Southern Illinois University - Carbondale Reviews

"The Environmental Resources and Policy program is multidisciplinary and therefore the student has assess to all departments under the program. They have a small number of students at a time to ensure that student facilities and resources and sufficiently distributed. The challenges of the program lie in its ability to provide a strong career support network including program alumni that serve in advisory roles."

"The program offers a wide variety of courses and provides excellent preparation for career opportunities in the field of study."

"Pros: access to early clinical exposure and the problem based learning curriculum, which teaches us to think like physicians from day one. Con: The campus is split. It would be nice to have all the students together on one campus."

"The faculty and staff are helpful and available when needed"

"It is a small community, and the School of Music is rather small, so it is a very intimate environment. A large number of professors do really care about the students and their welfare. Both the Piano Pedagogy professor and Piano Accompaniment professor are wonderful teachers who go out of their way to help their students!"

"SIUSOM is awesome in its approach to teaching because they have adopted the problem based learning curriculum. PBL trains students from day one to incorporate critical thinking into their regular study and learning habits....exactly how practicing physicians must think to care for patients. In addition, students are taught very early clinical skills, which is very evident when the students go to other schools for external rotations as mentioned by the preceptorship of those rotations. With all that being said, a drawback is that biochemistry is a topic that students don't get the best exposure to in the curriculum; therefore, students must prepare for that topic in their specific board prep time. Overall, if a person is a self directed learner, enjoys group learning, desires critical "physician type" thinking skills, and early clinical exposure, SIUSOM is the place for her!"

"The MPA Program at SIUC offers a great opportunity to learn about the Public and Non-profit organizations of our society, and prepares students for careers in these areas. Prospective students are offered opportunities to specialize in areas of interest such as non-profit organizations. The program offers great instruction and small class sizes to allow for teacher-student interaction."

"Tell us about your college experience.My school was a good fit for me because it allowed me to get a major and a minor in what I am interested in and set me up for success in my graduate school studies. Some areas lacked in the experience I wanted, but college can definitely be what you make of it!Would you get the same degree if you could start over?Yes, but solely because I am getting my Master's degree. If I had only planned on using my Bachelor's, I would not be satisfied. If I could go back and choose, I would have focused more on an engineering, accounting, or science based degree.What advice can you offer other students?Be eager to seek out professional opportunities, but make sure you take plenty of time to socialize. These years may possibly lead you to the most valuable relationships of your life. Find the balance and become the person you WANT to be (not who others think you should be, or who you think they want you to be)."

"Tell us about your college experience.My college experience was wonderful. Great instructors, great colleagues. However, I didn't take full advantage of the price ledges I had as a student and now I regret it.Would you get the same degree if you could start over?Yes, either psychology or computer science. That was my second choice. I enjoyed my psych program immensely.What advice can you offer other students?Take advantage of clubs and student organizations."

"My experience as a graduate student at SIU-Carbondale has been positive. I view the department of geology as well structured and technologically equipped for the requirements of the geology industries such as coal, petroleum, and environmental fields. The faculty in this department is friendly and heavily involved in research. One of the cons that I see in the university is that it has had a decrease in student enrollment. However I do not think it is due to lack of effort by the university and its departments but mainly by the current economic conditions."

"SIU on the surface is not a very competitive school. However, we have many hidden research gems within this community. If you take the time to find an excellent mentor within the system before coming, you will get so much more out of this program."

"The graduate program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale is rigid and inflexible. The track does not account for interdisciplinary thought or research."

"The staff and faculty at SIU are really leaning in and helping me with questions and concerns. Very professional! They know that time is money, so they have creatively structured the Masters architectural grad program to fir inside of 16 months. I know it will be intense, but just the same, no wasted extended breaks."

"This is my first semester and i am in awe of the programs that are being run!! hard working faculty and very easy going atmosphere. there is so much to learn!!"

"Working for SIUC for a few years allowed me to have tuition and fees waived but now I don't work there anymore so I have to pay for school on my own."

"Sociology faculty is distant and they choose "favorites" to support. I did not have support from faculty members-i had to push for it. No willingness."

"The psychology department has gone completely down hill. Do not attend graduate school here - even the program directors are dismal about their own programs. There is little to no funding for summer, and barely getting paid for nine months doesn't cut it.The faculty is not supportive and does not take interest in individual students."

"SIU-C is an extremely good school for the motivated graduate student. The program fosters a sense of community and support in its graduate students, not competitiveness and distrust. When one adds the faculty into the mix, who are well versed in their subject matters, provide interesting courses, and give graduate students the flexibility to go after their individual goals, you have a winning program. The downside to this community-orientation and programatic flexibility, of course, is that there is less pressure for individuals to publish articles coming from the graduate students and the faculty; therefore it is up to the individual graduate student to push him or herself towards that goal. I would recommend this program to anyone interested in many aspects of sociology but maybe not sure what to do for their graduate career at the onset, interested in living in an affordable part of the country, who is ready to go down two paths: the scholarly career of coursework and academics, and the professionalizing career of becoming a fully fledged sociologist."

"We have recently lost several faculty and staff and so our department is disorganized and faculty are stretched thin. This is a plus if you enjoy working independently, but not good if you are looking for close mentor-ship."

"I commute, therefore am not familiar with the value of living on campus. There are very few amenities available for commuter students. The computer lab is not open sufficiently to support my needs. The faculty is top notch, and are worth my drive time. Overall a c+."