Great school for an undergraduate

Introduction
Illinois State has some amazing programs, and for those particular programs its great. For example, if you're going to be an education major, this is definitely the place to be. Other areas, such as Chemistry or Physics, are also great. The individual departments aren't huge, and you can get small intimate settings in most cases to truly get involved with what you are learning. Also, there is a lot of emphasis on undergraduates, and I personally know that in the science fields, there are many amazing opportunities to do internships or research with the professors which you would not get at most other Illinois schools. Getting into Illinois State is relatively easy compared to some other schools, but staying in is more difficult than you would expect with some majors.

Campus Life and Social Life
The social life at Illinois State is truly amazing. There is a club for just about anything, which really allows you to meet people with similar or diverse interests. People are generally very friendly, and the weekends are spent tailgating before a football game, catching a movie, strolling through the quad, chilling at the "bowling and billiards center," and of course, partying. The party scene at Illinois State is huge, but it doesn't engulf the school where you HAVE to drink to fit in. The parties are generally house/apartment parties, and there are frat parties too. If you're looking for a fun weekend, its easy to find anything you want to do. Advertisement
Academics
The professors are amazing from what I've experienced. The Physics department is phenomenal, as is the chemistry and education department, and the business department is also great (improving very rapidly) and has some huge connections with some great companies. The departments are divided into somewhat small groups which lets you have some great opportunities that you couldn't even dream of in a bigger school. They say that its a "big school, but with a 'small school' feeling" which is really true, and the academic opportunities really benefit from that.

Student Body
The student body is pretty diverse. You'll find hardcore 24/7 partiers, people who spend all day at the library, and everything in between. People are not as much into sports as big 10 schools and such, but Redbird pride is still very evident in the ISU community, and people get really hyped up before games. Clubs generally have a lot of involvement, and you can find students interested in all sorts of things from ultimate frisbee to philosophy.

In Closing...
Overall, Illinois State University is an amazing place to get an education. It has a great social atmosphere and party scene, and you can really do whatever you want. What I mean by that is, whatever you put into it, you get back. Pretty much any student can fit in at Illinois State. If you want to have a crazy time partying it up and having fun, you'll love it here. If you want to do some great research with renowned professors and get a great degree, you'll love it here. Visit the campus and you'll get a glimpse of how wonderful it is. It seems like everyone is happy at Illinois State, and the opportunities are endless!