<p>Has anyone visited Indiana that could share some information about their visit?</p>
<p>We visited 2 years ago with D, but I am an alum so I am pretty familiar with the school. It is a gorgeous campus- very big. The buildings are a mix of old and new. The music school, of course, is amazing. The athletic facilities are good. Lots of sorority and fraternity houses, but the university is so big that you certainly do not have to be part of that scene. The campus is a little rolling with lots of trees, especially in the center area.</p>
<p>Just got back from taking our son to IU. He is a trumpet performance major who was very impressed with the music school there. Got a text message from him the day before classes started saying how excited he was and what an awesome year he is expecting to have. So he definitely has a high opinion of the school so far.</p>
<p>We walked around campus a lot and visited some of the buildings. The campus is very pretty--very green with lots of trees and open spaces, as well as some very nice buildings. We spent one morning in the art museum, which has a terrific selection of art from ancient to modern. (pottery 7000 years old, even) Son's dorm room is bigger than my older son's rooms at Stanford--he has a double, with beds that can be bunk beds or separate, an area rug on top of tile flooring, two desks, two closets, a dresser, a book case, plus shelves above each desk, a mirror on the closet door, good room for storage. Air conditioning would be nice, but that was the only negative we found. People seem friendly, and son has already made friends.</p>
<p>IU is right in the middle of Bloomington, which seems like a nice town. There are tons of different restaurants, including many ethnic ones, within easy walking distance of campus. Good food and very reasonably priced. (After the yuppie atmosphere of Palo Alto with son #1, this was a pleasant surprise.) Nearby shopping centers carry pretty much anything students could need. </p>
<p>The only thing we really didn't like was the humidity. We are not used to that in Oregon.</p>
<p>Are there any specific questions you have? I can try to answer them.</p>
<p>Susantm, I have some Qs. Perhaps you have some idea of the answers. If anyone else does, please chime in. How high do sats and gpas need to be to get into the honors program and the Kelley School of Business? Thanks. Also, how far is the school from the nearest major airport?</p>
<p>I don't know about the business school, but this is what the site says about the Huttons Honors College:
a combined SAT score of 1350 or above (or an ACT composite score of 31 or more) and top 20 percent of your graduating class, OR
a class rank in the top 5 percent of your graduating class and a minimum 1150 SAT (or an ACT composite score of 25 or more) </p>
<p>My son is in the Honors College. He received an automatic invitation to join, due to his SAT score. (The site says that the new Writing part of the SAT or ACT will not be considered, at least at present.) Those who don't automatically qualify can still apply to the Honors College by filling out an application, getting references, etc.</p>
<p>IU is about an hour's drive, or maybe a bit less, from Indianapolis, the nearest big airport. There is a shuttle that takes students right to the college for $22. My son used that when he visited on his own.</p>
<p>I really don't understand this. I've been hearing nothing but great things from everyone about this university. They have a top 20 business school. A top 70 overall school. Great town. Yet their admission standards are VERY low, ACT range only 22-27. </p>
<p>Do you have any insight on class size? What about sending students off when they graduate, starting salaries, how an Indiana degree is perceived? How tough are the classes? Parking on campus? Clubs/recreational sports? Theft/safety? Campus spirit - pep rallies, football/basketball games?</p>
<p>For Direct Admit into Kelley you need top 10% of class and 1270 or 29 ACT.</p>
<p>Some of the classes are huge lectures. That is the way of the world with big state universities! There are lots of intermural sports. Parking is a pain- as with all college campuses.</p>
<p>The value of the degree probably depends upon the department. My son is in the music school, which is known world-wide and truly excellent. An Indiana degree in performance can certainly help a student get invited to audition--in music, of course, how one plays is paramount.</p>
<p>Classes vary widely, I am sure, as to rigor and class size. I haven't talked to my son about size of his classes yet. I think beginning theory classes are pretty big, but his Intensive German class is small, as are likely some of his other classes. Basically, I think beginning required classes would tend to be large, while advanced classes would be smaller--and they do have small freshman seminars available, etc.</p>
<p>Campus spirit seems quite high, from what I saw. My son is excited about watching basketball games, come that season. Apparently IU has a very young bb team that should be improving greatly as they get older and more experienced. (So son says...)</p>
<p>I think at IU, admissions to the college itself is relatively easy, but admissions to a particular program, such as the business or music school, is the hard part.</p>
<p>Susan, what dorm is he in?</p>
<p>My son is in Forest, in the Honors dorm.</p>
<p>About the Honors and Kelley Business school - do you need every factor to be admitted, from the standards listed (Top 10%, 29 ACT)? Reason is, I have a 29 ACT, but am unsure of what my class rank is. Wondering if I could get in with my ACT and a 15-20% rank. Maybe they don't have set in stone numbers? EDIT - read your above message Susan, sounds like the numbers are for Auto-admit, and the rest can still apply.</p>
<p>Could anyone compare it to UMichigan? I haven't visited any other college than Michigan, so I don't know the advantages and disadvantages.</p>
<p>About A/C... can you bring your own A/C for your window? I don't think it would be fully necessary, as September-May in the Midwest isn't too warm.</p>
<p>I really should make a visit, but i'm waiting for my decision first... I already sent everything in, and since it's rolling, I should hear back before Halloween. I don't want to spend money on a visit, just to hear that the school doesn't admit me (I find this unlikely, as this is a safety for me, sorry if that sounds full-of-myself, unintended).</p>
<p>What about the party-scene? I heard it was a big party school, is that true? We usually send about 20 kids to IU every year, and the one I knew said something about the vibrant social life.</p>
<p>The school has everything I need in it... except a powerhouse football team :)</p>
<p>My son says he has heard there are plenty of parties, if that is what interests a person. He purposely chose the Honors dorm because he doesn't want to be around too many partiers--a music major has a very demanding schedule, and he really wants to make it in music, so he does not intend to be part of the party scene. He said there are strict rules about no alcohol or drugs in the dorms, but nobody seems to care if you drink elsewhere, as long as you don't disturb others--that is, get rowdy in the dorm when others are trying to sleep, for example.</p>
<p>According to the literature we got from IU, air conditioners are allowed if you get permission from the university. If you have allergies or other conditions that require AC, it is permitted. I don't know how flexible this is. My son bought a fan that he sticks in the window, and he says it helps a lot.</p>
<p>I understand about not visiting until admitted. That is the route my son chose, as well. College visits were used to help him make his final decision. Nothing wrong with that!</p>
<p>Sorry, but I can't compare it with UMichigan, as I don't know anything about it.</p>