Indiana University - Bloomington

Date: Mar 24 2014
Major: Computer Science (This Major's Salary over time)
Academics: Overall, IU is an amazing school in terms of academics. They have strengths in almost every department—almost to the point that I'd say they're underrated. First of all, the Jacobs School of Music is VERY highly ranked, and the feel that it, along with the many other fine arts programs, brings to the campus is something special in and of itself. Additionally, the Kelley School of Business is one of only three business programs in America that is ranked in the top ten in every single area. Kelley is pretty tough from what I hear, but very rewarding; many Kelley graduates land jobs in New York and Chicago. IU also boasts strengths in its foreign language department, and produces a noteworthy amount of Fullbright Scholars. Lastly, IU is VERY strong in the life sciences. Be warned of this if you have to take a lab course. Given the difficulty of these courses, it's no surprise that IU has one of the highest medical school acceptance rates in the nation. Given all of its academic strengths, IU should honestly be rated in the top 40 or 50 colleges in America, as opposed to #75. If IU added an engineering school, this may just become a reality.

Social Life: IU tends to party. Like a lot. However, I, myself, don't party at all. Never been the type to act really stupid (i.e. get drunk) to fit in with peers, and I'm pretty content here at IU despite that. As far as clubs/organizations, pretty well anything you can think of is available here (search for clubs using MyInvolvement!). If you can't find a club/organizations that fits your needs, you're allowed to start one without any hassle. I recommend not rushing—or having a whole heck of a lot to do with Greek Life at all. They're pretty exclusive, and if you've ever watched Blue Mountain State, well…that sums up the Greek Life here pretty well.

Students: IU is a heck of a good-looking campus—in terms of the scenery AND the students. I was always considered to be a really good-looking guy in high school, and here I feel overwhelmingly average lol. The chicks are mind-blowingly hot. Just take my word for it. However, most everybody (except for the incredibly awesome international students) is pretty snooty. So many people keep to themselves, and no one ever makes eye contact or says "you're welcome" when someone thanks them. It's like a big city, which is so weird to me because, unfortunately, I'm from a small town. It's pretty hard to make friends as a result of how stuck up everyone seems to be. I've honestly only made two friends since I've been here, but it's not a huge deal since I'm so incredibly busy with IU's rigor and working part-time. If you're from a suburb of Indianapolis (Carmel, Fishers, etc.) you'll have NO problem making friends. You'll probably feel like you're in high school again lol. Lastly, IU's student body is incredibly liberal. You're going to have a fun time trying to fit in if you're ultra-conservative.

Little 5: Seek shelter inside. Not in Northwest neighborhood.

Faculty: IU's faculty is world-renowned. This should honestly be expected from a Big 10 University—or any research institution for that matter. DEFINITELY go to office hours. The most amazing people I've ever met were professors at IU.

Classes: Huge, often in a gigantic lecture hall. Although, the size trickles down as you advance within your major. I say don't let the size get to you. Professors/AI's are actually pretty accessible. And keep in mind, they're being paid not only to research, but ALSO to help their students.

Academic Rigor: The best thing about IU is its SPH-H classes. These classes will definitely inflate you GPA lol. These easier classes are welcomed, though, because IU offers a myriad of very difficult classes as well. Typically, World Language/Culture classes are pretty easy, along with the psychology courses. Among the difficult classes offered at IU are those in math, business, computer science/informatics, and the life sciences.

Job Placement: The Kelley School of Business, The School of Informatics and Computing, and SPEA have terrific job placement rates, and also boast very high salaries. There's also the Applied Physics program that leads to employment (I think this is our answer to an engineering program). Other than what I've mentioned, everything at IU is intended to lead to further study (i.e. graduate school, medical school).

To conclude, I'm glad I chose IU. This is coming from someone who spent a semester at ISU (and made a 4.0 while sleeping 12 hours a day) and a semester at Purdue (which is also an amazing university). I say give IU a shot. You're never going to experience so much variety, and so many opportunities in your life.