Indiana University student culture

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What’s so special about Carmel Indiana?

I'm the poster living in Carmel. There is nothing particularly special about Carmel, Indiana. It's a normal small city. It's a nice place to live with reasonable housing costs and a good school district. That is all. That is why we moved here. Its "claim to fame" are roundabouts and lots of them. It also has a relatively larger high school at 5k kids. Everything else is normal.

Carmel just gets a rep because it's more or less the wealthiest place in Indiana. "Midwest rich" isn't the same as on the coasts. I live in West Lafayette which is also relatively well off, but we like to roll our eyes at Carmel because it's just something you do. (Although, in recent years, I guess I've seen that kind of attitude directed at Brebeuf -- a private, Jesuit school where the parents who are too good for Carmel send their kids.) All of that notwithstanding, Carmel is really just suburbia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My son is a Freshman and went to DCPS. He did not know anyone had a great first semester, did very well in his classes and pledged a fraternity. He is now living as a freshman in his fraternity house and is very happy. Has a great social life, a huge group of friends, meets people all the time and studies hard too. He has had great advisors ath the school. Bloomington is a quintessential college town and the campus is beautiful.

Your kid rushed, pledged and was made a fraternity member by end of Freshman Fall semester? Is that how all Frats work at IU?

Is the Frat house massive or not a popular option for living? Again, amazed you go from zero in August to living in the Frat house by January.

He rushed and pledged in the Fall. Then the fraternity paid to break the lease in the dorm so my son could live in the fraternity. His fraternit had about twenty spots open for lving as they had about 20 juniors who were going to study abroad and leave the house. The fraternity houses are on the IU campus with their own dining meal plan at the individual house. My son plans on living in for sophomore year and half of junior when we will study abroad and then with friends his senior year.

[Anonymous]

Outside of LLC housing, is there a notable difference in dorm neighborhoods at IU? Are some known for being more social/quiet/balanced?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Outside of LLC housing, is there a notable difference in dorm neighborhoods at IU? Are some known for being more social/quiet/balanced?

There is, but DCUM probably isn't the best place to get that info. Historically, the northern neighborhoods attract more athletes (Briscoe) and business majors (McNutt and Foster). McNutt also used to have a higher representation of OOS kids--especially from the Chicago area--but a bit of a party-dorm rep. Read had a lot of music majors. Collins is a living/learning community with a focus on arts and sustainability. I can't speak as much to the others but definitely check out College Confidential.

[Anonymous]

Bump. DC and I are going to a Red Carpet Date for admitted students. Anyone have more recent info to share, or current students at IU, especially from the DC area?

DC is not a Kelley major but is considering IU, along with a few other OOS publics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Bump. DC and I are going to a Red Carpet Date for admitted students. Anyone have more recent info to share, or current students at IU, especially from the DC area?

DC is not a Kelley major but is considering IU, along with a few other OOS publics.

My son is a freshman in Kelley right now. He’s loving it. He thought the rush process for the fraternities in the fall was tilted against students who were not from Indiana or had close ties to other fraternity members. Regardless, he has a good group of friends including several who are originally from the DC area.

[Anonymous]

A friend’s daughter is there from OOS. Also at Kelley. Loves everything about it - academics + sports + friends.

[Anonymous]

My DS will be going this Fall. From what we can tell, seems like a decent number from the DC area and we have heard very positive things!

[Anonymous]

My DS is also going this Fall. Anyone going to the DC Kelley event? I am curious how many will be there. We have also heard great things and really enjoyed our tour.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:Someone mentioned the not being able to get into the bars is a negative...

I'm not going to lie. Our DC has brought this up. They've heard the bars that cater to freshman are either no longer taking that clientele or have closed down. They want a big university town experience - bars included - that a large flagship usually provides. But they're worried they will be stuck in dorms if they don't join the Greek life.

Also, thank you to the posters with children at IU right now who have weighed in on life in Bloomington. It is VERY much appreciated.

Wait, are you expecting bars that serve underage students?! And condoning this? Does that even happen in this day and age? I would think the legal liability would be through the roof. And honestly, at the school the size of Indiana, there’s ALWAYS more to do
than sit in a dorm room.

Did you not go to college bars? Yes it's expected sadly

Sadly is right! And no, I went to a small liberal arts school. There were no bars. But if underage drinking is happening in bars, the town and school are not working together to clamp down on it. And the liability—makes my lawyer head explode. The potential for property damage, binge drinking … too many potential problems. A bar would lose their liquor license in a heartbeat for starters.

If getting served at a bar is seriously a priority for the previous poster’s kid, try Canadian schools. 🙄

People, give us a break. Kids have been getting fake IDs forever, certain bars at different schools are known for less scrutiny, etc. The big issue is if kids are driving or not.

I doubt the bar cares that much about binge drinking, don't understand the property damage comment...they care about getting raided by the authorities and the the fines and possibly losing their liquor license.

Enough with the faux outrage.

+1 .I had so much fun in my college bars…a lot more fun than the frat parties. But we didn’t have to worry about driving (we walked) or anyone putting something in our drinks, which I know can happen anywhere.

Plus, IU has a strong Greek rep. It's a valid question if most social activities are at fraternities AND bars don't let in underage kids, then if a kid isn't a theater/band/etc kid, what does that mean for them socially?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DS is also going this Fall. Anyone going to the DC Kelley event? I am curious how many will be there. We have also heard great things and really enjoyed our tour.

DS and DH are going the first weekend in March.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Someone mentioned the not being able to get into the bars is a negative...

I'm not going to lie. Our DC has brought this up. They've heard the bars that cater to freshman are either no longer taking that clientele or have closed down. They want a big university town experience - bars included - that a large flagship usually provides. But they're worried they will be stuck in dorms if they don't join the Greek life.

Also, thank you to the posters with children at IU right now who have weighed in on life in Bloomington. It is VERY much appreciated.

Wait, are you expecting bars that serve underage students?! And condoning this? Does that even happen in this day and age? I would think the legal liability would be through the roof. And honestly, at the school the size of Indiana, there’s ALWAYS more to do
than sit in a dorm room.

Did you not go to college bars? Yes it's expected sadly

Sadly is right! And no, I went to a small liberal arts school. There were no bars. But if underage drinking is happening in bars, the town and school are not working together to clamp down on it. And the liability—makes my lawyer head explode. The potential for property damage, binge drinking … too many potential problems. A bar would lose their liquor license in a heartbeat for starters.

If getting served at a bar is seriously a priority for the previous poster’s kid, try Canadian schools. 🙄

People, give us a break. Kids have been getting fake IDs forever, certain bars at different schools are known for less scrutiny, etc. The big issue is if kids are driving or not.

I doubt the bar cares that much about binge drinking, don't understand the property damage comment...they care about getting raided by the authorities and the the fines and possibly losing their liquor license.

Enough with the faux outrage.

+1 .I had so much fun in my college bars…a lot more fun than the frat parties. But we didn’t have to worry about driving (we walked) or anyone putting something in our drinks, which I know can happen anywhere.

Plus, IU has a strong Greek rep. It's a valid question if most social activities are at fraternities AND bars don't let in underage kids, then if a kid isn't a theater/band/etc kid, what does that mean for them socially?

My daughter is going there in the fall at Kelley. Such a beautiful campus and a cool college town. It's definitely not a bar school for the underage kids (although some have gotten in with fakes at one or two bars) but there are plenty of parties whether smaller ones in the dorms or bigger ones at frat houses.

[Anonymous]

Anyone have a kid from the DC area who is not attending Kelley? What do they like about the school? What other than the Greek system has been hard?

DC and I are going for an admitted student days this spring, and want to hear the good and the bad.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a kid from the DC area who is not attending Kelley? What do they like about the school? What other than the Greek system has been hard?

DC and I are going for an admitted student days this spring, and want to hear the good and the bad.

Here's the bad (there's lots of good in the above comments!): I know two African-American boys from this area who went there and then left (one after freshman year one after sophomore year).. they didn't find their group and felt like everyone was from Indiana and it's a kind of white monoculture. Very frat-heavy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a kid from the DC area who is not attending Kelley? What do they like about the school? What other than the Greek system has been hard?

DC and I are going for an admitted student days this spring, and want to hear the good and the bad.

Here's the bad (there's lots of good in the above comments!): I know two African-American boys from this area who went there and then left (one after freshman year one after sophomore year).. they didn't find their group and felt like everyone was from Indiana and it's a kind of white monoculture. Very frat-heavy.

Well for every story, there's an opposite one. One of my kid's best friends (suite mate) at IU is a freshman, black kid. He just made one of the top fraternity houses. The rest of the suite mates (white boys) didn't get into any frat.