Northern Illinois University

Date: Mar 13 2010
Major: Psychology (This Major's Salary over time)
Ok, some reality here. This is a non-big ten state school from the midwest. This is a large school with many students and therefore different academic experiences for different students. If you focus on having a good time and then your school work then that will influence your perception of the school. If you want to go to Grad school somewhere and focus on grades first you will have a much different impression of this school. If you sit back and wait for a education to just happen you will be dissapointed. If you don't go to class often or try to game the tests then your views will be different. If you want to seperate yourself from just being average then this school will really suprise you. There are amazing professors that will change your life if you take the time or care to make the effort. This is a big school with limited funding so it offers a no-frills education that isnt dressed up for your viewing pleasure to those who just sit back and wait for the magic to happen. The reality is that smart people come to the US to work so many prof are foreign. For the money this education, if you are in a major that matters, will give you a great education. I guess that anywhere from 25% to 50% of the students at a state school like this one are not college students and will not need a degree for what they will end up doing later on. This does'nt mean they are dumb or lazy it just means that they went to college because they are told everyone needs to go to get ahead and also because jobs place to much significance on the fact that you have a degree when they hire. Remember, only 52% of students obtain a degree within 6 years and that includes transfer students. Thats not good but also very telling. A major portion of students transfer from other state schools to NIU and vice versa eventually leaving college without a degree. This tells me too many people go to college that should have done something else. Just do your homework when deciding on a school. I would'nt discount their opinions just make sure you get both views of the school and if one view stands out to you then maybe that says something about your personality and you should plan accordingly. If you are a good student then you can get a great education at NIU but if you are more interested in other aspects of the college experience then your experience will be very different. Dekalb isnt pretty but it will grow on you somewhat and it is close to Chicago, closer still to the western suburbs.