Our visit to Indiana U--Bloomington 8/28/13

Colleges and Universities A-Z Indiana University - Bloomington
1

<p>Thought it might be helpful to put a review of IU for those who might be wondering if a visit there is worth it.</p>

<p>In a word -- UNQUESTIONABLY! </p>

<p>We recently returned from a six-college road trip purposely planned to visit schools that were in session while my D hadn't started her senior year of HS yet. Previously, our formal and informal college visits were done in the summer and winter breaks when it was convenient for our family to go, but few students were on campus. What a difference!</p>

<p>Indiana U. was without a doubt the most welcoming, friendly, beautiful campus we've ever visited. Directions to park in the empty football stadium were easy and a shuttle bus was waiting to take us right to the admission bldg. This gave us another opportunity to see some of the huge campus (greek row, stadiums, etc.) while on the bus. Admissions was well-marked and the check-in was easy and they were genuinely happy to greet us. </p>

<p>The slide show wasn't working (aaarrrrrgh! MS Powerpoint fails again...) but the ad com did a great job winging it. After the slide show they introduced some students who would be leading the tours and then they offered us snacks and bottled water! D was quite impressed. Mind you, it was 96 degrees outside and neither of the schools we had visited in similar temps the previous two days offered any refreshments or water before their walking tours--including a 90-min outdoor walk at Purdue in the blazing sun. Ugh! (Ed. comment: For all the incredible amounts of $$$ schools spend on fancy brochures and marketing pieces to woo students, you can't believe how cheap and effective it was to offer a 25 cent bottle of water with the IU logos on them to hot parents and prospective students!) </p>

<p>Our student tour was lead by the most bubby and fun guide we've had at any school. She threw in lots of anecdotes and witty banter, instead of just spouting a rehearsed script. She was also not a male engineering student and that was refreshing for my creative, non-STEM D. Nothing against male STEM students, it's just my fashionista was able to connect with someone more like her.</p>

<p>The campus is gorgeous with it's stately trees, streams, grassy knolls (who knew you could find that in S. Indiana?) and D felt right at home with the student body population (something you can't gauge during a summer or winter break visit). D noticed that everyone was wearing IU clothing. Kids were friendly and the student union where we ate was bustling. It probably helped that we sat right next to a 6' 10" guy who was getting a whole lot of attention (I'm guessing he's the star center on the basketball team?!)--IU's obviously love their Hoosiers!</p>

<p>Greek row was impressive and I found my sorority house (different school) and was dying to go in and say hi, but time didn't allow for a visit.</p>

<p>D left impressed and excited. As a result--this is a no-brainer--she'll be applying to IU this fall.</p>

<p>Bottom line: If you can afford a visit to a far-away school either before acceptance or afterwards, I highly recommend it. There are so many small factors that can make a huge difference to a 17-year old. I had to keep reminding myself that selecting a college is really about where my D feels comfortable and will thrive, because, in the end, that's all that matters.</p>

<p>Cheers!</p>

2

<p>Glad to hear your visit went well. I spent 5 years there; graduated in 1987. The Greek houses on North Jordan and 3rd street are wonderful. Sorority rush is a thing of beauty but very competitive. I still talk to my fraternity brothers after 30 years. I loved the friendliness of the campus versus the big city atmosphere in Cleveland where I grew up.
My senior son wants to go south to a smaller school so I was a bit sad IU didn’t come into the picture.</p>

3

<p>Upper…thanks for the reply. One question comes to mind: Will a Pacific NW gal coming from a state where pot and gay marriage are legal, find enough left-of-center students in this obviously red state to feel comfortable?</p>

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<p>Absolutely. Bloomington is VERY liberal compared to the rest of the state. It has gone blue for a long, long time</p>

5

<p>Momof…D is from NY state (not city) and attended a very liberal HS. She has found IU to be very welcoming and has not had a hard time culturally. She is in Collins which may be more liberal than even the rest of the U.</p>

6

<p>This may give some more perspective on the City of Bloomington…
[Gay</a> Bloomington - GLBT Visitors Guide, Community Resources - Bloomington Travel Resource](<a href=“http://www.visitbloomington.com/visitors/gay-travel/]Gay”>LGBTQIA+ Travel)</p>

<p>Indiana as a State may be perceived as red, but there are areas that are very diverse. Bloomington has always been that way. Now, for pot, it isn’t legal in Indiana. That’s all I will say.</p>

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<p>I, too, will confirm that a liberal will be comfortable at IU. D3, a recent IU grad, was amused several years ago by almost identical “warnings” given by her family practitioner and oral surgeon when they learned of her plans to attend IU. Even though both doctors have undergrad and med school degrees from IU, they each felt it necessary to congratulate her on her fine decision while admonishing her to be careful as it is a liberal campus. Neither realized that a liberal campus was going to be a refreshing change for D3 after growing up in a decidedly conservative rural Indiana setting :)</p>

8

<p>I too was concerned when DD expressed interest in IU that a city girl from left leaning corner of Boston would find IU too conservative, but my fears were allayed after our campus visit.</p>

<p>She is not in fact looking for a Goucher/Grinnell type of a school, really loves sports and is very comfortable in an environment with a broad range of opinions and sensibilities, so in many ways IU is a great fit for her. Now if they only had a women’s club hockey program.</p>

<p>Circling back to the OP, it sounds like you had a great visit! Our experience very positive also, and we too appreciated the cold waters on a hot muggy day.</p>