Illinois State University Top Questions

The most popular groups are definitely church small groups, academics clubs and sports teams. I'm involved with the Presidential Scholars Club, which is an academic group for Presidential Scholars at the university that meets socially, does fundraisers for service opportunities, among other things. There is also a prominent night life Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights around campus. If you don't want to hit the parties or the bars, there is a great Bowling and Billiards center on campus and the Bone Student Center is always putting on activities.

Students at ISU definitely like to party but for others who don't, there are a lot of other things to do. Events are constantly going on from midnight bowling and indoor carnivals, to speakers and sports events. Men's basketball and football are probably among the most attended sports event. During the week, students spend a lot of time at the brand new gym, or the Rec, working out or taking fitness classes which are free to students. On the weekend which tends to start on Thursday, students go to house and apartment parties or go to the different dry events on campus. There is always a lot to do no matter what your interests are.

I am currently in S.S.I.D and the Chi Omega Sorority on campus. S.S.I.D is Students Serving Individuals with Disabilities. I have been able to become aware of various groups from posters around campus or e-mails that I will receive. On campus, there are so many different options for clubs you can be involved with. We also have many informational guest speakers come to school, and many popular artists come to the concert arena right by school. If you are interested in getting involved in something that appeals to you, you will have no problem finding a club or starting a club on campus to fit your needs.

The most popular student group on campus is University Program Board (UPB). They have brought in famous guest speakers. Every year they offer a carnival for the students, they have movie nights for $1, and they even sometimes offer free food, You can never go wrong with free food. The dorm life on campus is a great way to bond with others on your floor. There are also floor activities, which allows the whole floor to come together and hangout.

People at ISU typically party Thursday-Saturday. The weekends are typically pretty lively. If you don't like to party, there are many other things to do on the weekends. ISU holds a lot of events on the weekends. I once went to an event where they offered free food, massage, and a build a bear. ISU has also had carnivals in the past which I heard were pretty fun. Off campus we have Uptown Normal where there are many places to eat and shop. In Downtown Bloomington there are many bars and places where famous performers such as Gavin Degraw, and Skrillex.

I would say that is just depends on what you are interested in. I feel like there is literally any club you can think of here! I personally am in the Honors Program and National Society for Collegiate Scholars. I am a member of Epsilon Sigma Alpha (ESA), which is a community service sorority on campus. I also was a Resident Assistant for a year and a half, which taught me so much about leadership. When it comes to dorm life, it just kind of depends on the floor you live on. Some floors are very social, while others can be more quiet. There are also lifestyle floors, so if you want to live with students in your major, lifestyle similarities, etc. you can do that. My closest friends here are either from growing up back home together, through ESA, or through my major. Traditions here include corn fest, which happens in uptown normal each fall and March Madness, which is a huge dance competition between the sororities and fraternities raising money for Make a Wish Foundation each spring. Other than that, family weekend and homecoming are big weekends here, and Halloween seems to be a popular holiday for many students. There are a lot of things to do besides drinking. There is a movie theater right uptown that plays classic movies. There is also a comedy club, tons of coffee houses, and bowling on campus. A lot of students also play ultimate frisbee on the quad at night when it is nice out, snowball fights in the winter, etc.

University Program Board (UPB) activities are pretty popular, especially with the younger students. They have really fun events throughout the school year- movies, inflatable games, dances, karaoke, free bowling, etc. They do lots! They offer late night events that are great alternatives to drinking. Some students choose to be really involved on their floors. Resident Assistants (RA's) plan programs for the residents on their floor, and those can be really fun, depending on how active the residents choose to be. Floors can also get together to do community service events too. If you are interested in community service but aren't necessarily sure you want to join an organization or which organization to join, you could always sign up for community service projects in the Leadership & Service Office, without having to commit to an organization. I actually met some of my closest friends pretty randomly- one walking down the sidewalk together during Passages weekend, and one in the dining center because she was eating alone and I asked her to eat with me and the friend I just met on the sidewalk. =) A great way to make friends is through joining organizations because it is likely that you have common interests if you are in the same organization. You can also find friends in your roommates and floormates (depending on how friendly you are and they are).

The most popular student group is the University Program Board, because they bring things to the school that students want, like celebrity/concerts, guest speakers,movies and fun nights. Living inn the dorm, you build a close bond with your floormates, its a memorable experience living in the dorms. Athletic events are really popular, sometimes they pack the house thats how big it is. Hoemcoming is really giving the whole town of Normal gets involved in Homecoming. its really fun and the school puts on awesome programs like carnivals, parades, talent shows, fashion shows, and so much more. Fraternities and sororities are big on campus besides Greek Life, there are educational/business frats and community service frats that you can join. There is always something to do on campus, that doesnt involve drinking.

There are over 300 clubs and organizations. Many people are involved in organizations that relate to their major or hobbies that they enjoy. There are always guest speaker events. Sporting events are not extremely popular, but people do attend, especially the football tailgates. I met my closest friends in the dorms and I think many people do, just from what I have heard people say. Only about 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the student body is Greek, so its there for people who want to rush, but its not overwhelming. Individuals can definitely make friends withoout rushing. People who do rush seem to enjoy it. Dating Scene: For straight guys ISU is probably heaven because there are more girls than guys on this campus 60/40 and the difference is noticeable. So guys have a lot to pick from and guys are a bit rarer. lol But there are enough guys and I see happy couples all the time.

At ISU, we have over 200 RSOs! Everything from the marching band to quiditch! It's great! There are so many opportunities to get involved, even in a subject that you're interested in! The biggest RSO would have to be between the greek systems (frats/sororities) and the University Program Board. They are the ones that put on most of the events that are campus wide!

There are a ton of parties on campus, ISU was recently named as being in the 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} for binge drinking across the country.

Frats and soriorites are noticeable, yet they do not dominate. They only make up 10{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the population. So you can definetly make freinds who are not involved in Greek life and even some who are. Most of them seem pretty nice for the most part.