I am currently going to be a senior at SIUC in Computer Engineering, and have found that the teaching in the engineering school is quite good. The classes are small enough that the teacher can get to know you personally and meet with you whenever you need. I come from the Champaign area and if I would have gone to the U of I, I probably couldn't have gotten to know my teachers personally since the class sizes are so big there.
Do you enjoy the experience at your school?
Carbondale is definitely no Chicago, or Champaign-Urbana for that matter, but it's a nice college town. The students make up more than half the town's population, so when students are back for the school year it seems pretty crowded around town. The great thing about Carbondale is that you can drive just a few minutes south of the University and not even realize you're near any sort of civilization. The national parks are awesome and make for a different sort of scenery that we're used to in Illinois :)
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
As far as tuition goes, I believe SIUC is cheaper than EIU, WIU, and NIU (comparing size of school with tuition). The recreation center is absolutely incredible, which is free for students. It is a 213,747-square-foot) building and is one of the largest of its kind in the United States on a college campus. It has a large swimming pool, one large gym with racquetball and basketball courts, and another gym including 3 length basketball courts, many racquetball courts, a tennis court, a track, a 2nd floor track that overlooks the basketball/racquetball courts, multiple weightlifting and fitness rooms, along with plenty of treadmills and elliptical machines throughout the building. SIUC also built a new football stadium which is super nice, and students are allowed to attend sporting events for free. The student center is also filled with a cafeteria (Chick Fil-a, McDonald's, etc) Starbucks, a bowling alley with pool tables, an arcade, and many places to sit and study (you'll have to discover some of those awesome study places yourself ;) ). There is a craft shop under the student center where you can go each Saturday to build things and learn how to be artsy.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Don't buy your text books at the student center, or any kind of laptops/computer stuff for that matter. Saluki bookstore will give you the best prices on books and will buy books back for better prices than anywhere else. 710 bookstore is also okay, but I prefer Saluki bookstore, which is close to the Towers (student accommodation). You don't necessarily need a car in the Dale. I didn't have a car the first two years and I was fine. If you're a first time college student, you'll learn what it is to walk. My friends and I literally walked everywhere. It's a great way to save money and enjoy the campus with friends. Be sure to buy a bike if you don't think you can wake up early enough to walk to class. Luckily, all of my classes were very close to where I lived, but now and then you'll get a class in a building that is all the way across campus. If you don't have a bike for that you may be looking at a 15 minute walk. Also, if you plan to live in the residence halls, try to live in Thompson Point! I lived there for 2 years and loved it. It's a much different atmosphere than the Towers (there aren't thousands of people jam-packed into three, 17 story buildings). Thompson Point is much more laid back and quiet, and is right next to campus lake and a great running trail (don't swim in the lake though or else you may turn into a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle). Also, I know it's hard with the excitement of starting college and the responsibility of living by yourself for the first time, but try to get involved in some sort of RSO (registered student organization). You can meet many people that way with the same interests as you. And try not to waste your time partying. It's easy at SIUC to find house parties and get into that scene, but the cops bust a party almost every weekend. There are also a ton of undercover cops at every bar, so if you're planning on going out with your friends and you're under 21, be aware that they will most likely find you! I knew of many people...
Which types of students will excel at your college?
I would say that the majority of students come from Chicago, because SIUC is the farthest you can get away from home without going out of state (about five and a half to six hours away from Chicago). For me, the school is perfect in size, which is around 20,000 students. It doesn't seem overwhelming to me at all, and also doesn't seem deserted or empty. There are always students walking around, and besides meeting people in your major, it's pretty easy to meet people and make friends. The Communications building is full of artsy majors, and SIUC is an awesome school for film and other majors relating to that. It also has a good engineering school, which isn't as competitive and stressful as U of I, but still good. If you're not sure whether you'll like SIUC, come down and check out the campus!
I am currently going to be a senior at SIUC in Computer Engineering, and have found that the teaching in the engineering school is quite good. The classes are small enough that the teacher can get to know you personally and meet with you whenever you need. I come from the Champaign area and if I would have gone to the U of I, I probably couldn't have gotten to know my teachers personally since the class sizes are so big there.
Carbondale is definitely no Chicago, or Champaign-Urbana for that matter, but it's a nice college town. The students make up more than half the town's population, so when students are back for the school year it seems pretty crowded around town. The great thing about Carbondale is that you can drive just a few minutes south of the University and not even realize you're near any sort of civilization. The national parks are awesome and make for a different sort of scenery that we're used to in Illinois :)
As far as tuition goes, I believe SIUC is cheaper than EIU, WIU, and NIU (comparing size of school with tuition). The recreation center is absolutely incredible, which is free for students. It is a 213,747-square-foot) building and is one of the largest of its kind in the United States on a college campus. It has a large swimming pool, one large gym with racquetball and basketball courts, and another gym including 3 length basketball courts, many racquetball courts, a tennis court, a track, a 2nd floor track that overlooks the basketball/racquetball courts, multiple weightlifting and fitness rooms, along with plenty of treadmills and elliptical machines throughout the building. SIUC also built a new football stadium which is super nice, and students are allowed to attend sporting events for free. The student center is also filled with a cafeteria (Chick Fil-a, McDonald's, etc) Starbucks, a bowling alley with pool tables, an arcade, and many places to sit and study (you'll have to discover some of those awesome study places yourself ;) ). There is a craft shop under the student center where you can go each Saturday to build things and learn how to be artsy.
Don't buy your text books at the student center, or any kind of laptops/computer stuff for that matter. Saluki bookstore will give you the best prices on books and will buy books back for better prices than anywhere else. 710 bookstore is also okay, but I prefer Saluki bookstore, which is close to the Towers (student accommodation). You don't necessarily need a car in the Dale. I didn't have a car the first two years and I was fine. If you're a first time college student, you'll learn what it is to walk. My friends and I literally walked everywhere. It's a great way to save money and enjoy the campus with friends. Be sure to buy a bike if you don't think you can wake up early enough to walk to class. Luckily, all of my classes were very close to where I lived, but now and then you'll get a class in a building that is all the way across campus. If you don't have a bike for that you may be looking at a 15 minute walk. Also, if you plan to live in the residence halls, try to live in Thompson Point! I lived there for 2 years and loved it. It's a much different atmosphere than the Towers (there aren't thousands of people jam-packed into three, 17 story buildings). Thompson Point is much more laid back and quiet, and is right next to campus lake and a great running trail (don't swim in the lake though or else you may turn into a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle). Also, I know it's hard with the excitement of starting college and the responsibility of living by yourself for the first time, but try to get involved in some sort of RSO (registered student organization). You can meet many people that way with the same interests as you. And try not to waste your time partying. It's easy at SIUC to find house parties and get into that scene, but the cops bust a party almost every weekend. There are also a ton of undercover cops at every bar, so if you're planning on going out with your friends and you're under 21, be aware that they will most likely find you! I knew of many people...
I would say that the majority of students come from Chicago, because SIUC is the farthest you can get away from home without going out of state (about five and a half to six hours away from Chicago). For me, the school is perfect in size, which is around 20,000 students. It doesn't seem overwhelming to me at all, and also doesn't seem deserted or empty. There are always students walking around, and besides meeting people in your major, it's pretty easy to meet people and make friends. The Communications building is full of artsy majors, and SIUC is an awesome school for film and other majors relating to that. It also has a good engineering school, which isn't as competitive and stressful as U of I, but still good. If you're not sure whether you'll like SIUC, come down and check out the campus!