<p>I am a college transfer that has to an Illinois state college. My choices are, Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, Northern Illinois, Both Southern Illinois Campuses, Illinois State, ect. You may notice I have not chose to include University of Illinois. This is because I do not want to go there. Of the colleges I have listed there are many similarities. If anyone can shed some light on which school may fit me best I would greatly appreciate it. I have 27 hours of transferable credit. My college GPA is in the high three's. I need to go someplace that is not a commuter campus (Why my first decision was bad). I enjoy sports alot! I want to be able to find coverage about my team! I am a biology major. I will be living on campus. Thanks.</p>
<p>I don't know that much about the smaller Illinois State Schools.</p>
<p>I'm sorry to contradict what you stated, but the University of Illinois sounds perfect for you. It's a great school! Why don't you want to go there?</p>
<p>I think NIU would be your next best option.</p>
<p>Thanks for your input. I am aware of University of Illinois and what it has to offer. It is a bit big for my taste but I will be sure to re-investigate and really look and see what it has to offer. NIU does look to be the next closest to what I am looking for. I also have two alum parents! Thank you.</p>
<p>I think you should really take a look at Eastern. It is the one of the smaller of the state schools and kids really seem to like the atmosphere there.
Northern empties out on weekends, or so I hear.
The Southerns have had a lot of bad press in recent times, when it was discovered the college president had plagiarized and a university committee seemed willing to overlook it.</p>
<p>If you want athletics, out of the choices you've named above, I'd look at either Eastern or SIU in Carbondale. Sure they play "small-time" DI-AA football with EIU being in the Ohio Valley and SIU being in the MVC, but both of those schools have established themselves as decent smaller football schools. Also, SIU is pretty good basketball school at the moment.</p>
<p>SIUE can be crossed off because they don't have much in the way of athletics. (Currently transitioning from DII-->DI) Also, SIUE is considered to be a major commuter school.</p>
<p>Yeah, I have heard that SIUE can be a commuter school, absolutely NOT what I want. It does seem that Eastern and Southern Carbondale have arrived at the point that they want to break into main stream sports but need a few better recruiting classes to actually be taken seriously. Thank you very much.</p>
<p>dbwes, thanks for your input. I am going to take a visit to Eastern. It seems like the people I talked to who go there really seem to like it. The fact that its in Charleston is a little scary but I'm sure I can make due. Thanks for your suggestions!</p>
<p>Anyone else? bump</p>
<p>Take a look at Illinois State. NIU has a good reputation, but a friend's son rejected it because it's too much of a commuter college. He's at Illinois State and loves it. Illinois State gets the benefit of UIUC overflow - very high achievers who don't quite make it into UIUC.</p>
<p>Getting admitted to UIUC isn't easy, I've seen kids with 4.0 unweighted GPAs and ACT scores in the low 30s get rejected. Understandably, they're stunned and dazedly stumble along to 'plan B.'</p>
<p>Good luck in your search for a new school!</p>
<p>I went to SIU, long, long ago when "Clyde" was in my dorm, if you know who that is, and basketball was king. I and my folks chose it over U of I on price. BUT, I must admit, if I had to do it over, UI is the best choice, academically. If you're from a solid, college-prep high school with some counselors who know their stuff, and have a solid B average in the right subjects, they should know how to get you in.<br>
Each of the others has pluses and minuses -- depending on location, size of student body, closeness to urban centers, etc. There is no easy answer. SIU -- and there is only one in my book -- Edwardsville always was a commuter, at best a regional, school -- SIU can lead you to law school and med school within their system. That may be a plus.</p>
<p>Thank you. JiffsMom, luckily I am a transfer so the only thing that I have to worry about is my GPA. On the website it says that a 2.25 GPA is the minimum for transfer acceptance. This is into the school of Applied Fine Arts, Music. Is this accurate? If it is U of I might be a good choice for me. Right now I don't know if I would get in. Let me put it this way; if I applied and got accepted, I would go. Thank you very much!</p>
<p>Hi - I went to ISU back in the late 70's and have kept up to date on the advancements there through alumni publications, etc. I really think you should take a serious look at it. It has many top-notch programs, has built many new facilities over the last few years (new business building, performing arts center, sports facilities). It also has, I think, one of the prettiest, most traditional looking campuses in the state system with a beautiful quad surrounded by various academic buildings. Bloomington/Normal offers more entertainment options than Charleston (I grew up 20 minutes from Charleston, and am still familiar with it). In addition, U of I is less than an hour away, Chicago and St. Louis each about two hours. We used to make frequent road trips to Chicago for Cubs games. It is definitely not a commuter campus, and is a nice sized student population. You shoud check out their website and see what you think. Visit if close enough.</p>
<p>Massive bias alert went to UIC
The three University of Illinois campuses are very different from each other.
UIC is a commuter campus, but it does have a large biology program. Also, it is the only school in the state which offers a BS in neuroscience.
UIS is more residential, but it is more of a LAC.
UIUC is residential. It is extremely hard to transfer into.
In terms of overall reputation, ISU and NIU have the best on your list. NIU is a suitcase campus, and may not be what you want. ISU might be the best choice for you. It is a residential campus with a good reputation in Illinois.</p>
<p>Bumping this 2008 post - anyone want to provide updates on Illinois State Colleges - Illinois State, Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois Carbondale, Southern Illinois Edwardsville, UIC, UIS?</p>
<p>I’m wondering where the kids who don’t get into UIUC end up, assuming they want to stay in IL.</p>
<p>About the NIU suitcase school aspect - someone I know has girls there who stay there every weekend (not far from home).</p>
<p>Relative had a good experience at SIUC, engineering.</p>
<p>This is just my observation, but most kids from our high school who don’t feel like UIUC is a match for them, end up at Illinois State University. But I haven’t heard any that are going there for their biology program. It is widely known for educating teachers. Again, the Bloomington/Normal area has more to offer (if that’s what you value) than the towns the other state schools are in. UIUC is not too far away for weekend visits to friends, and it is an easy day trip into Chicago for special events. Illinois Wesleyan University (highly selective school) is also in Bloomington, so it helps in giving the area a college feel.</p>