I was drawn into IWU thanks to their great facilities. That's one thing IWU has got going for them--they provide students with great dorms and an awesome student center. Other than that, there's not much beneath the surface.At IWU, you're forced to go to three chapel services a week. These services are extremely shallow in content and offer very little spiritual growth, partly because you're forced to go to them. You're given six chapel skips. If you use your chapel skips, you're looked down upon like a heathen, even if it's for medical or family reasons.
The Pharisee-like nature of IWU's chapel department is amazing. IWU makes strict rules about not missing chapel and they are not afraid to use their chapel services to guilt trip students who don't do all the optional spiritual activities (even if you don't have time to do them), use skip chapels, or who complain about the chapel service content. An example of this--a group of students complained about the lack of scripture in the chapel services and requested the chapel department to provide more scripture discussion in chapel services. The chapel authorities responded by using a chapel service to justify how they were correct in their actions and how these students were nothing more than a lot of rebellious sinners. Again, this was over a request to have more scripture in the chapel services. As a result, the students hid away and chapel stayed the same as it was.
Aside from chapel, IWU's academics can be described as mediocre at best. I was challenged more at my own high school than at this college. Students were lazy and professors didn't really push their students. Of course, this doesn't apply to all professors, I had a handful of professors who were excellent and provided me with far more spiritual insight than I got from all four years of chapel ramble. I just personally felt I could have been pushed more than I was.
For art majors, the art department, (I was an illustration major), never really pushed their students to do better. As a result, many students continued to paint/draw at high school levels even though they were in their capstone classes. The art department does have a sophomore mid-point review to test if students are really worthy of their major, but it's a joke. Even the students who didn't pass the review still went with their major, even though their talent suggested they do otherwise.
The art department also lacks in a figure drawing class, which is a basic staple of any art education. The reasons given for this is due to the nudity involved in a figure drawing class. Well, instead of thinking outside the box and having a clothed figure drawing class, students have to draw from photographs, which only limit their artistic ability.
The art department also does a horrific job of giving students an idea of what to do after college. They require a capstone class that will teach you how to make business cards and a blog (as if making a blog is hard), but other than that, you're left on your own. As a result, many of my classmates have nowhere to go and will most likely not use the major they spent so much time and money on.
In terms of the illustration major, the main downfall is the lack of perspective. In my experience with the illustration department, one perspective on how to approach illustration is preached without acknowledging other approaches. For example, at IWU illustration is narrowed down to realistic art--you can only draw by the rule of thirds, use specific colors and you can't have a creative style of your own. Other markets of illustration (like editorial or advertising illustration) aren't acknowledged?though this is partly because there?s only one professor who runs the department. It wasn't until I went to grad school, with a larger illustration department, that I realized that there are so many markets and ways to approach illustration. (For example, not every illustrator believes you have to always use photo references! *le gasp*)
Seeing as I?ve made a crazy long review, I?ll end it here. In all, my experience with IWU was not a very good one. To me it was like experiencing a way worse version of my high school all over again. Of course, that said, I know people who loved IWU. In all, it?s up to your opinion and preferences. I highly suggest to those looking for a college that you find a place that you can respect because it provides you with opportunities and challenges that can help you grow. Look through as many colleges as you can before you make a decision. You?re going to spend a lot of time and money on whenever you go, so find a place that won?t make you want to punch someone every time you think about it.
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