Due to my father’s disabled veteran benefits, I am able to attend an in state public university here in Indiana for free! I am very grateful. My top picks are IU, IUPUI, and Ball State. I have been accepted to IUPUI and Ball State, currently waiting to hear from IU.
My biggest concerns when picking a college so far have been class size and diversity. I was looking forward to going to a private school for smaller classes and community atmosphere, but I will have to adjust. I am from a small town and know I excel when placed in a smaller class. I can handle 20 to a class. Beyond that number is a very scary and foreign concept to me.
For diversity, I am a lesbian, so I would love a very accepting campus and an organization for members of the LGBT+, inclusive housing would be a plus too.
I have been to the BSU and IU before for academic events and visiting friends that go there currently but I have never visited IUPUI, I mean, I might have driven past but I’m not sure.
I am not quite sure of my major yet but I am interested in animal behavior, history, education, sociology, psychology, criminal justice, and theatre. I know those are very different subjects!
I am looking for insight into these schools on the various things I have brought up. Thanks so much!
Congrats! As a freshman at IU, I can only really speak to that school. You will probably have a few large classes (I was uncomfortable with the idea too, but they aren’t all that bad). I think the surrounding landscape of Bloomington is gorgeous (Lake Griffey, Lake Monroe etc) and as a town in southern Indiana, Bloomington is uber-liberal. I’ve loved IU so far, especially my acting class! So many interesting personalities and all the teachers have been great. I actually made a video on it- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7__BlxX1xRc
Good luck with your decision! You’ll do great wherever, God bless!
I was impressed by Ball State when I visited, but if you get in to IU-Bloomington and can afford it, you should give it serious consideration. It is arguably one of America’s top 10 public universities; nobody ever made that claim for Ball State. I don’t know anything about IUPUI.
For theater, Ball State is the “flagship” program for Indiana public universities, and is also the flagship for architecture.
The kids we know at IUPUI love it because they wanted a more urban college experience, and Bloomington is definitely not urban. IUPUI is less selective than Bloomington and seems to offer more merit (highest award is $15k vs $11k at Bloomington). IUPUI is also smaller than Bloomington, with 21,000 undergrads at IUPUI vs. 39,000 at Bloomington. Ball State is a little smaller still, at 17,000 undergrads.
Looking at the Common Data Set, almost 20% of Bloomington classes are larger than 50 students, whereas only 10% are at IUPUI and 6% of Ball State. But there can be so much variation depending on department, that is not a predictor of a student’s specific experience. Intro classes to the major and to take care of distribution requirements will have large lectures, with discussion sections led by TAs (Ph.D. students in the field). As you move out of intro level courses, the classes get smaller.
I kind of live around all of these schools and from what I have heard (from others and counselors) Ball State is a good fit if your looking for a close community with smaller classes, but large university benefits. I have a cousin that goes to IUPUI who was Ivy League material and from what I’ve heard she loves it there. Definitely the fit if you want an urban college experience as it is right in the heart of the city.