Indiana University vs. Ball State

Colleges and Universities A-Z Indiana University - Bloomington
1

Hello, everyone.

I have a quick question. As you probably already saw by the discussion title, I am a little bit torn between schools. I’ve been accepted into many schools, but, long story short, I thought I had my mind set on Indiana University. As a future Computer Science major, I’ve heard wonderful reviews about the School of Informatics in Bloomington, Indiana. (Before this question gets asked, because it probably will… yes, I did get accepted into Purdue, but I was declined the Computer Science major). However, I recently received a letter in the mail from Ball State University. A few months back I submitted an application (admittedly, because I was bored), though I didn’t even submit all of my test scores. They recently accepted me and gave me the Presidential Scholarship ($18,000 divided between 4 years) to my surprise. I’ve heard wonderful things about Ball State, though it doesn’t get talked about as much as IU, especially in the Indianapolis area. So, that’s where I am at now.

(Obviously, this is posted in the Indiana University area of the website, so I will be getting more pro-IU people. I will be posting this in Ball State’s forums as well to sort of even the field)

I am still leaning towards Indiana University relatively heavily, as I know that I will be able to pay for it, even if it means graduating with a little more debt. I tried to look up information about Ball State’s Computer Science program, and I hardly found anything, even on their own website.

All I am wondering is what your opinion is on this situation. All biased aside, which school would you think would be the best fit for a Computer Science major, and which school do you prefer overall?

If you attended either of these schools, your input is even more recommended.

PS, if you are/have been a Computer Science major in either of these schools, or you know people that are/have been, those opinions would be heavily recommended as well.

Thank you!

2

Just my opinion, I think an IU degree will do a lot more for you than a Ball State degree.

3

How much debt will you have to take to go to either school?

I went to IU, back in the day, and my D is attending Ball this fall (we are OOS and she qualifies for tuition discount for IL residents at Ball, plus she got a small merit aid), and she loved Ball’s campus.
(We visited IU too but she wanted a smaller school - and tbh, the OOS tuition at IU, even with the small merit scholarship she would have been eligible for, was more than we wanted to pay.)

So, I like both schools, equally, at this point, :).

However, for you, OP - If IU is easily affordable, and you don’t mind a huge campus, I personally think Bloomington is a better college town, and IU offers countless academic options.

There is also, yes, name recognition, but Idk how relevant that would be with CS.

Some other questions for you -
Do you prefer a school with lots of school spirit and good sports teams (although games at IU are not free for students, fyi)? Because IU is better at that.

Is a vibrant college town important to you? I like Muncie well enough, but Bloomington has more to offer, imo.

How do you feel about Greek life? At IU, it is more prevalent… at Ball, it seems to barely exist. (My D prefers the latter…)

Finally, if you’re interested in research opportunities, maybe its changed, but IU is a huge research university that focuses on graduate students more than undergrads. Ball has more undergrads and offers only a few grad degrees - you will have a much better chance for working with professors on research, etc. if that’s important to you.

The other thing I, as a parent, like about Ball and other schools it’s size, is there seems to be hand-holding and guidance if the student wants it, and easily available.

At IU, I felt like just another number, especially after transferring in from a small LAC. No one made sure I knew about things, I had to seek out information myself…

I recommend you visit Ball, just for a day and check out the campus, especially when students are there.

Like I said, my D really likes the school, it is her first choice, although she could have been admitted to many other, better-known schools, I believe…
I think it may be a matter of social fit and preference.

And again - how much debt are we talking about for either school? That’s an important factor.

4

Both of my kids are SOIC grads: one in computer science and one in informatics. Both had jobs lined up before graduation. I don’t know when the program will start, but IU will soon be offering it’s first engineering degree through SOIC.

Sorry–don’t about Ball State’s computer science program.