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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
What is Bloomington like?
My husband is interested in graduate school (I am also). We both attended IU South Bend for undergrad and still live in that area. We have heard good things about IUB's music school. What is the town itself and the campus life like?
Re: What is Bloomington like?
I have a friend who lives there and I enjoy visiting. It offers quite a bit and isn't far from Indy which is nice. Her and I always go to the square and for eating out when I go visit. There are several nice ones that we enjoy..
I can't speak for the campus since I have only been to a basketball game and football game but never attended. All of the women I work with who went to IU enjoyed it and still talk about it.
Heaven.
Ok, I'm a little biased because I went to undergrad and recently got married there. Like PP said, the town is diverse. There are tons of ethnic restaurants and plenty of things to do in your free time. The campus is gorgeous. Whenever H and I go for a visit, we always walk around campus. It's about a 45 minute to hour drive to Indy. Apartments and rentals are kind of steep because they know that college kids have to rent. I would say that the main negative is traffic and drivers. Traffic around campus and the mall is horrible during the school year.
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Thanks Ladies...I can't wait to go visit
I wish that the other 60 people who looked at this thread had also shared their opinions!
i have gone to school at IU both in Bloomington and South Bend. Bloomington itsef has a very "college town" feel. hippy coffee shops, funky stores, ethic restaurants, lots to do w/in walking distance of campus.
the upside: lots of gorgeous nature everywhere- the campus is beautiful and Brown county is gorgeous- lots of state parks, rolling hills, wooded areas. weather is moderate compared to the northern part of the state (hotter summers, less harsh and shorter winters).
the downside: drunk college kids everywhere. all the time (except in the summer). i speak from experience b/c i was one of these kids (oh the shame, thank goodness i'm a grown up now). traffic is appalling: we're talking for weeks during move-in/move-out times, sporting events. its a big 10 school and there are TONS more students than ND, Bethel, or IUSB packed into a smaller area.
but, if you're into art and music and a more earthy/modern scene than south bend, or if you're really into nature and outdoor activities, then i think Bloomington would be a fun place to be.
hope that helps!
I agree with a lot of this especially the bolded parts. Remember, IU has an enrollment of close to 40k students in a town built for a population of about 20-(maybe)30k permanent residents. With construction near the stadium getting across town is HORRIBLE right now. Summers are not a big improvement for traffic because the city is growing too fast. Even with the lanes being added, it's not going to improve too much and they took out most of the woods on 46 for this project (taking some of the beauty with it).
Buses will be your best friend because parking on campus is very limited. Walking and biking will get you to where you need to be much faster. Graduate housing is never as nice as the dorms and most apartment complexes are full of the drunk college students. My cousin is in a grad program right now and has a 1.5 mile walk to the edge of campus from her condo, which is quieter than the apartments. She always walks because it's easier and much faster.
The music and arts scene is not much better than what SB has become in recent years. Brown County is gorgeous, but almost a half hour drive and parking in that town is not good either.
Visit before you decide because it will be a rude awakening. Graduate life there is a lot different than undergrad life. Jobs are very hard to come by in town because so many students are deciding to stay after graduation and getting them.
Okay...so if you might be considering moving there w/ a family, is there an outlying "suburb" you could suggest?
Someone mentioned that it's a growing town? Does that just mean the university continues to see growth or is Bloomington becoming a larger city?
Bloomington as a city is growing and the University is but does not have much land left to expand on. Ellettsville is becoming a more popular suburban area and there's some places near Lake Monroe that may be good as well if you like being in a less developed area. Just remember that this is an area that gets snow, but is not as equipped to deal with it in the winter as a more northern city. Schools and businesses will shut down for what someone from a place like MN would consider nothing and the roads will be a lot icier than they appear. That was a huge adjustment for us since my husband is in an industry that you can not call off for weather ever.