Indiana University Bloomington Visit Report by momonthehill

Visit Activities:

Information Session: No - Conducted by an admissions rep., along with a current IU senior. The admissions rep. sounded like she was (rapidly) reading a prepared text, although the IU student was engaging and interesting.

Campus Tour: Yes - Our tour guide was a current senior. She took us through several highlights of the IU campus. Even though I was walking toward the back of the tour group I had no problem hearing her.

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Campus:

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The students we encountered to ask for directions seemed pleasant and helpful.

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The staff of the admissions dept., bookstore and honors college were helpful and made us feel welcome on the campus.

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Between the way the buildings are laid out and the meticulous landscaping, IU campus was gorgeous, especially at this time of year. LOTS of trees and flowers in bloom.

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The buildings that we entered appeared to be in excellent condition. The Fine Arts center was particularly striking, as was the Indiana Memorial Union, also the brand new honors college building.

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Unfortunately the campus tour didn't include dorms. There was a separate Res. Hall tour, but we didn't have time to stay for it.

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We saw several "blue light" stations on the campus tour. Campus is situated in a small college town, which feels quite safe.

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The IU campus was one the most gorgeous that we've seen. Given the size of the school, IU's campus reminded me of Penn State's but, IMO, even more attractive, with plenty of trees and

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Off-Campus:

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There are several little shops and restaurants within easy walking distance of the campus. It looks like most basic student needs would be covered.

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From what we saw, Bloomington, IN certainly lived up to its name. Even though there are no cities nearby, Bloomington seems like a great college that really caters to the IU students.

Campus Visit Notes for Indiana University Bloomington

Visit Description:

D and I attended an info session, campus tour and a special info session given by IU's Hutton Honors College. Walking around on the tour, we were very impressed with the IU campus. Despite the size of the school, the campus seemed to be easy to get around.
Academically, D liked the fact that, for a large state university, IU seems to have several strong Humanities departments, including English. Also, given IU's size, she is very interested in the numerous research opportunities for students. The Hutton Honors college is of interest to her. At the Honors college info session we also learned that, due to an upsurge in applications, the minimum SAT score needed to be invited into the honors college will increase for Fall 2010 Freshman applicants. So, Indiana U is definitely becoming more selective.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Bloomington. Nice room, friendly and helpful staff, plus a complimentary breakfast. Very good value.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

We had lunch at a salad and panini shop in the Indiana Memorial Union. It was not great, but not bad, either.

Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):

We had no problem parking in the parking deck/garage next to the admissions building.