Today is #IUDay, a day to honor everything that is IU. When I was first visiting colleges, Indiana University was one college that was low on my radar. Believe it or not, Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois, and Butler University in Indianapolis were my top contenders. Back then, I wanted a small school, but after visiting IU a few times, I knew that this campus would be the one I called home for four years of undergrad.
The Bloomington, Indiana campus offers a lot of what I was looking for in a school such as multiple science majors for me to choose from, a history of students getting into various medical schools, Greek life, and being both in-state and close to home.
Coming to IU has changed my life in many ways.
I don't rely on my friends from home any more, although I still talk to them everyday, even if two of them do go to Purdue. I think that coming to a large campus such as this one helped me break out of my shell. If I had gone to Butler, there is a large chance I would hang out with people from my hometown everyday, and that's not what I wanted from school.
IU offers one major that my other top contenders couldn't quite give me, Human Biology. I've found my home within the major. It's even given me one of my best friends, Ali. Not to mention the lone advisor for the major, Andy, will answer all of my emails, even the ones I send at 11 pm at night. Even though I contemplate switching from Human Bio and Pre-Med almost every week, at the end of the day, the major is one of the huge reasons IU was so appealing to me in the first place.
Greek life here as also given be a huge reason to love IU. Being a part of Phi Mu has given me so many friends and memories that no one can replace. From tailgates, to Room 15 (hi roomies), to Homecoming and Little 500, and to my Greek fam, Phi Mu has truly been apart of so many of my memories of IU so far.
This week is Little 500 week, the week leading up to the greatest college weekend. For months bikers for both men's and women's teams have been training so that they can give their races their all for the races Friday and Saturday. Yes, Little 500 week is basically a week of partying, but the bikers are the reason that the campus has a reason to party. Without these amazing people, it would just be a normal week in the month of April.
People ask me why I love IU so much, and I usually reply that it's the memories that it has given me so far and for the memories I know that will be made. However, another reason why I love it so much is the pride I see in the eyes of each alum I meet when I say that I go to IU. While I was on spring break I meet an alumna of Kelley School of Business who was also in Greek Life here, but throughout the week we talked a lot about the campus, about IUBB, and about how Greek Life has changed. She told me that to this day, she loves to return to campus, and it showed when she asked me to help her find one of the IU March Madness games on her iPad.
Everyone that comes to this campus for school leaves with even more passion for the spirit of this school than when we enter.
I want to thank IUBB, my professors, my friends, my sisters, and Bloomington for helping me realize how amazing the spirit of this campus is. I can only hope that one day after I graduate that I'll be able to tell a current student of everything that IU gave me without crying. I thank God everyday for pushing me to make the decision to come to this school.
I wouldn't give it up for anything and no matter how many times I hear "This is Indiana", I will be screaming the lyrics.
Go Hoosiers!
