Indiana University Bloomington Visit Report by oregonianmom

Visit Activities:

Information Session: Yes - Led by a director of admissions who doesn't normally give this talk. No visual aids, but they did give out printed information. A lot of tips and advice about college life.

Campus Tour: Yes - Led by two students; there were about a dozen prospective students/parents.

---

Campus:

---

The students that we spoke to were friendly.

---

Weren't as helpful as we would have liked, in making arrangements to tour other parts of the campus.

---

Pretty campus, prettier on the perimeter than on the interior where the students spend most of their time. Some parts were gorgeous, others were kind of plain.

---

Some buildings seemed kind of outdated, but the campus in general was in very good condition and has been kept up well.

---

Did not see a dorm on the tour.

---

Blue light system, and security picks up students who need help.

---

Very nice campus, but we were a little bit underwhelmed, especially after just visiting another school we liked much better. Campus did not seem nearly as huge as on paper, which was nice.

---

Off-Campus:

---

Gorgeous, the whole area of town surrounding the campus is just beautiful.

---

Bloomington is a very nice college town, with plenty of restaurants and things to do. College mall felt like a typical suburban strip mall.

Campus Visit Notes for Indiana University Bloomington

Visit Description:

We arrived at the Union the night before our tour and information session. We were very impressed with the area surrounding the campus - the greek houses were very nice, lots of trees surrounding the campus. We checked into the Memorial Union hotel for the night.

Tour and information session started at the Admissions office. We were not that impressed with the interior of the admissions office; it seemed kind of cramped and dingy. We waited in a small area until the previous information session was finished, then we were divided randomly into groups for the tour. While we were waiting, we tried to make arrangements to visit the journalism school and the Hutton Honors College, but admissions was not helpful in making an appointment. They gave us numbers to call to schedule but we were unable to get through to anyone, which was too bad. Would probably have been better for us to schedule those things in advance.

The walking tour was rather disappointing. We did not go into very many buildings - only through the art museum (just to get from one place to another), into an empty lecture hall, and through the student union. We walked around a lot of the campus, but the guides did a lot of stopping and talking. Information given did not have a lot of content, unfortunately. One tour guide told us all about her athletic training schedule (?). They did not take us into a dorm room or the student center. One of the tour guides gave students & parents high-fives if they asked a question, so that was kind of fun.

The information session was led by the assistant dean of admissions. He had a lot of content, most of which could be found on the website, but it was nice to hear it in person too. The info session lasted about an hour, including questions and answers.

All in all, we liked the campus but were not blown away by it. Son might apply.

Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:

We stayed at the Indiana Memorial Union hotel on campus. It's fairly old, and the bathrooms are small and crowded. There are some cute bed & breakfasts nearby.

Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:

Would not recommend breakfast at student commons in the Union - was kind of greasy spoon-ish. Lots of great ethnic restaurants nearby in Bloomington.

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

They sent us a parking pass. We were able to find parking on campus with no problems. Study the map to see which streets go through and which dead-end or are one-way.