<p>nkl811 - Hope your visit at IWU goes well today and glad your trip to Marquette was good! My D went To Marquette and S is now at IWU. Interesting your D is considering both. I'm happy to answer questions about either. They both love their schools!</p>
<p>Our visit to Wesleyan was good. My hubby and I were blown away by the campus. It was beautiful, great for small classes, great educational opportunites. My D was concerned it was too small, and she didn't know if she fit in well. The other kids in our group session seemed more like "brainiacs" - although my D is extremely bright she was concerned about the social end of IWU, and lack of it basically. She thought she fit with the Marquette type of student if there is such a thing. I was upset that this was the main thing shutting the door at Weslyan.She is not a drinker or a partier btw. I like Marquette as well, but I want her to keep her options open, especially until we find what kind of merit aid she will get. </p>
<p>Baymom- what do you think of the type of student at both of these schools? Do you see a different type at each school? Is her gut feeling correct? I am trying to tell her there are all kinds of kids at each school.</p>
<p>My S is also strongly considering IWU. </p>
<p>He's returning for a second visit next week.</p>
<p>His other top-choice is Rochester. </p>
<p>Rochester has very similar stats to IWU, but has a larger freshman class and an open curriculum.</p>
<p>Baymom....I would appreciate your thoughts re the following.</p>
<p>1)What are your son's thoughts re the core curriculum at IWU? My impression is that a significant amount of time during freshman and sophomore years will be devoted to these courses.</p>
<p>2)How "intensive" are the writing intensive courses in the core?</p>
<p>3)How difficult are courses at IWU, especially the sciences? Does your son feel there is grade deflation or inflation at the school? </p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>4) could you comment on "Life in Bloomington"?</p>
<p>nkl811 - </p>
<p>I'm glad you had a good visit to IWU. It's interesting, but I think the students at IWU and MU are actually very similar. They tend to be smart kids who are serious about college but also like to have a good time. My D has said that if she had known about IWU when she applied to college, she might have gone there even though she loved Marquette. She really liked the small size at IWU, the campus atmosphere and my S's friends (a very diverse group of characters). At both schools, there is a lot of studying involved. Marquette especially is really underestimated when it comes to the quality of education and the rigor of the curriculum. MU students have to work hard to get good grades.</p>
<p>The social scene at MU does have a big drinking component (as it does at nearly all colleges). In freshman and sophomore years, (unless you have a fake ID), it revolves around house parties. Once kids turn 21, it's in the bars around campus and in downtown Milwaukee where there is lots of night life (clubs, piano bars, bars in general). My D's junior year was actually pretty rough for her because she had a summer birthday and didn't turn 21 during the school year. Her friends naturally wanted to try out this new social scene and she felt left out and left behind. However, senior year was fabulous for her. Not that she was a big drinker, but there was just a lot of socializing, dancing, etc. in the bars to enjoy. One big exception to the mostly parties and bars is during the basketball season. There's a lot of the social scene around the basketball games - the students have a huge section in the Bradley Center and the team has been very successful over the years. (When my D was there, they went to the Final Four and we all went to New Orleans for the game). It's a great college atmosphere even if you don't like sports.</p>
<p>My S, as opposed to my D, is no brainiac and loves to have a good time. He would not have been happy at IWU if it were all smart kids who study all the time. There are not a lot of bars at IWU so the social scene revolves more around campus. There are lot of activities (concerts, movie nights, shows, football and basketball games) to attend so it's never boring. And of course there are house parties, but I have to say they are a lot more creative than the usual drinking parties. There are a lot of "theme parties" and dancing seems to be involved. IWU has a big contingent of students in the arts so there are always a lot of creative activities involved. The arts kids also have a lot of student shows (plays, comedy troupes, music groups) so that is another dimension of activities. My S has definitely made friends for a lifetime at IWU even as he is getting an exceptional education.</p>
<p>oc1979 - </p>
<p>As far as classes go, my S's situation is a little different as he is a Music Theatre major. But he has some premed friends and he himself has core courses to take. His feelings on the core courses were that even though there are a number of them, he has been able to tailor them to his own interests since they are based on "type" (ex - Intellectual Traditions, Global Diversity) as opposed to subject (Math, Philosophy,etc.) So he met his Global Diversity requirement not by a history or English course, but by taking a theatre trip during May term to Japan where they studied dance with ninjas and had a master class in Noh theatre with a world famous Japanese actor. There are many ways to get the core done that are interesting and relevant to what your major is.</p>
<p>As far as grades, there does not seem to be grade inflation or deflation but rather a fairness. S has definitely not had easy rides in any of his gen ed courses and has had to work hard for the grades he got. But he also felt they were fair. The writing intensives have a good deal of writing involved (multiple essays and a research paper). S is a decent writer (his high school prepared him well) although it's not his favorite thing to do and he did fine. </p>
<p>Hope this info helps a bit. Anything else, I'm more than happy to answer.</p>
<p>Thanks so much! It's very helpful to get a flavor for the campus from afar.</p>
<p>very helpful. thanks.</p>
<p>Chi Square - </p>
<p>On life in Bloomington - Bloomington-Normal ("Twin Cities" actually) has a combined population of 100,000. Illinois State is right down the road from IWU so there is definitely a college town type feel. There are a couple of big "strips" that have every chain restaurant you can possibly think of as well as local eateries. There is also a good sized mall and strip centers that have all the chain stores. (My S can get still shop his favorite store American Eagle). Movies are also popular and there are several multiplexes, one within walking distance of IWU, two much newer ones a short drive away. There is a small park a couple of blocks from campus and the campus itself is situated more in historical Bloomington (lots of older, well-kept homes).</p>
<p>The city seems relatively safe although students are told not to walk alone at night of course. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of night life but it's not a sleepy little town either. To sum up - you can find most of the conveniences and stores you need but don't expect a huge social scene.</p>
<p>Yeah, I had to laugh when the IWU folks called them the "Twin Cities". Impostors! </p>
<p>Thanks, baymom.</p>
<p>It was pleasing to hear about IWU. I just got my acceptance letter (with a 28k merit scholarship!) and am really excited. Though since I'm an international student, I can't visit IWU, but could someone tell me how good their Computer Science department is?</p>