Transfers to the Bloomington campus satisfied with decision to attend IU

Freshman Megan Gruber thought she was cut out for southern life, but that changed after a semester at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

“I thought I could handle the southern culture, but I realized it was too much for me,” Gruber said. “I’m a Midwest girl, and I was shocked by their lifestyle. Here, everyone is a lot more humble, and I’m really happy I came here.”

Gruber isn’t the only student who was not comfortable in her old school.

This year, about 7,000 students were admitted to transfer to various IU campuses, and 1,813 requested to transfer to the Bloomington campus, according to the IU Fact Book Web site.

Sophomore Mark Miller transferred to Bloomington from IU-Purdue University Fort Wayne at the beginning of the fall semester.

“I wanted to do athletic training, and it didn’t offer it,” Miller said. “Plus, it didn’t seem like a university. No one lived on campus, and everyone commuted.”

Miller is currently majoring in sports and athletic training.

Since coming to IU, Gruber has joined Kappa Kappa Gamma and said being involved in the sorority has introduced her to a lot of new people.

But not all students are satisfied with the Bloomington campus.

Former IU student Martha Ramette recently left Bloomington due to the large population of students and currently attends Valparaiso University.

“I transferred to (Valparaiso) because IU was just too big,” Ramette said. “I really wanted a school that was more student-oriented and where the classes were smaller.”

Despite the economic recession, the number of applications the admissions office receives has not changed.

Roger Thompson, vice provost for enrollment management said the number of transfers has remained sound since last year.

“IU has a 90 percent retention rate, which is higher than most other schools,” Thompson said. “IU (applications) are actually running ahead of what we were doing last year.”