<p>Joojoo, I have to admit that most of what you’ve said was also true when I went to IU 25 years ago. Certainly a drawback of a large university is lack of personal attention; visit the faculty during office hours and most will make it clear they don’t have time to talk to undergraduates. I think there were only 2 or 3 professors who knew me by name when I graduated. OTOH, this made me more independent, as I came to realize it would be up to me to get the education I wanted.</p>
<p>Despite the problems you mentioned, I still have fond memories of my time at IU. However, I don’t attribute those memories to the faculty or staff…what I remember are the friendships I made with fellow students. While IU is a party school, with more than 20,000 students you’re bound to find a few who share your interests, socially and intellectually. Another advantage is the diversity of classes that are available. At a small college, in order to change majors you might have to change schools.</p>
<p>When my son toured the campus and saw evidence of all the drinking the night before, he said with a smile, “so these are the people I’ll be competing against for grades?” :-)</p>