Indiana?

Parents Forum
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<p>There's a thread here asking about Nebraska, from someone in California who isn't familiar with it and whose son is being enticed to apply with a fantastic financial deal. In my case, my son hasn't been offered any great deal, but has been accepted at Purdue, and is pretty fond of the program he'd be in there. We're in a similar boat to the other poster, though: we know almost nothing about Indiana. My son has told me flat-out that the only reason he wouldn't go there is, "Mom, it's in Indiana!"</p>

<p>We visited campus: for a huge student body (one of the 15 largest schools in the US, apparently), it's remarkably small-feeling. It felt friendly and didn't feel as if students degenerate into just faceless numbers. But it was the first time <em>I</em> had been in Indiana in all my years, and my son is a little wary. He spent his first 8 years in NY state and knows and loves snow; the weather isn't a problem. The concern is that he might be really out of place. He has very long hair (we saw no other males on campus with hair remotely as long as his, and he has no plans to cut it off). He isn't interested in football (although he does play water polo). He is politically extremely liberal and lacks some tact such that he's likely to criticise Bush out loud regardless of who's around him, for instance. He is an atheist, although respectful of those who practice a faith. He is also flamboyant and theatrical, which can sometimes cause people to make assumptions about his orientation. But on the other hand, he is a very easy-going guy who is friendly to everyone.</p>

<p>I don't know whether he'd be able to find people to fit in with in Indiana, or whether the political, social, and "style" climate would be either repressive or cause him to get beaten up. I just have these visions of drunken frat boys pummeling him for his long hair and 'radical' beliefs, which don't appear to me when I imagine him at the other schools he's considering (which are on the coasts).</p>

<p>I know I am a victim of the Fly-Over Syndrome and am stereotyping wildly. Would some of you from that part of the country, or with knowledge of Purdue in particular, care to help ease my concerns with a dose of reality? Thank you in advance!</p>

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<p>I'm not sure if this helps your question or not and I am speaking from complete personal expreience and am not sure if this is in any way representative of the school as a whole. My aunt and uncle are both professors at Purdue in the English department. They specifically told me not to apply to Purdue because of a generally difficult administrative system. I am planing on being an engineer, and while they said that the program was strong, there was very little time to study anything else. In the limited time I have spent on campus over a period of a few years, I would agree that it does not seem to be the most liberal type of place. However, I have had lunch several times with a small group of faculty from a variety of departments and they did not come across as remotely conservative, perhaps even close to far-left.</p>

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<p>Indiana U would be far better as a fit outside of the major program factor.</p>