Indiana University Bloomington
Responses from the Student Interview
From a student who identifies as Major: Management, School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Minor: Marketing, Kelley School of Business
Student Self Identifies as: White Straight Male
Summary
Fraternity, and then Indiana University Dance Marathon (IUDM), which is a big thing at Indiana. It’s a dance marathon to raise money for a hospital.
Background
Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Straight
High School Experience: Public school in Westchester, NY with about 350 people in the graduating class.
Major: Management, School of Public and Environmental Affairs
Minor: Marketing, Kelley School of Business
Extracurricular Activities: Fraternity, and then Indiana University Dance Marathon (IUDM), which is a big thing at Indiana. It’s a dance marathon to raise money for a hospital.
Academic Experience
Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
You probably have a test every about other week. But all the classes are on the same schedule so you have two weeks of not having any tests, but you’re doing papers and small homework assignments, and then you’ll have like three tests. It’s not that much work, it’s not bad.
Is there anything you feel the Management department does especially well or especially poorly?
I like how they cover all fields. So, we have to learn political affairs, environmental affairs, and human resources. We have to cover all those fields and kind of become experts, so you have the opportunity to get into any field when you graduate which is nice.
Can you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s competitive or collaborative?
It’s pretty competitive in some classes. But, a lot of the classes force you to work in teams, so you get to become good team members. I’d say most of the work in class is with a team and then outside of class you work by yourself. You get to become closer with the people in your class which is nice.
What has been your favorite class in your major?
Financial Management, because I think it will be the most useful. My teacher was in finance and he also taught in the business school, so we got both the business side and the management side.
What has been your least favorite class in your major?
Environmental Affairs, because I didn’t see a future for me in that field so I didn’t pay as attention as much or focus as hard because I didn’t feel as connected with it.
What has been a fun class you have taken?
Public Affairs, because the teacher was actually the mayor of Bloomington and taught us all about the town and afterwards I could tell my friends all learned about the town.
Why did you choose your major?
I first wanted to do Marketing, and then I thought that was too limited. I think Management is a broader major and at the time I didn’t know what I wanted to do in the future.
Reasons to Attend
1) We have [highly ranked schools in their areas of study], so you’ll get a great education.
2) The social life is amazing.
3) The people are amazing and nice and always willing to help everyone out.
4) Athletics. When we have a good basketball team, it’s insane.
Reasons Not to Attend
1) If you want to be in business school and you don’t get into Kelley [School of Business], it’s tough finding a different path to take.
2) It’s in the middle of nowhere so you can’t really go to a big city on the weekends.
3) [Social life] is based on Greek life, so if you don’t get into a fraternity or sorority house it can be kind of tough.
Around Campus
Where have you lived on campus?
Freshman: McNutt with one roommate. It was a lot of fun. There is a great dining hall downstairs that everyone went to hang out at during the day. In my opinion, it’s the most social dorm on campus and it was a quick walk to the main campus and business school. You met so many people because there were a lot of people living in it.
Sophomore: Fraternity house, which was a little farther but they have bus stops near the house to take to campus. If it was nice out you could do the 10-15-minute walk
Junior: Off campus in Atwater, which is not far from campus. I was able to walk everywhere. It was a 7-12 minute walk to class and there are a lot of food places nearby so that was nice.
What was your favorite living situation?
My favorite was living in the fraternity house just because you’re living with 64 of your best friends. It’s just so much fun, and you don’t have to worry about rides ever because most things happen at your house.
What is your favorite off-campus restaurant?
Before I turned 21, it was Scotty’s which is a sports bar that everyone can go to and has great food and a lot of TV’s. And once I turned 21, The Tap. They have amazing food and they brew their own beer which is fantastic and there are just always good vibes in there.
What is your favorite place to get away from campus?
There’s this place called Griffy Lake, which is like a 5-minute drive from where all the fraternity houses are. It’s a great place to go hiking or canoeing. It’s just a beautiful lake that people like to go to on nice days or on the weekends.
How was the transition from living outside of New York City to living in the middle of nowhere Midwest?
It was kind of weird the first two or three days, but you get used to it very fast. It’s just because Bloomington is so beautiful and you get a whole new perspective and culture. I love it, it just took me a little to get used to. People are just nicer here than they are in New York.
Social Opportunities
What kind of weekend activities nightlife do you like to participate in?
When I was a freshman, sophomore and first semester junior I’d always go to the fraternity parties because they’re a lot of fun. Once I turned 21, I would just go to the bars. We have Kilroy’s which is a lot of fun. It [is always a highly ranked college bar]. It’s the most fun place I’ve ever been to. The bars are mostly juniors and seniors, but everyone else will be at a fraternity party.
What nights of the week do you go out?
If it’s not a busy week, I’ll go out Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. If it’s a busy week, I’ll go out Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday.
What’s the impact of Greek life on the nightlife at Indiana?
I think it’s like the whole entire nightlife honestly. I think it changes senior year, but for the first three years if you’re not in Greek life nightlife could be tough.
How happy are you with the nightlife at Indiana? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I think it’s amazing honestly. I’ve been to other schools and, I guess I’m biased, but I just don’t have as much fun at those schools as I do at Indiana.
Campus Culture
How did you meet your closest friends?
The first month of school I met a good group of friends while we were rushing, and we’re all in different fraternities but we still meet up and go out each other’s fraternity parties or bars. You meet your closest pals in your fraternity, but I’m still close with the people outside of it as well.
What is the impact of Greek life on social life?
It’s a major impact honestly. I can’t say what it’s like to be outside of Greek life, but I only know like 2 or 3 people that aren’t involved in Greek life at the school. [About 18% of students are involved in Greek life.]
How would you describe the overall social scene at Indiana?
Amazing, honestly. I couldn’t ask for any better. I’m very happy with my decision to go here.
To what extent do you think people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
Pretty well. I mean most people in Greek life are Caucasian, but there are 10 or 12 African Americans in my fraternity and there are lots of Asians in one of the sororities we hang out with. Then in class I’d say it’s pretty mixed. [About 70% of the student body is Caucasian.]
How would you describe the student body?
Pretty good. We have about 10,000 people per class, which is a lot. But you make it smaller, it doesn’t seem that big when you’re on campus. It’s a lot bigger on paper it seems. I walk to class and I’ll see 5 or 7 people every time which is nice.
Careers
Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
Not me specifically, but I know a lot of my friends have been helped. There’s a huge alumni base in Chicago, and they also have alums in California, and New York. [In the Class of 2018, about 15% of undergraduates moved to Illinois.]
How helpful has the career office been?
We have career fairs twice a year, and I was able to get a good job through one. If you go into it they will help you with your resume and cover letter. I’m in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs, so I use their office but it’s been helpful.
Have you learned any computer programs that will be especially helpful to you professionally?
Yeah there’s this class called K200 that makes you very good at using Excel.