Indiana University - Bloomington

Date: Feb 05 2007
Major: Art & Design Department (This Major's Salary over time)
I came to IU as a direct admit art major. I wanted to try out a four-year university as opposed to an art school because I wasn't sure of my commitment to the visual arts. (I still loved exploring other subjects!) After a year, I have decided to transfer to an art school.

Bloomington is a SMALL TOWN. The campus is beautiful, and it may seem quaint over the course of a weekend, but it starts to feel stifling the second you settle in. I went to a couple pretty memorable parties my first semester, but after a while the party scene felt dry and routine. There's not much else to do outside of that. There are several nice restaurants and performances to go to, but you really can't ESCAPE campus. You start to feel like you're living in some biodome with a completely controlled population. This puts a sort of summer camp spin on IU, and for many people, that's a huge downside.

IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO PURSUE THE ARTS:

The art school here is very small and the talent level is not that high. If you're going for a painting major, you'll be fine, but outside of that you may want to rethink your college choices. There are a handful of very talented students, but for the most part, you'll find a lot of kids who see Studio Art as a "last resort" major. (Second only to Psychology, sadly.) Also, if you're interested in any mediums outside the traditional 5 (Printmaking, Painting, Drawing, Photography, Ceramics) such as Illustration, Visual Communication, or Computer Graphics, please, please don't waste your time coming here. There are only a handful of classes that somewhat cater to these fields, and they're so new and shaky that you'll get nothing done.

I haven't hated my time at IU by any means, but I have felt restless and somewhat uninspired by my peers. The Folklore and Gender Studies departments are worth checking out, and again, if you're into painting, this is a great university for that.