Southern Illinois University - School of Law

Southern Illinois University is a “small school” where “the tuition is low” yet the “quality of education” is “high.” From professors to staff, the school fosters a “friendly/familial feel” that includes “personal attention” to students’ needs. “The atmosphere” at SIU “is friendly and respectful.” “I'd say the best aspect is the rapport between the students, faculty, and administration,” a 1L says. “You can tell the day that you start, that everyone [wants] you to succeed.” The school’s small size appeals to many, but can also cause “a significant amount of ‘little school syndrome.’” The “great facilities” provide plentiful resources for “legal research, IT help, and assistance from librarians.” “From adequate parking space, to on-site tech support,” “there are all of the resources” students at a law school need. “In the library there are computers and all of the rooms have outlets for our laptops,” and the school is open to students “twenty-four hours a day.”
The friendly atmosphere and “small” size means the “helpful, insightful, and always accessible” administration “knows nearly all the students by name from day one.” “Students are very close with the administration” and the overall experience is “great and friendly.” Although some students say the administration can be “quite disorganized and disorderly,” most say that “when there is a problem, it is fixed before anyone notices.” “[The administration is] willing to sit down and explain the law school process, as well as help in any way to balance law school, family, and social life,” says one 2L. Students do wish that the school offered “more diverse classes.” Academically, there is strong “emphasis on practical skills” and “emphasis on legal writing.” “We gain practical skills that prepares us well for outside employment,” one student reports. SIU makes sure to work with the local community, and “the volunteer hours the local attorneys give to talk with students, coach students, and mentor students is phenomenal.” As for the faculty themselves, they “are amazingly approachable and supportive” professors that “care deeply about their students” and “always open to conversation, whether it was about law school or not.” “The professors at SIU have an open door policy and encourage one-on-one encounters,” leading students to be impressed by “how accessible they are to meeting with students outside of class.” The professors here are “freely willing to give students their personal contact information.” “It is very nice to have instructors that have not only written texts but also model rules and the current law in the state,” a happy 1L says. In general, the faculty and staff work to foster a culture that “minimizes competition and promotes collaboration.”

Your experience at SIU is influenced greatly by whether you are “a city-slicker” or someone who will like “the great outdoors” and “the small town feel of Carbondale.” Carbondale, with a population of around 25,000, has “some beautiful scenery” but otherwise is “blah.” However, “there are some of the most beautiful state parks and federal lands in the Midwest within [a] 20 minute drive of the law school.” Some students report “cabin-fever,” but many come to SIU specifically for “the slower pace of the small town life.” As one student says: “some come, love it, and never leave.” The student body has a Midwest feel, being mostly composed of students “from across the region, with about 15 percent coming from outside the region.” While some feel the student body is “not racially diverse,” students agree that everyone gets along. SIU is a place where “students can actually interact with each other instead of competing with each other.” “We are a small community and we all care a lot for each other,” a 1L explains. “Everyone is friendly and I truly think that relationships that I have formed are unique and special to our school.”