevent suspected harm.
SIUC is a great school if you are looking for a school that has countless opportunities. I have only been here for a semester and I have gotten email after email from my respective college (Education and Human Services) about different opportunities that would interest me based on my interest of study. This school always has events going on so it is really easy to find your place here on campus.
Look at what fields the school excels in because you are going to college to get the best education you could possibly get in your field of study at a reasonable price. Also, look at what kind of clubs and support groups they have on campus to make sure you will be able to enjoy your college experience with people of like mindedness.
I always feel like I am being challenged in my classes. Especially since they are all small sized classrooms (all of my classes have no more than 15 students) so I feel more connected with the professor and the professor clearly tries to benefit the student in any way possible through the rigorous work. Lecture hall classes are the only huge class sizes, but the professors are still there to help you after class and during their office hours if the coursework is a little too challenging for you.
SIUC has LLCs (Living Learning Communities) where people of the same interest whether it be engineering, going green, sports, international students, women, LGBTQIA community and many other interests all live on the same floor. The RAs (Resident Assistants) always host activities and help the floor grow as a family so no one has to be alone unless they choose to be alone. Dorm life is great!
I love the food there because they try really hard to diversify the food. We have your typical American food (hamburgers and hot dogs), Asian food, Hispanic food and many others. They always have vegan and vegetarian options, a salad bar, sandwich bar and amazing desserts. Also, for holidays they set out special food that can only be served during the holidays. On top of that, most if not all of the food given to us is locally grown on the school's local farms by the Agriculture students, staff and department.
SIUC is in a small town so coming from a big city it is hard to find much fun. However, there are always locally ran events on campus and around campus for literally every little thing you can think of. Every week there are different events happening and you can easily find something fun to do around town or in town. If you love the nature and wilderness then this college is definitely for you because there are so many different parks and wild life habitats to venture off into during any time of the day and year. Also, SIUC has so many RSOs (Registered Student Organizations) that go out and have fun on the weekends and hang out, so it is almost impossible to not have fun.
I seriously believe this school is a bang for all the bucks. I originally planned on going here for simple fact that even though I had to pay out of state tuition it was still cheaper than the in state colleges I planned on going to back home in California. SIUC is really affordable on my part and they offer many services to help each individual student continue their education. This school also has its own accolades from various competitions and magazines that help make it well known around the world. I have had so many people come up to me back at home in California while wearing my SIUC shirt telling me they went their as well or that they know many people who go there or went there in the past, so its name is also worth something.
All of October, SIUC students celebrate Halloween by dressing up every weekend and go out and have fun. It is great seeing people dress up as different stuff every week. The weekend before Halloween it is called Unofficial and that is when most people go out in costumes to have a great time.
SIUC is great for all kinds of students. If you love to have hands on experience then SIUC will definitely supply you with those opportunities. There are even opportunities for undergraduates (even freshmen) to do graduate work with professors and graduate students. SIUC makes sure all students under all fields have some sort of opportunity supplied to them throughout the year and years to come.
SIUC has over 400 RSOs (Registered Student Organizations) that peek an interest out of everyone. You can't possibly find a RSO you do not like and it is so easy to make RSOs if you want to make one of your own for whatever reason. There is always something going on in the Student Center and Student Rec every day and definitely every weekend with shows and fun game nights. SIUC makes sure something is always going on so people can always have a good time with friends or meet new people.
Greek life is a huge thing on campus. There are 32 different fraternities and sororities on campus. A lot of people are afraid of hazing and it is actually unacceptable and if someone is hazed and let's the school know then the greek house will get banned and the term of banishment varies from occasion to occasion. All the greek life always host different shows and events for the students and public, and do different volunteer experiences to give back to the community.
SIUC has many different campus safety and crime prevention routines in place. At night there is a bright way path where there are poles located on the path with bright blue lights and emergency buttons on each pole with a response time of 0-90 seconds. There is also a safety bus transit that runs till 2am to take people back home and avoid any danger. There are also cops (a mix of city cops, student cops in training and cops hired by the college) roaming around campus to make sure everyone is safe. If somehow someone is harmed in any way on campus, all the students are notified by email of the dangers and make sure everyone is aware. And the beginning of every semester, students are asked to take an hour class on any given day just once on how to prevent suspected harm.