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| Quite Bright |
Having graduated quite a few years ago, my experiences as a student are probably mostly irrelevent. (We wrote our papers on papyrus and stone tablets), but as a long-time resident of the city, I can talk about Bloomington. I am, I'll confess, quite baffled by the many reviews that talk about there being 'nothing to do'. Bloomington is a lovely and vibrant city, and if a person can't find anything to do except drink and go to frat parties, she isn't trying. There are literally HUNDREDS of on-campus clubs and organzations, ranging from sports (fencing, judo, etc.) to cultural/religious, to academic interests, to volunteerism to music and dance to student government. If you can't find a club to meet your needs, you can start one. There are two large multiplex movie theaters, 3 large 'live' theaters (two on campus, one in town), plus multiple smaller and more specialized venues. Any night of the week you'll find plays, concerts, poetry readings and more. There are sports events (IU has multiple sports teams) as well as intramurals. There are hundreds of restaurants, fitness clubs (both on and off campus), parks, and so on. I can't imagine what anybody would expect to find in a mid-sized city or large university that ISN'T in Bloomington and Indiana University.
When I chose to come here to go to school, I was largely motivated by the beauty of the campus, the wide range of things to do, and the friendliness of the town. While much has changed since then, these are three things that haven't.
I have, incidently, taken a few classes in recent years as a continuing education student, and find the professors just as friendly and approachable. | Preparedness: B, Reputation: B |  | |
| | Oct 21 2009 | Alumna Female --
Class 2000 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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| Quite Bright | IU has a culture all it's own. It is by far one of the most special places I've ever been. | Campus Aesthetics: A+, Faculty Accessibility: B+ | | | |
| | Feb 01 2009 | 1st Year Male --
Class 2014 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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| Quite Bright |
First and foremost, Indiana is a classic example of what many might portray a large state school with 'big-time' sports to be. This is a place with something for everyone...the only people I know that are not satisfied with their experience thus far are those who think they may be denied admission into Kelley (business school) or those who have had difficulty making friends.
I'm from the northeast, and came from a huge high school. The amount of friendly, approachable people I've encountered at IU has been nothing short of remarkable. You will meet jerks, surely, but for the most part, Indiana students are a very welcoming bunch; if you are even a slightly outgoing person, you should have no trouble fitting in here.
The campus is beautiful during the fall, spring and summer. I can't say much for winter...it's pretty damn windy and cold, as you'd expect in the Midwest, but the limestone buildings are a nice change of pace in comparison to the typical brick buildings you see across most universities. Computers are everywhere and very accessible, as is almost anything you are looking for on campus.
Academically, Indiana is an interesting place. Many programs at Indiana are actually much better than I thought upon attending. Clearly, the business school (Kelley) and the music school (Jacobs) are the two cornerstones of Indiana education, and it shows. If you live in the northeast neighborhood as a freshman, 99% of the people you encounter will start off as business majors. Many of the out of state kids come to Indiana for Kelley, especially those from the northeast, and perhaps even more so, international students. I have not been here long, but I have yet to meet an international student who was not at Indiana for the business school.
My impression is that a degree from Indiana in business or music is about as good as it gets, and you will not be disappointed with your academic experience in either of those departments. As far as the other programs are concerned, they vary from very good to disappointing. In my opinion, as far as math and science are concerned, you are better off at IUPUI or Purdue as far as state universities of Indiana go. Indiana also has no engineering program, so if that's of interest to you, look elsewhere. The journalism program is pretty well-renowned, SPEA (school of public and environmental affairs) is rising quickly; if you have any interest in the environment or public policy, Indiana is absolutely a strong choice.
In short, Indiana is pretty solid academically. Nobody is mistaking it for Harvard, but for undergrad, you can't go wrong with much here. If you are looking for a science or math-intensive major, however, unless you are an in-state kid, I would think about going elsewhere, especially considering the insane cost of tuition these days for out of state kids.
Socially, Indiana is your classic big state school. Most people love partying, and you will not be disappointed if you came here to binge drink and indulge in what Hollywood especially has portrayed college to be. One thing I would advise for non-drinkers, however, is that you may need to be willing to at least attend parties your first semester. Freshman especially will be looking to go out almost nightly, and you find it difficult to adjust socially without at least being willing to go to parties and meet people. There are definitely people at IU who are not the partying type, but they are also definitely difficult to find initially, with so much of the freshman class focused on going out and drinking most weekend nights.
The Greek scene is also not overwhelming. Those in frats and sororities tend to think that you need to be Greek to fully enjoy IU socially, but in reality, there is plenty to do for everyone here. Some frat houses are nice, others look like crap. Many people feel as though they won't get the full IU social experience without pledging, but you can do just fine without being a part of one. Some people view frats as paying for friends and a complete waste of time, whereas others view it as an opportunity to create lifelong bonds amongst a close group of people. To each their own.
Bloomington is a nice little college town. I find it to be a bit small, but as a freshman, I haven't gotten to explore it as much as I would have liked. It's functional, though, and does a variety of nice shops, bars, and a nice downtown area. For those coming from a big city like myself, however, it may feel like a step down, and the university itself may feel like a bubble.
You can't go wrong with Indiana, in my opinion. It's a very welcoming place, and I haven't met more than a handful of people who have been dissatisfied with their experience here. It is pretty solid academically, and being a part of a big-time (albeit horrendous in football and basketball at the moment) athletic program is pretty awesome. If you are from Indiana, this school is a safe, inexpensive option. If you are out-of-state kid, going to college far away can be very trying initially, but you will definitely benefit in a countless number of ways from being thrust into a new environment with 30,000 unfamiliar people. Indiana has a very special atmosphere, with a lot to offer to almost anyone. Give it a shot. | Education Quality: A+, Perceived Campus Safety: C- | | | |
| | Jan 01 2009 | 1st Year Male --
Class 2012 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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| Not so bright |
To preface this review, keep in mind a couple things:
1) I came to IU from a boarding school in Rhode Island
2) I did not go into the Business or Music schools
3) I did not go Greek or ever harbored any desire to do so.
So, as writing this from someone from an entirely different perspective from many people at IU I can safely say that there is a great community here. I studied East Asian Languages and Cultures with minors in Comp Lit and Econ. I never had a bad professor. Everyone was sufficiently available, knowledgeable, and challenging students to make their own thoughts as opposed to parroting the reading. The only time I felt hassled by bureaucracy was when I had required adviser meetings that were completely unnecessary for me as I knew what I was doing with my major, but I can see them greatly helping the undecided or those that have majors with complicated requirements. Much of the academic life, though, is based upon personal performance and choices. This worked out great for me, but those who are very much undecided about everything might find it difficult to settle into a major, although I heard accounts of advisers being helpful at times.
As far as social life goes there is a place for you here. The Greek system is large, but in my entire 4 years at college I only really encountered frat fellows while working the register at the local Chinese restaurant. I moved off-campus my sophomore year and would recommend doing the same your sophomore or junior years. I find it odd that people found campus stifling as I hardly spent any time on-campus outside of class routine and Bloomington, while small, is an oddly cosmopolitan town with many different restaurants, stores, play houses, wineries, and community events. There is a great student-run radio station, WIUX, that has weekly shows for local and student bands, many of which are quite good. There is a great sub/counter-culture scene here that will appeal to anyone who doesn't like to talk about the music program, theatre, or business in their off time. I didn't have a car for my first 3 years and got along fine, even living off campus, but once I got one there were even more options: lake Munroe, caves to explore, numerous fun country-style things in Nashville and Columbus, Indy or Louisville if we needed to escape. There was something new to do every day.
I'm very skeptical about the negative reviews here that mention a bad social life and the dorms in particular. You don't have to live in the dorms aside from the first year and you're all grown up. You can spend as much time out of the dorms as you like. I for one was only in my room that first year to sleep, and as a result I barely knew my roommate, but that's ok. We got along but had nothing in common. I made other friends in the same dorm, other dorms, and off-campus. I feel that people complaining about the dorm scene somehow think that by winding up with a dorm that they're essentially signing up for friends. Besides, as I recall, when I was given the info for the dorms themselves they described the scene and people that lived there so you could request a dorm that more comfortably fit your style.
I live in NYC these days and I miss Bloomington. I often find NYU and Columbia kids on the subway and feel so grateful that I was able to spend time in a culturally vibrant place like Bloomington and not have to spend time with pretentious brats in a big city who don't really learn to interact like so many of us did in a real college town.
IU was one of the best choices I could've made. | Education Quality: A+, Perceived Campus Safety: B+ | | | |
| | Dec 22 2008 | 4th Year Male --
Class 2006 | | Blog it!Blog about this comment from your webpage or Blog, or MySpace account:
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