Indianapolis, IN

Thu 30 August 2007

So, I’m thinking about college admissions. Indiana University announced that it’s making it more difficult to get into IU. They know that Indiana has many bright students, and they want IU to remain a place to go for the really bright students and not just a place to fall back on. Last year, IU rejected nearly 20% of all applications, and this year will be closer to 30%. I understand that IU has some really good programs, like it’s renowned Kelley School of Business or it’s med school. IU School of Music was rated 3rd in the country at one time (it may still be). Or unless you are planning on studying something very specific or rare (like Slavic languages), then there are a plethora of other schools that give just as good (if not more) than super-huge schools like IU or Purdue. I applied to IU’s School of Music and got a rejection letter. So, I ended up at Indiana State University in Terre Haute and do not regret for once that I went there. Most of my classes were actually taught by the professor listed (only a few of my classes were taught by teaching assistants). I went out to get a beer with my professors. I went to their homes for parties and gatherings. I even tutored one of my professor’s son in French horn. I had opportunities at ISU that I wouldn’t have had at IU, and that made me a better musician and student. I liked that fact that I could walk from one end of the campus to the other in about 10 minutes. And I didn’t feel that because I wasn’t at IU, because I was paying less than students at IU, that my education was being compromised. I felt that I probably got a better education at Indiana State. Actually, Time magazine had an article back in the spring about how going to a school just for the namesake isn’t so much of a factor anymore. Students and parents are learning that you can get just as good or better of an education at smaller, less expensive schools. So, my advice is to look elsewhere outside of the huge namesake schools, unless you are going into something specific that’s only offered at those schools.

: college choices, admissions requirements, Indiana University, Indiana State University