<p>I am considering a transfer to either Indiana-Bloomington or UIUC , I am from Massachusetts so there is no matter of in state vs out of state. And i would be pursuing a degree in economics. I applied to Illinois last semester and got in but due to family medical issues I was not able to attend but still find myself itching for a change.</p>
<p>I guess my real question is based on experience which school would better position me not only for my time there but for after graduation based on some issues below.</p>
<p>1) Ability to meet people on campus (whether or not going in as a transfer and meeting people will be difficult)</p>
<p>2) Value of Degree (How it would be viewed by employers)</p>
<p>3) Student Life</p>
<p>I know both of these schools are well know nationally and that the student life, I'm sure, is great at both, but I was hoping to get some first hand opinions of each school. I am currently leaning towards Indiana because it is a nicer campus.</p>
<p>I really appreciate any help you guys can offer</p>
<p>You may want to see if Minnesota is worth applying to – less expensive (for out of state students) and with a slightly higher reputation for economics.</p>
<p>alright thanks, I will look into Minnesota and see how I think it’d fit. </p>
<p>I may only feel this way because I haven’t spent alot of time off of the East Coast, but it seems like Indiana or Illinois would have more recognition while applying to jobs. but please correct me if i’m wrong it’ll only make me look harder at Minnesota.</p>
<p>I’m also looking a large sports oriented school. is Minnesota as big about their athletics?</p>
<p>I actually transferred out of Bloomington last year, but hopefully can help you out with some insight. It’s a great school, and I did like it, but it just wasn’t for me. That being said, I have lots of friends there who are absolutely in love with it.
As far as transferring in and meeting people, if you decide to live in a residence hall, then it shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Outside of the residence hall, and small classes though, unless you’re a super outgoing person, it’s kind of hard to make lasting friends just because the school IS so massive and you may not ever see them again past that one party or whatever. The party scene is really fun by the way.<br>
I don’t know if you’re interested in greek life, but a lot of kids choose to go that route and meet people that way, and they get basically instant access to parties every weekend. For sports, I never really found that people were that in to it. Football games usually consisted of tail-gating, and then not going in. Basketball games (obviously) are more of a big deal, and are fun to be at, but that’s about it for sports. Granted, I only went to basketball/football games, so I could be wrong.
And the economics program is solid. I’ve got a couple friends down there going that route, and while it isn’t a degree from the Kelly, it still shows merit. I don’t know how to compare it to a degree from the other schools you mentioned, but know that it will most likely look good to employers upon graduation.</p>
<p>hey bigmike, thanks for the response it was helpful and just the kind of first hand experience i was looking for</p>
<p>I would be planning on living in a res hall so hopefully I would be able to meet people that way. </p>
<p>I was a little surprised to hear you say that people werent that into the sports teams, is that compared to other big10 schools or just in general? I only ask because i’m guessing any school in the big10 has a much larger fan base in regards to sports than schools out here</p>
<p>I just have another quick question for you about whether or not it was tough to find your way into the “party scene”? you said it was really fun which i easily believe but did you know people before going to school there or was it fairly easy to find your way to parties?</p>
<p>so I just recently transferred OUT of IU as well, but I think I can be of some help! the econ major is in the college of arts & sciences, which is one of the biggest schools within IU. getting close with your advisor is a must at a school like IU. they just recently admitted that most students are not able to graduate in the typical 4-year frame (they decreased summer tuition to get more students to take a full schedule during the summer). this is a major pitfall of the university, which was a big reason I decided to transfer. </p>
<p>To answer some of your concern…</p>
<p>1: The ability to meet people in campus is pretty easy. Living on campus is obviously one of the best ways to meet people, but IU struggles to keep a large portion of it’s older undergrads on campus. Most people like to live off campus in houses or apartments, but living on campus will help you meet some really great people who have a good balance of a social life and academic life.</p>
<p>2: The value of an IU degree really depends on where you want to end up. Since you are an out of state student, it will definitely be looked upon better than being in-state. It is way too easy to get into IU as an in-state student, so employers know that IU is a big back-up school for lots of in-state attendees. Just make sure to take difficult classes and take on leadership positions on campus to show a future employer you are a well-rounded student who took advantage of many of the opportunities that IU has to offer.</p>
<p>3: Student life is pretty great at IU, if you like that big college feel. Yes, it’s definitely known as a party school with a huge greek life, but you can definitely find a place if that’s not your scene. There are so many ways to get involved on campus and find a place you feel comfortable in. It’s easy to get lost in a Big 10 environment, so getting involved is a must. </p>
<p>I totally agree with everything that analej said.</p>
<p>And as far as sports…I mean, people were probably more into it than I saw, but it might just seem like they were apathetic because I grew up in South Bend, Indiana right across the street from Notre Dame, and I actually go there now. Everyone here is obsessed with ND sports, so by comparison IU just seemed meh.</p>
<p>I did know some kids from high school coming in, but only really hung out with 2 of them during the year I was there. Any social life I had wasn’t reliant on my connections going in, so it really shouldn’t be a problem. You need to know someone in a frat/pay like $5 to get in to those, but in the little living complexes (especially the Villas, right by the stadium) you could get away with just walking in to the parties and acting like you know people. Same goes for like…Halloween weekend or Little 5 (which I promise is one of the best weekends of the year)</p>
<p>And like analej said, a lot of kids choose to move off-campus after freshman/sophomore year, so people you’ll meet in classes most likely will have places of their own to hang out in.</p>