Ryan
During my first semesters at IU I thought I was going insane because of how huge the school is. If you go somewhere like this you have to know how to look for and find friends. I'm happy now but I still think I could have found, or spent more time with, a wider variety of people. It's great that there are so many types of people, and I think that there is someone for everyone at a school like this but it can be a huge challenge to find them.
I'm a member of the GLBT community so I immediately pursued social opportunities with that community, and I have made some friends through various GLBT-related organizations, most of my best friends have come through my very active residence hall community.
My residence hall, Collins, has a lot of stereotypes, like that we're hippies and maybe stoners too. While there's some truth to this, I've actually found that Collins people are really active. Hippies, maybe, in that there's a serious contingent of people who care for the earth and want to make the world better. People probably smoke pot but then they join a bunch of organizations and are really involved in the community. Collins also has a serious respect for diversity going on that I cherish. I was out in high school but when I got to IU I was ready for EVERYONE to know I was gay and Collins was the perfect context to do that. I think even if I weren't GLBT it would be a good place to come into my own. Collins people are really pretty normal and fun...Collins has totally, totally, MADE my experience at IU. I would be completely lost and depressed without this amazing community.
Kristina
The best thing about IUB is the academics. Almost every particular school here is exceptional, and the academic support is great.
When I tell people I go to IUB, they usually ask me how much I party. Which sounds cool at first, but definitely gets old!
Bloomington is definitely a college town. Everything here is IU related in some way or another, which is great. However, without a car, it's easy to feel "stuck" on campus.
The biggest controversy on IUB? Our basketball coaches! (Bobby Knight, now Kelvin Sampson.) It's all you ever hear about!
There is not a lot of football pride, but the basketball program is a real source of student and faculty pride. Being a Hoosier means you care more about shot percentages than touchdowns.