Would be curious to know from parents and/or students the difficulty of the curriculum for TAL and if students are overall successful? I hear some classes are weed out and especially difficult in terms of grades, and wondering which those are exactly? Thoughts on living on the INSPIRE floor would be helpful as well? Trying to determine if IU is right place for an elementary education major.
@TLTWINES My D is in the program. She did live in INSPIRE her freshman year and it was a great experience for her, in addition Spruce are some of the nicest dorms on all of campus. I think the difficulty of the program is more in the transition to college in general. Some of her classmates did struggle at first but it was more about getting used to time management and the expectations around the work. The class that most of them dread is Finite but I think that goes for most of the programs at IU. My D is actually going to take Finite this summer so she can focus on it.
There are plenty of resources available if you are struggling and I would say in INSPIRE most of the kids hung out in the lounges to study so they seemed to really help one another since a few of them had classes together. She was a direct admit and the counselor for the Direct Admits is one of the best out there and really helps them on their schedule to ensure they succeed. INSPIRE definitely helped her with the transition to college.
If you are doing elementary you want to do TAL and probably add an additional license. You need to make sure you have something extra to help set you apart from those that just have elementary only. My D is in her sophomore year and already doing classroom observations. She didn’t need a car her first year but she did this year due to the school she has to go to is about 20 miles away.
Thanks for the information it is helpful. We have heard that about Finite and taking it over the summer is a fantastic idea. Is there a placement test students take over the summer prior to registering for classes? For elementary/special education IU has the unique TAL program, but there are some reservations regarding the size of the campus and the rigor of the work. While there we walked around, but it’s unlikely we took “the shortest path” because we had no idea where we were going and were totally unfamiliar with the campus, using a GPS. What do you think is the best way for prospective students to “find their place” when trying to decide among a few different schools, all good choices and similar cost? It seems meeting students within the major would be helpful, but is that realistic do you think? Any input from parents or students would be appreciated.
@TLTWINES I saw some of your other post and schools you are looking at. The one thing about teaching is it is beneficial to go to school in the state that you think you want to teach in. Not sure what your resident state is but you do want to think about that, especially as an elementary ed major. That being said, the TAL program does help since special ed is a harder to fill position in most states.
As for the size of the campus, IU is large but after a few days it will start to feel small. I’ve been down there several times now and it doesn’t seem as large to me anymore. You learn the short cuts and most effective way to get around pretty quickly, plus the bus system seems to be pretty good. If you do live in INSPIRE, it will help your adjustment since you would be in there with 50+ others with common interest so you’ll immediately be in a small community on day one.
We visited several schools, pretty much all large ones. In the end IU just felt right. I talked to the head of admissions for a small university about a year ago and he told me that over the years he’s made it a practice to reach out to incoming freshmen and ask them why they picked his school, he said the overwhelming answer was “It just felt right.”. I don’t think you can overlook or dismiss your gut feeling when you step on the campuses you are looking at. At the same time, an education major isn’t a high paying career so you do need to be mindful of the cost of your education and also factor in what state you want to teach in. Some states require a Masters while others do not or require you to obtain one within a certain time frame.
You said you really liked Iowa so I’m assuming you visited the campus. I have not been to Iowa yet but my college roommate is a professor there and he seems to really love it there. It sounds like you have a lot of good schools on your list to look at. I know if you were to go back to IU to visit if you reach out to the INSPIRE directors you can probably get a tour of the floor and get to meet some of the INSPIRE members. We did that during Red Carpet days and it was nice to see the actual living environment and get to meet a few of the students. Good luck in your selection process.
That is all helpful thank you. Was disappointed to learn INSPIRE requires an application and that not all students that apply can live there. Nothing is certain, but in time more will become certain. Thanks again!
Do students majoring in elementary education use a Mac or PC?
My D uses a PC but I think some of her friends might use Mac’s. I don’t think it matters in the Education major which one you have. Yes, you do have to apply as there are limited spots. I don’t know how competitive it is to get in because we don’t know anyone that didn’t get accepted. Most of the people who were in with my D were also Direct Admits so that may carry some weight for those applying.