Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Top Questions

I love this school and would not want to go anywhere else. IUP offers an outstanding educational experience for an even better price. We are a large school over over 15,000 students but I do not ever feel like a number. We have tons of clubs, organizations, sports and activities to join in on. There is never a dull moment at IUP. The campus is absolutely stunning, the oak grove is beautiful, all of our dorms were knocked down and upgraded to suites!!! They are amazing inside its like being in a hotel and there are many different floor plans you can choose from. The food here is really good. Fosters is a buffet style dining hall and I always enjoyed what they had to offer. IUP has school pride and lots of kids wear IUP gear around campus, cheer at the basketball games, etc. (basketball seems to be pretty big here) The weather here is not that bad, its in PA so what do you expect. It is a mix of beautiful sunshine, rain and some snow.. Not that bad at all. I would recommend to every incoming freshman to bring a raincoat, umbrella and rain boots! Those will help you out a lot. Overall IUP is an outstanding school and I absolutely LOVE IT!!!!

I love IUP! I love (almost) everything about it! IUP is just the perfect size with about 14,000 students. It's not so big that you're lost in the crowd, but not so small that you know everyone's business. There's always new people to meet and new things to do. Recently, IUP has been trying to expand and move up a division. We've been letting in more and more freshman every year. One of the problems is find a place to put all of these freshmen. Getting a dorm as an upperclassman is no small feat. Indiana is a college town at heart, but that doesn't mean there isn't plenty to do. We have a small movie theater and a mall, main street shopping, tons of places to eat, yoga studio, an awesome gym on campus, a YMCA, a Hookah Bookah, hundreds of clubs and groups, and dozens of University sponsored events every week. Football and basketball games are huge here! Not to mention, IUP is only about an hour and a half from downtown Pittsburgh. I know many people who venture to the city on the weekends. We have all new beautiful dorms that are mostly suite style. The only problem with these dorms is that the walls are very thin. If you have a neighbor who likes to party until all hours of the night, it can be a rough semester. The faculty at IUP is amazing! The school is currently in the process of electing a new president so students can expect some level of change to occur over the next few years. The University has worked hard to include the students in finding the next president. One very cool fact about IUP is that its haunted. Yes, I went there. IUP used to be the Normal School and Indiana State Teacher's College. One of our buildings used to be an elementary school. In fact, it was the elementary school where Jimmy Stewart ("It's a Wonderful Life") attended school. Our paranormal club has taken EVPs and photos of some of their tours. If you're interested, Google "iup paranormal society".

I have taken classes at 2 other universities so my opinion is relative to my experiences other places. The best thing about this school is that the instructors (at least in the classes I've taken so far) are committed to helping each student understand the material. If you do your part (attend classes, turn in assignments, visit during office hours) the teachers meet you more than halfway, There's little to no crime here so it's relatively safe to walk through the Oak Grove at 2am (most of us walk with friends). There's a downtown area that's quaint but not much to do for entertainment and that's probably why some schools get labeled as party schools ... nothing to do except party. It's a beautiful campus, though, with anything you need in walking distance.

IUP is a beautiful campus that I knew immediately I was going to love. This school has so many majors to offer and they have lots of extracurricular activities to do as well. I happen to love the surrounding area because it is quaint and friendly. Philadelphia street is a beautiful street that has a lot to offer as well. I love IUP so much and think it is a great school to go to. A hot topic seems to be we party to much but welcome to college people If you are interested in parties IUP is fun and safe. You can however find trouble but you can find that everywhere, just stick with the good kids and you will be FINE!!!! and love partying lol If you do not want to party that is fine as well because you can join clubs, hang with friends and study there are plenty of other really fun things to do.

It's a medium-size school that doesn't focus much on athletics. Mostly focuses on a good academic background, a tough and rigorous schedule, and lots of fun, tradition and parties.

IUP has a beautiful campus. I always enjoy walking throught the Oak Grove no matter what the season is. Unfortunately there are many construction projects right now that are diminishing the grass on campus but the buildings that are being constructed are beautiful.

IUP is located in the small borough of Indiana in Indiana County, Pennsylvania. It is about 50-60 miles east and slightly north of Pittsburgh, PA. Those students who come from large cities such as Pittsburgh or Philadelphia will at first find the place very rural and boring. Those students who come from rural areas, like myself, will find the place to be like a city. When I tell any person that I go to IUP, that person always responds with "you go to a party school!" I am not a party person. A physics major does not have time for that. Some students have a lot of school pride, and others don't. Overall there is an equally mixed feeling of pride.

i ONLY APPLIED TO ONE SCHOOL IN THE USA AND THAT WAS IUP, IM INTERNATIONAL AND I GOT ADMITTED, IT WSS EVERYHTING I EVER IMAGINED, DIVERSITY, MULTI-CULTURAL, EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION AND EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. THE MOST IMPORTANT BEING HOME AWAY FROM HOME, AN AMAZING FACULTY, GREAT COMMUNITY IN THE RESIDENCE HALLS, BEST ROOMMATES AND MOST EXCITING OF ALL A LOVELY SURROUNDING OF THE PEOPLE OF INDIANA!

Well, for one we have alot of activities to do when we are not in class. They seem like they care alot about the students and willing to help at anytime. The town is very quiet and peaceful.

The best thing about IUP is the campus and the gym. I love the new suites they build instead of regular dorms. There is always something to do. The down side to IUP is the weather. It's either always snowing or raining. Indiana is a total college town and has a lot of school spirit.

First things first is that We PARTY, thats probly the main thing about IUP, the construction sucks but it is almost all over, the best thing at IUP is homecoming

I love how in your classes your professors really get to know you on a personal basis. Their door is open any time that you wish to talk to them about anything.

IUP is rapidly changing. My college years were inconvenienced by the beatification of the campus. Incoming freshman will not share in my experience; they will be able to simply enjoy the scenery. The dust, traffic, and noise of construction that plagued my 4-year stay should come to an end fairly soon. The campus has obviously improved throughout the years, but the Oak Grove is timeless. IUP is the perfect size, allowing most of the class halls to be in one central location, The Oak Grove. It is a peaceful courtyard in the middle of some of the halls. It is usually alive with students socializing, drawing or reading in the grass, or simply running to class. There is a camera in the Oak Grove that is broadcasted on the Internet on the IUP webpage. It really does mean so much to the students that as alumnae you will want to take a peek to see what you are missing out on. Not to mention the added safety of it.

For me, the best thing about IUP is the people I've meet in my time there. Does that set IUP apart from other schools? Probably not...you can find your new best friends anywhere. Right now, the school is doing a lot of renovations, building really nice (yet expensive) new dorms/suites. The end result will be gorgeous, but in the mean time our campus looks like a war zone. There are always random pathways blocked off, which makes it a little more annoying walking to class. And then when it rains (which is often in Indiana) there is mud all over the place. When I tell people I go to IUP the usually reaction is "Oh ok...party school," but whatever, that's all some people know. I think the size of IUP is just right for me, but it would depend on what you're looking for. I find it crazy that I can walk through the Oak Grove on my way to class and usually see someone I know, everytime. Indiana, PA is definitely a college town, centering around it's main street: Philadelphia Street. The bars (The Coney, Culpeppers, Wolfies, Boomerangs) are flooded with college kids when classes are in session, and townies when it's not. I don't know too much about the administration, other than we got a new university president during my freshman year (2005-2006). The biggest recent controversy was over our mascot which used to be the Indians. It's been a big deal for a while, but just this past year we became the Crimson Hawks. Regardless, pride is there, especially at Homecoming.

The best thing about IUP would be the various extracurricular activities available to students, in which personally has made my college experience so much more worth wild. One thing that I would change is the diversity issue. I feel that in the three years that I have already spent as an IUP student there is still polarization between the international students and the American students. For me, coming from an international background it bugs me to see this. I wish there was more activities that would incorporate both the international community and the U.S. community. School size, I feel is just right for me. Reactions about IUP are all pretty positive. I usually do not spend most of my time in just one spot on campus. Reasons being, I'm involved in numerous extracurricular activities & have a double major. Yes, IUP is located in a college town known as Indiana which is in PA. IUP's administration is a funny subject. Let me say, as a spanish major, I am very disappointed with the lack of funding to the language depts. In addition, I am very disappointed with the spanish program in general. Also, I've noticed lately our administration has been putting lots of money into building new dorms to expand the size of our campus, but the building where both the history and political science depts are located has been long overdue for some major remodeling or rebuilding and that has not occured yet. There's other issues as well but I much rather not go into. Biggest controversy on campus was with the main graduation ceremony.However, I am not sure of all the details. One thing for sure, there is a lot of school pride amongst everyone. Nothing unusual about IUP that I know of. The experience I will always remember was studying abroad in Mexico for my spanish major. That was one of the best!! IUP made that avaiable for me. The most frequent student complaints are the cafeteria food, prices of the food at the hub, and the long lines for food.

I hate the fact that new residence halls are being built because they aren't necessary. They're just taking up tax dollars and causing people to have to make detours on campus. In addition, the old residence halls had nothing wrong with them, and they were part of campus history. I lived in Langham Hall my first 3 years at IUP, and then it was torn down. I was angry when I saw the large mechanical claw tear down the part of the building that contained my room. I lived in McCarthy Hall my senior year, and the thing I liked about it was that I had a larger single room than I had in Langham (My Langham room had been a small single). My freshman year, I avoided 3 places that I grew to love later: Foster Dining Hall, Stapleton Library, and the HUB Fitness Center. It shows that you won't be the same person when you graduate from college that you were when you first enrolled.

The Campus: the size of the campus is perfect. not small by any means, but you can walk from one end to another in about 15 minutes. it is also a GORGEOUS campus, minus alot of construction being done right now. The Town: DEFINATLY a college town. not much else in Indiana, PA. but while you are going to school there, you learn to loveee this little town like your own. You can walk everywhere. The Academics: very underrated. Iup is has some of the best programs in the country and definatly in the state. The Parties: hey, you've heard the rumors right? there is truth to every story.

I dislike going to IUP. i wish i never chose to go there and if other schools closer to home had my major i would transfer out in a second. The teachers NEVER email you back and are completely worthless in helping you in just about every situation. Ive emailed advisors who havent gotten back to me in weeks. teachers who havent gotten back to me in months and some that have never gotten back to me.That also goes for other people that i have talked to. when trying to choose a major a year ago i went to different people in the same dept and everyone told me something different and said the person i last spoke with was wrong. i left more confused than when i started. When i tell people i go to IUP i never usually get a good reaction. people that visit it said they didnt like it and people that have gone there said they hated it and wanted to transfer out or already had. I spent most of my time in my room. Everything else in that town is horrible. There is nothing to do and im usually bored. i wouldnt call it "college town" because there isnt really anything even in that town. id rather go to school in my own home town. Most of the students that complain about IUP say that same thing. The teachers are worthless and rude, the sports are horrible and the school is way over priced. The only thing i will remember from IUP are the few good friends i made. I wouldnt tell anyone to ever go there.

IUP - What can I say? I went to America to get the university experience, the 'American Dream'. IUP brought me a lot. I think its great, the campus is big, but not too big you can lost, you can easily find things and its a nice size when you want to clear your head and go for a walk. The Oak Grove being a perfect place to do so. I think its beautiful, its where I see people brough together by friends just playing frisbee, a group of students chilling on the grass playing bongos and acoustic guitars which can light up your day and other events such as 'Chalk on the Walk'. I spent most of my time in Elkin Hall where i stayed for the semester and met the most diverse group of friends i have ever met, who i will always remember, who i will never forget. Each individual from meeting new people and friends brought something new and fresh to my life, their unique propective on life itself, they have an opinion that cannot be shaken. They are their own person and no one else. IUP doesnt have much of a town, you would stroll down 'Philly' Street, a few shops and an old theatrical cinema that shows one film. Grab a nice chinese down there though i tell you! It's nice to just go down their sometimes and chill out. Or you'd walk a few minutes to Sheetz or Giant Eagle. Being a student, a good munchies at night, sheetz is great for that! The nightlife can be great, if you know what party to catch and who u know! Just have to be careful about the popo, but you will learn to be wise through time and what partys are a yes and what are a no no. I would say IUP is a laid back school, takes pride in what it stands for, stands tall and is what you see, is what you get. Most frequent complaints i can think about is the food at fosters, as everyone seems to need to the toilet afterwards! I just remember overeating there, and it was great. Foster times! I'll always will remember when i got my underage after being at IUP for just 3 weeks, its something i can look back on and laugh at. The police are pretty good across the pond, and the people in Indiana seem more contained and respectful in certain places compared to England. I had a great time, i will never forget it. Best time ever. Thanks IUP for such a great time!! Also like to say the International office team for the introduction week before starting was fantastic start to my amazing experience! Much love, Liana

I love the size of IUP. It's not too big, yet not too small. You can walk to all of your classes and it's very easy to navigate. The only downside is all of the construction going on now since the new dorms are being built. Indiana is really a college town. There is not much there except for the the college so it can get quite boring at times. It's a nice place though, just very limited in activities. The parking is horrible. If you're a commuter you will have to come really early to find a decent parking spot. If you're living on campus and plan to park in Robertshaw, the student lot, it's pretty far away and a little expensive. Buses run from the lot to places all over campus but it still can be a pain in the butt. Your best bet is to not bring your car at all or try to find decent priced parking off campus somewhere.