IUB Government Major

I think the biggest one is that we're a party school, where people go out more than they study. I think this is occasionally associated, in some circles, with a general lack of intelligence.

I do see some apathy for school work, and I hear people talking about going out to the bars every night of the week. So yes, I would say there is some truth to the party stereotype. In terms of intelligence, I think there is plenty of brain power at IU, although sometimes it's hard to tell if people just don't care or if they're actually dumb.

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.

I definitely wish classes were smaller. Professors rarely know who I am, unless they make a really concerted effort to learn names. A couple of my professors have actually learned names in bigger classes and it makes the class feel so much better.

The best classes I've had have been tiny and discussion oriented. One of my favorites so far was in Religious Studies (outside both my majors) and was about gender in the Protestant Reformation. There were fewer than 20 people, and I was always motivated to do the reading because I wanted to have good discussions about it in class.

In Poli Sci classes tend to be pretty huge but some of them have been amazing nonetheless. I've had a couple professors with really high expectations. In my modern political thought class the prof really expected us to be able to make and defend points in clear and concise ways and he only gave two A's. I (not so) secretly LOVE classes like that because it really means something when I get an A, and I feel like I learn so much from professors who are really pretty brilliant. At the same time I think that most poli sci classes are pretty down-to-earth and practical. That is, the exams tend to be really straightforward and easy to follow if you've been keeping up with class and doing homework. Because classes are so huge (and maybe because students are apathetic) there isn't much debate in class, which I would expect in a poli sci department. I think there's definitely a huge focus on getting a job--a HUGE percentage of people just seem to want to go to law school, whereas I find the study of politics genuinely fascinating. So that can be frustrating.

Gender studies is interesting. It's interdisciplinary and I actually have taken several gender-related classes outside the department. I wish I could use more of those classes. My senior seminar in gender studies (called Gender and Population Problems) was unique and fabulous--the professor was into non-traditional and visual means of learning and so I got to make posters and draw and stuff. We would read these very serious academic demography articles and then draw "graphic novels" interpreting them. For our final paper, we had to write 10 pages of research and then present it in a non traditional manner; I created a series of postcards and flyers and even designed a t-shirt! It was pretty amazing.

I've spent time with a couple professors outside of class but usually it's something class-related at their house. I find office hours INCREDIBLY intimidating, even with the most approachable professors. For my Leadership, Ethics, and Social Action seminar my professor invited us to her house, which is on the edge of a state forest, and we went on a hike with these two active environmentalists and then cooked out in her firepit. It was so exciting! I love academics (I'm kind of a nerd) but I also really like the classes that are a little bit non-academic and non-traditional. For example last semester I took indoor rock climbing and it was a great way to unwind for a couple of hours and get some exercise too.

Do people talk about intellectual things outside of class? Not really. I mean, I do sometimes, and I like talking politics and gender and sexuality issues but a lot of people don't really. And sometimes it gets competitive, with people trying to show off how smart they are instead of just wanting to engage it conversation for the sake of it.

The community that I've felt best about participating in has been my church's campus ministry--I'm a part of the Unitarian-Universalist Church. They're a very inclusive spiritual community. My freshman year I was pretty active in both the GLBT community and in women's/feminist groups but I've actually kind of fallen out of that, which is unfortunate. Even though I identify very strongly with both of those communities I guess I didn't ever connect that well. I don't think I have all that much in common with most of the GLBT community, I guess, although I have made a few friends there. People do associate with people outside their groups but because the campus is so huge it can be really tough to branch out and meet new people. Socioeconomically people definitely run the gamut but it seems like everyone is in the middle. Politically I can't really tell. Most of the people I see daily are definitely left-leaning (like in Collins) but there are also definitely republicans prevalent in the political science department. Even within poli sci I'm not sure people care about politics; like I've said earlier people tend to be more focused with becoming rich lawyers someday.

There are about 85 bajillion groups on campus and I couldn't say what the most popular ones are, although the Greek community (if that counts as an organization) is pretty MASSIVE. People tend to be involved in service-related activities, like Habitat for Humanity. To be honest I think a lot of people are more in to partying than involvement.

My main activity is Campus Girl Scouts which has a tiny but loyal following. Basically, we volunteer on weekends with Girl Scout programs in our community; some people work with troops. We have a lot of trouble recruiting new people and I'm not sure we have that big a presence on campus. It's actually kind of an extension of my life before and outside of college (like working at Girl Scout camp) and so I feel very at home with the group.

In my dorm people always had their doors open. I lived in a building a couple blocks from the main quad and I'd come down all the time and just hang out in the hall. It was awesome!

The dating scene sucks. I've dated, like, two people since I've been here. Then again I'm gay so maybe that's why--it's a smaller community and I don't have that much in common with most of the lesbians on campus (I'm kind of the earthy-crunchy-granola type and there's definitely a dearth of people like that in general--regardless of orientation--on our campus).

Athletics are pretty huge. Even football, which can't sell out, has massive tailgating happening.

There's some good theater and cultural stuff off campus almost all the time but to be honest I mostly just chill out with friends on weekends, or I have to work. There are free movies at the Union every weekend that are pretty awesome, not to mention some good theater.

Drinking is still def. the most popular social activity.