I say this with the utmost sincerity: Southern Illinois is one of the most underrated schools in the entire country. The faculty here consist of some of the best teachers in the state of Illinois. What is unfortunate however, is that SIU happens to share the state with the University of Illinois, which demands much of the state's limited resources in these tough economic times. Having played on the rugby team for 4 years, I have personally traveled to all the other state schools in Illinois, and I can honestly say that Southern has the best campus. Unfortunately though, as I spoke to earlier, the school is owed a lot of money from the state, and the state simply doesn't have it. Because of this, some of the academic buildings needing improvement haven't been able to get it because there simply isn't room in the budget right now. That being said, SIU has a brand new state-of-the-art library, and a plethora of computer labs all with new computers. Furthermore, as part of a project that provided a new football stadium and renovated the basketball area, the school is going to construct new academic buildings where the old football stadium used to be. I will have graduated by the time they're ready for use, but to any prospective student, this is a very important thing to consider, since they're for you after all. As far as the administration is concerned, I will say that personally, I don't much care for them, a sentiment I believe is shared by a majority of students on campus. Earlier this school year the faculty went on strike because they had been working for nearly two years without a contract, and the administration decided to use this as an opportunity to fire tenured staff members without any reason other than budgetary concerns. For all those who are unaware of what tenure means, it means that you can't get fired. The administration, headed by Rita Cheng, found it acceptable to fire teachers rather than to find any other solution to the budget crisis. I am by no means an expert in the University's finances, however it would seem to me that firing staff members would ultimately cost the school more money in the future, as the reputation of the school and the validity of the degrees it hands out will be compromised if the faculty is decimated by firings and maligned to the point where any good teacher will leave, rather than stay somewhere with no job security. That being said, a solution was ultimately found and a labor agreement was reached. However, it still doesn't sit well with me that the administration seems to think of the students as customers, and that the University is run on an entirely profit driven motive. The administration threatened to replace all striking faculty members with replacement teachers, and that students who did not attend classes would be reprimanded departmentally, something I found incredibly insulting as a student. It is impossible to replace an entire staff of qualified college professors on the drop of a hat and contend that the level of education I am receiving as a student will be unaffected. All that being said, the administration is not a reflection of the faculty, for as I said earlier, they are some of the best teachers in the state. As an English major, I am speaking from a slightly narrowed perspective, and can really only speak for my department, but I can tell you truthfully that I've been told in good faith by other students from various other majors that they feel the same way about their departments. Carbondale as a town is interesting because there are some nice parts, but also some really bad parts. Southern Illinois as a whole is not a wealthy part of the country, and Carbondale is no exception. That being said, it's not the worst place you could spend 4 years. Being from Chicago, I was a bit apprehensive about moving so far south, but after I gave it a chance I've really come to like it down here. As far as the size of the school, I find it to be just right. There are 15,000 undergrads and about 5,000 graduate students. It's not as big as schools like University of Illinois or Ohio State, but it's still sizable enough where you won't know everyone, and everyone won't know you, unless you want them to. The biggest complaint I've found among incoming students is the food. I'll be honest, it's not great. The school only requires students to live in the dorms for one year, where as many schools require you to live on campus for at least two years, so the quality of the food hasn't been invested in nearly as much as one would hope. It's not like you're eating prison food or anything, but it's not gourmet either. Some people like it, others don't, it really comes down to personal preference. All in all, SIU is a great place to go to college. The campus is beautiful, it's close to one of the most gorgeous state parks in all of Illinois, cost of living is cheap, the faculty is excellent, and once you give Carbondale a chance it can be really great.