Carbondale, IL: It was a sunny summer morning and we were headed to Carbondale to visitSouthern Illinois University. With many fast-food stops, and three women in thecar, we arrived after almost six hours of driving, but it was worth the wait.

The campus wasn't that hard to find since most of Carbondale is centeredaround the college, and I fell in love with Southern as soon as I saw it. Thecampus is on the edge of Shawnee National Forest and Giant City State Park, andwhile driving around the campus two deer - a mother and its fawn - crossed theroad.

The next morning we missed the tour, so instead we met with acounselor who answered all our questions and provided information on possiblemajors, what classes I would have to take, and even calculated the financial aidI would be eligible for.

After an hour, she created a special tour justfor us, and a student-guide showed us the campus, a dorm room, and the facilitiesavailable to freshmen. The campus is designed as a walking campus. He answeredall our questions, told us his opinion of the college, and offered somerecommendations for the application process. The tour took an hour, and by theend, even my little sister wanted to go.

Surprisingly, though SIUCoffers more than 100 majors and houses more than 22,000 students, the averageclass size is only 30 people.

Overall, I was very impressed withSouthern Illinois University. It's an affordable school that offers more thanexpected. The people are nice and the education you walk away with is worth everyounce of hard work.


Reviewed in 2003