Illinois State University Dorm Reviews

Watterson Towers is pretty accessible to almost every building on campus walking wise. The food is alright although some of us wish there was more variety fruit wise at the dining hall. The residents in my floor are pretty quiet. You get to meet a lot of people at watts which is a good thing because all you have to do is take the elevator or stairs to your friend’s room. On that note, the elevators have broken down a couple of times in the four weeks that I’ve been here and a stranger did get into the building one time but thankfully no one got hurt, but other than that I do feel relatively safe here in Watterson. more

I had a great experience at Hewett, even with covid. Everything was clean and quiet. Elevators were fast and always easy to get. Staff was always helpful. Perhaps the only downside were terrible carts for moving in and out. These were not big boxes like you see at most universities, these were just pieces of wood on small wheels. more

Hewett-Manchester is a great dormitory! The rooms are a decent size and feel very cozy once they are decorated and filled with your favorite items. Every floor is cleaned at a specific time each day, so the building is relatively clean most of the time. I especially love the fitness center and the Subway located on the main floor. This is because they are both convenient to visit in-between classes throughout the day. more

Wright hall is the farthest dorm from the campus and any other businesses located in the vicinity of Illinois state university. Although it is far, you do have direct access to any sports that are currently in season as the football stadium, basketball court, circus, soccer field, and etc... are within walking distance. Noise wise, it depends on the day and the floor you are on. Rooms are a pretty good size, though. more

I was a resident at Tri-Towers as well as a resident assistant at Tri Towers and my experience was quite undesirable. As a resident assistant I got to see a lot more of the dorms, I got to know the faculty of the building and had the opportunity to learn about what it takes to run a dorm. However, I learned that I did not enjoy living in the dorms at Illinois State University. At the beginning of my freshman year, I lived in the Hewett/Manchester dorm, but they made me live in the lounge with no windows and three other people instead of the regular room with one roommate that I paid for. They did this to me because they did not have any more rooms available due to allowing in too many new students. After weeks of living in that environment, unloading my stuff and trying to get organized, they made me pack all my stuff within days and move all my stuff across campus to live in Tri-Towers. At Tri-Towers, I was put into yet another lounge with three other people instead of the regular room with one roommate that I had paid for. This lounge had windows, but there was mold in it that caused me to get a facial fungus later in my experience. The dorms were not clean and the food was not the most appetizing thing either. There were a lot of things that I believed needed improvement even before the pandemic. However, through the pandemic these problems that I noticed before only seemed to get worse. I was a Resident Assistant 2020-2021, and expected the cleanliness to be way more thorough due to the pandemic, but it was actually the opposite. It seemed very rushed and half clean. There were consistently balls of hair clogging the drains and mildew in the shower; it was very difficult to get clean in a dirty bathroom. I have also had several male janitors walk in on me while I was in the bathroom with no knock or warning. Personally, I believe the conditions of Illinois State University dorms are unacceptable and would not be a healthy living space for a new and excited college student. more

I enjoyed the location of this dorm. Could have been cleaner.Bathroom do not get cleaned or stocked often enough. Girls usually kept the showers pretty clean, did have to wait a couple times but not bad. The food at Tri Towers is very good. more

Haynie hall was an all around good dorm, the space was quiet and the rooms were decent. The building is quite far from campus but other than that I had no complaints. The bathrooms were pretty good for a dorm. more

Watterson will give anyone that perfect freshman year experience. Everyone is so friendly and fun, anyone is willing to talk to anyone just for the sake to get to know new people. I will miss Watterson because it will always have a special place in my heart. more