<p>So my main concern with IU, no matter how stupid it sounds, is the fact that it's in Indiana of all places. I'm from the West Coast so it Indiana seems more random for me than it would for someone from the East or Midwest, but all I think of when I think about Indiana is nothing but farms and cornfields. I know the school is amazing and the town is a college town but everyone is saying how ridiculous it is to choose to live in a place like Indiana. </p>
<p>Was this a concern to anyone else? Is it not as bad as people say?</p>
<p>My east coast son has the exact same reaction regarding the state of Indiana! We know several people who have attended IU and have had wonderful experiences. I am still trying to convince him to apply this year and move past his irrational opinion. Not sure I’ll be successful…</p>
<p>Well, whether or not it’s a good fit for you is for you to decide.
IU and the surrounding area is very pretty. It is in a rural setting, but the town of Bloomington and IU itself offers a certain energy–lots of young people, lots of cool restaurants, shops, lots of events/music/theater.</p>
<p>My D had a number of east-coast/big city options but in the end picked IU for its setting–she said she knew she’d live in a big city the rest of her life (she loves big cities) and this was her chance to live in a smaller town but still have most of the amenities of a bigger city–with the beautiful setting. She loves the school, and is happy w/ her decision. But then, we are midwesterners (not Indiana, but not too far off). So it was not a big ‘unknown’ for her. She got to visit 2x before the final decision.</p>
<p>If you would be happier/more at home on the West coast–listen to your heart. Don’t go to IU or anywhere else just because someone else says it is great. Good luck with your search.</p>
<p>If you can visit, I highly recommend checking it out in person to help in your decision.</p>
<p>I live in Indiana! It definitely has a different vibe than large cities like DC, NYC, Boston (I haven’t been west). My son (college sophomore) couldn’t wait to go somewhere else for college, but my cousin left the coast and came here to IU, so sometimes I think students really want to go get a taste of some other part of the country - it’s a great time to spread your wings and get away from the familiar.</p>
<p>I think a huge school like IU in a cool town like Bloomington is going to be different than a small LAC in a rural area - it will be a nice compromise. </p>
<p>There is farmland in Indiana. It’s beautiful and fertile and a nice change on the eyes from suburbs or towns or large cities. But you won’t see it unless you get off campus and away from the city somehow. Brown County State Park is nearby and is a huge beautiful park. If you can get off campus, Indianapolis is an hour away, Chicago is 4 hours away. But most of your time will be on campus and you’ll be pretty unaware of surrounding crops ;).</p>
<p>Calcurzer (from California) posted quite a few posts on this forum. His son graduated from IU a couple of years ago. You can search for his posts based upon the name. One of the link is attached below.</p>
<p>I live in a town of 200 people in the middle of Nowhere, Deep South. So I didn’t really think about it - the cornfields and whatnot. But trust me, if it’s anything like “the sticks” of the South (as far as nothing out here), it’s really not that bad. I complain about it, but really it’s not that lonely or vacant. And Bloomington is a town of… what 50,000? Something like that. That’s pretty big to me. But it’s definitely not vacant to anybody I’m sure. You’ll be fine, promise. :)</p>
<p>Thank you for all of your responses!! I really appreciate them :)</p>
<p>And yes IUmom7, I actually am visiting during my Fall Break next month! Hopefully that will determine if I like it or not! So far I’ve narrowed it down to my top three schools of choice: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Wisconsin Madison (my reach school), and Indiana University Bloomington. University of Arizona is for the in-state school. It’ll be interesting to see what happens after my IU visit.</p>
<p>Just to add my 2 cents…S just started IU as a Kelley DA and he is very happy with his choice, thus far. We are from northern CA. He wanted to experience a different part of the country for college, and IU had everything he was looking for: quality program in Kelley, beautiful/traditional campus, lots of school spririt, etc. He had some nice choices (e.g. UC Davis and UW) but in the end, he really wanted to be a Hoosier! Good luck to you, and enjoy the journey!</p>
<p>Bloomington is more like Berkeley than it is anything else in Indiana.</p>
<p>I was born and raised in the Bay Area, and specifically chose IU for grad school because of the wonderful vibe I got when visiting Bloomington. Lots of nightlife, a relatively diverse atmosphere, great restaurants, strong support for the sports teams, beautiful countryside around the town (rolling hills, forests, big wildland parks, mountain biking, even the Hoosier National Forest nearby.)</p>
<p>Thanks again everyone for your input I’m super excited to visit as I’m sure I’ll love it and will see for myself that it is more than just a rural state.</p>
<p>@Sebmom, I’m actually also applying to UW-Madison. It’s interesting that your son turned it down. I would love to attend UW and it’s definitely going to be a reach for me to get in. That says a lot about IU if he chose to be a Hoosier!</p>
<p>I turned down Wisconsin to come to Indiana. It really depends on what you want to major in (and a little bit of scholarships never hurt either).</p>
<p>I am a senior and am 100% sure I made the right decision. I have the best job I could ask for coming out of any university, have a great group of friends, and enough time to balance school with other things that interest me.</p>
<p>That sounds incredible. That’s what I’m looking for in my college experience. A perfect balance of academics and a social life and a good job out of college. I’m hoping when I visit I’ll get good vibes. Are there any must sees or places to go/eat when I go there?</p>
<p>I have been to IU three times now, and I love it more every visit! My advice is to take the campus tour, and you will see such impressive sights as the Memorial Union and the Arboreum (the old football stadium). My son is a jock at heart, and even he says that he is inspired by the beauty of this campus! If you can, check out Assembly Hall and Memorial Stadium…all of the athletic facilities are very state of the art and beautifully maintained. As for restaurants, if you like steak and can part with a bit of cash, Janko’s Little Zagreb on 6th is excellent. On and around Kirkwood are Finch’s, Uptown and Malibu…all good and a litlle less expensive. I look forward to hearing what you think after your visit…enjoy!</p>
<p>My parents moved me from the Bay Area to IN for high school. It is not as diverse as Berkeley, and I miss the variety of food from the area (even though we drive into Chicago and Indianapolis for “culture”). But people in Indiana are nice- like help you move, bail you out, plow your driveway when you are sick nice. It has been hard at times for me to adjust to Indiana in high school, but IU has lots of East-Coast people as well. Spend four years here screaming for sports teams, dating hot farm girls and go back to the coast. It has great music, business and liberal arts.</p>
<p>I’m from New York City. I consider anything outside of NY to be the “country” lol. It’s honestly is not bad. The campus is so big you really don’t realize that you are in a little town. Plus, Indianapolis is not far and neither is Chicago. You’ll adjust easily, as I did.</p>
<p>Bloomington is wonderful. It has a completely different vibe than say, Lafayette, where Purdue is and where I live. I love Lafayette, but you have to work at loving it. </p>
<p>Are you looking for a change? A chance to see and experience something different? We were matched with a Purdue student who came here from San Diego and when I asked him why, when he had scholarships to California schools, he would pay a small fortune in out of state tuition to come to Purdue. He said he wanted the experience of living in the Midwest. I’m a Midwesterner born and raised, so I say this with great love for my home, but also with total honesty, if you want to experience the Midwest—do it in Bloomington.</p>
<p>I’m from California, I just got into IU for the spring semester as a transfer… going to visit in a few weeks probably. I have never even been to the mid west. I am still waiting on a couple of schools to hear back from, but, from what I have heard IU is a good school and the people in the mid west are nice. I am a little worried because if I do decide to attend, I will be moving to Indiana myself, without knowing a single soul… is it easy to make new friends here? What are the people like? Californians (my friends especially) think I am crazy to move there… </p>
<p>It’s not like I am a freshman and living in the dorms, I’m 22 years old, want to focus on studying and not partying, but still want to meet new people. What are your suggestions? Is there anybody in the same boat here?</p>
I’m super excited to visit as I’m sure I’ll love it and will see for myself that it is more than just a rural state.</p>