<p>Okay, first the info on flights–the shortest flight was via Air Tran nonstop from San Francisco to Indianapolis, but that flight no longer exists. Flights out of San Jose and San Francisco now all require a stop along the way–in Minneapolis, Dallas, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Houston, or Denver. Probably the cheapest (and more direct) are Southwest or Frontier or Continental, but United and Northwest and Delta are other possibilities. My son usually takes Southwest (through Las Vegas or Phoenix) or Continental (through Houston)–but that’s only because he doesn’t like the flight over the Rockies into Denver (which is the Frontier flight route).</p>
<p>As far as adapting to Indiana from central California, our family lives in a town very close to Santa Cruz (thus my site name, Calcruzer) and my son is in his senior year at IU-B. You probably live just a short ways (like an hour south or southeast of where we are)</p>
<p>My son felt almost exactly like your daughter (that is, he must go somewhere besides California for school) and after looking at places where he was accepted in Boston, Pittsburgh, and in Oregon, he ended up at IU-B.</p>
<p>The first year at IU-B (if she goes there) will be the toughest for you and for your daughter because (1) she’ll realize that she doesn’t have all her old friends around her and will feel some homesickness–and you’ll feel fairly helpless to assist her; and (2) when winter kicks in around January, she’ll think that maybe California wasn’t so bad. </p>
<p>Once she gets past this, (which lagely depending upon how soon she makes friends and starts being active in school events) will determine how well IU-B works for her. My own son at first hated the first year at IU-B for the reasons given above, and was considering dropping out or transferring to another school, but then he started getting involved with the school in his second year–and at this point is now happily involved in all the activities at the school and is considering going for his MBA somewhere in the midwest (either at Notre Dame, Michigan or continuing at IU-B). He still may come home to this area to work–but that’s because he wants to save money for grad school by living at home temporarily–not because he dislikes Indiana (the state or the school).</p>
<p>Besides Tulare’s point about saving costs because you can’t get through California schools in less than 5-6 years, there is also the fact that Indiana University at Bloomington offers some major undergraduate programs that are the equivalent or better of those offered at the UC’s–for example, the music program, business program, theatre, public administration, foreign language (especially French, Italian, and Central Asian ones), dance (ballet), and English/journalism programs are all ranked in the top 10 nationwide. My own son chose a business major with a legal studies concentration–which is not offered at any University of California campus except Berkeley–and his undergraduate grades wouldn’t have gotten him into Berkeley.</p>
<p>One other thing–probably unknown by many people on CC–is that IU-B was also ranked as one of the most beautiful schools in the country–and was named #1 in one publication on the topic. And Bloomington is a great small college town–which probably is the equivalent of a place like Santa Cruz in California (although no beach, of course).</p>
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