ISU is a decently large university but with each college having its specific faculty, advisers, and major students, you quickly find your niche. I give ISU 4 stars for the wide variety of majors you can choose from, for the delicious dining choices, and for the location and campus surroundings. Nothing is too far from the quad so walking is always an option. OR there are free Bloomington-Normal busses to help people get around who live off-campus or who want to go downtown for the evening. On the downside, tuition has rocketed over the last 6 years and the university seems to be ballooning its budget to beautify campus. I agree with spending extra to create a solid learning environment, but portioning-off millions to build a new stadium could be better spent in my opinion. Good: On-campus health center. Bad: The health center is a private institution that students must ultimately pay out of pocket. Good: Beautiful grounds. Bad: Parking is not free for students (and the parking police pass by every hour to ticket) Good: Beautiful new fitness center open to students. Bad: You pay into the fitness center with your tuition and fees whether or not you use the center and it costs at least twice as much as private fitness centers. Educationally: The general education requirements allow students to experience a wide variety of courses and genres within education. However, don't people take most of the gen.ed. equivalent courses in high school? There should be some way of sorting students admitted so that not all students be required to spend money on gen.ed.s when they could be focusing on their major courses. The teaching program is top notch! ISU places all teaching candidates in its elementary/middle/high schools in order to get ample real-world experience.
When I started a graduate program at ISU, I was expecting something similar to what my friends had experienced at the UIUC juggernaut down the road from ISU. I couldn't have been more presently surprised. The department I studied in was not nearly as catty, and ever faculty member went out of their way to help the students learn. Beyond the school, the Bloomington-Normal community is top notch. There are plenty of events and amenities for most tastes, and the Amtrak runs frequently to Chicago and St Louis for any other events (with high-speed rail coming soon!).
I went to ISU for grad school. Two years was not enough but the education I received there was top-notch. Professors were personable, class sizes were small and technology is now state-of-the-art. A great place to study language and linguistics.