Campus feel - Indiana University Bloomington / Kelley School of Business

Colleges and Universities A-Z Indiana University - Bloomington
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I was accepted DA into the Kelley School of Business for the Fall 2020 semester!

My high school is decently diverse and has a decently large number of Asians and Hispanics. Asians were 16% of the student body and Whites were 73%.

With this, and being Asian myself, a large majority of my friends in high school are Asian, so I want to be prepared for some changes I might face

I have heard that there are ‘almost too many’ white people at IU. And while I take that as an exaggerated sentiment, it still leads me to wonder slightly about the student life there.

From a student perspective, does it seem easy to surround yourself with people of different backgrounds while at IU? I read some about the Asian and Pacific Islanders Thematic Community, but I am not sure if I am ready for that large of a commitment.

I do not intend to enter college with the notion that I understand or can predict who my friends can/will be, but I am looking more for a way to gauge a general sense of the campus experience with that which I am familiar.

In Kelley classes, general IU classes, and at the university as a whole, is there a noticeable/prevalent Asian Community?

Does there seem to be much variety in the student body, or is it more homogeneous in culture, interests, activities, and such?

I recognize that any group of people will have its own diversity and distinctions, let alone an entire university. I hope to gain an understanding of some of the more tacit aspects of campus life, so any personal anecdotes, experiences or anything else which you feel can provide insight into student life and experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your help.

p.s. If possible, talking about both Asian presence and general minority presence separately would be much obliged!

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I’m an IU Kelley grad but I dont think my experience of 30 years ago would be relevant! (But if you are interested…sure, not much diversity, easy to mix groups, plenty of different interests and activities).

Here is the Common Data Set page to give you current diversity statistics: https://uirr.sitehost.iu.edu/uirr/reports/compliance/cds/2018/IUBLA/B

3

I’m asian and all I can say is that there are a LOT of asian kids at Kelley. Like most big business schools, Kelley has a lot of “white” males. I would say Kelley is very diverse and the dean and faculty promote all kinds of diversity: LGBTQ+, women, and under-represented minorities. I went to an international school, so I had high expectations of how much diversity I wanted in my university, and Kelley hasn’t failed me yet. When you walk through the halls, yes you will find a ton of fraternity brothers with their t-shirts, but you will also find a lot of women, and people of color. If the lack of “asians” is what is keeping you from attending Kelley, I think that is a horrible mistake. Choosing Kelley was one of the best decisions of my life and I have never felt unwelcome or uncomfortable.