Should I stay or should I go?
November 20, 2011 8:37 AM   Subscribe

Should I go to a less expensive branch of a university from a distance (online) where I may end up commuting to? Or should I go to in-person courses at an (extremely) expensive university that is close to home and has a great department for my major? (Specific details inside!)

In order to explain this properly, I will disclose my location (just in case anyone has actual experience with this). I live in Bloomington, Indiana, which is home to Indiana University. In Indiana, there are several branches of Indiana University, including IUPUI (in Indianapolis), which is IU and Purdue’s brain child—and offers degrees from IU or Purdue, depending on your major.

I’m currently attending Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington. I’m making 3 A’s and a B in my current classes and I have a 3.8 cumulative GPA. I’m majoring in human services, and the majority of my credits transfer into IU’s school of social work program. IUPUI offers the same department and program as IU ( I would receive a BSW from IU, regardless of whether I go to IU directly or IUPUI).

Spring semester of 2011, I had planned on moving to Indianapolis and attending IUPUI. I’ve taken the tour of the school and been told by advisors that I’d be a shoo-in thanks to my awesome GPA. IUPUI and Ivy Tech have teamed up to have very lenient transferable credits, meaning the majority of my credits would transfer over without any hassle—including some of the social work credits I’ve already taken through Ivy Tech. This isn’t the case with IU—in fact about 25% of my classes won’t go towards my degree at all, from what I gather. IUPUI is affordable; IU keeps raising tuition costs every year. The problem is that IUPUI has a bad reputation. There are very few “perks” to going there, as many of the students are there to go to class and then drive off to their busy lives…whereas IU has a great deal of ways to get involved with other students and abilities to make new friends. There’s also many perks that go along with being an IU student—discounts, outings, prestige, etc.

The thing about IUPUI aside from not having any attractive “perks” is also the city itself—while I don’t mind Indianapolis, I spent a couple of weeks up there in a friend’s house trying to get a feel for the city. It was awful. I couldn’t find many things to do, I didn’t know a lot of people, I heard gunshots every night (I felt unsafe in the house by myself) and the overall feel of Indianapolis was dirty to me. It was not somewhere I want to live—not to mention the job market there is a lot tougher than Bloomington’s. I’ve spoken to my boyfriend (who I live with) about my indecision and he agrees—Indy just isn’t the city for us, even if the school would be an okay option. This being said, there's no 'getting used to this' for me. I just won't move there.

I've also considered just skipping the BSW and going for my associates in Human Services at Ivy Tech...unfortunately the actual program is not offered at my branch and I may have to commute or jump through extra hoops to make this possible. Also, I'm afraid that employment for me with just an associate's degree won't cut it in today's workforce. I do want a job in social work--that's the whole point of the schooling!

There are just so many questions here—does anyone have any experience with either IU or IUPUI? I’ve yet to find advisors at either school that could really answer my questions about transfer. Will a school work with you on transferring your credits? Would it be better for me to just go to IUPUI and take my classes online? Is it better to “suck it up” and pay the extra thousands of dollars and go to IU? My car really isn’t up to par for constant commuting (Indianapolis is about 50 miles away from me.) If I haven’t explained anything properly, feel free to ask more questions.
posted by camylanded to Education (17 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
What do you actually want to do as a career? That will determine what degree you need, how important it will be to go to prestige school, and how able you'll be to pay off your student debt. You can't figure out which path to take without knowing where you're trying to get to.
posted by decathecting at 8:57 AM on November 20, 2011


Response by poster: I say that transferring credits to IU "from what I gather" is because IU changes this often. They are connected with Ivy Tech, but the list of transferable credits is getting shorter every year. I've been taking classes that pertain to what transfers to both IU and IUPUI and not taking ANY classes that I'm not positive will transfer. In total, I've taken 4 human services classes at Ivy Tech over the past 2 years. The rest are Gen Ed classes. The social work program curriculum at IUPUI and the curriculum at IU are slightly different. I have the information from both universities so this isn't an uncertainty. The difference is that IUPUI accepts human services credits from Ivy Tech and aside from the introductory course in social work, IU does not. Just to make that clear....
posted by camylanded at 9:17 AM on November 20, 2011


You need to have your credits evaluated before assuming. Ivy Tech credits are becoming more widely accepted (I'm at Purdue).

I looked up the cost for 12 credit hours at the schools: IUPUI is $3418/semester, and IU is $4216. With the cost of commuting or living in Indianapolis, the difference is negligible. Ivy Tech is definitely less expensive. I know people at IUPUI, and it is a commuter school. If you are looking for the 'college experience', I would choose IU.
posted by bolognius maximus at 9:24 AM on November 20, 2011


Here's a link to a chart on Ivy Tech's site, comparing tuition at the Indiana state schools.
posted by bolognius maximus at 9:25 AM on November 20, 2011


I wouldn't recommend an Associates as your final degree. Only as a stepping stone towards a Bachelors, if necessary. While I don't know anything about hiring social workers I do know about hiring for other kinds of jobs and an Associates degree isn't going to help you do much, everyone wants a Bachelors degree.

In fact, I just did a quick search on the National Association of Social Workers website and every job listing I saw required a Bachelors.
posted by magnetsphere at 9:28 AM on November 20, 2011 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Thanks for doing that for me, as well as your advice, bolognius maximus! :)
posted by camylanded at 9:28 AM on November 20, 2011


Another thing to consider, and this may purely be academic snobbery, but it is what it is: Ivy Tech gen ed classes are often not equivalent because they lack academic rigor. A math class at Ivy Tech is not the same as a math class at Purdue. Same for the sciences. Ivy Tech is considered (by many) a stepping stone for those who aren't ready for a 4-year institution.
posted by bolognius maximus at 9:29 AM on November 20, 2011


Last thing: IMO, Indianapolis is a pit. I would take Bloomington over Indianapolis (and all the other 'cities' in IN) any day. It's kind of an oasis is a hellish sea of cornfields.
posted by bolognius maximus at 9:32 AM on November 20, 2011 [2 favorites]


You need to speak to an adviser at both schools IN THE DEPARTMENT you wish to major in. Don't rely on anything posted online (even at the school's web site) or a general "adviser" at either school. Department advisers have power to make things happen, and to tell you the bottom line truth about what will transfer and will not.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 9:34 AM on November 20, 2011 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: That's true, bolognius, and that's why I went to Ivy Tech. I had a lot of horrible life experience during my high school years and had a very low GPA thanks to ADHD and depression. I'm 25 now-- I had a tough time deciding what I wanted to do with my life at all. When I decided what I wanted to do with my life, I started going to Ivy Tech. I've spent the last 2 years proving my ability that I could do well in school with the intentions of transferring to a reputable university!
posted by camylanded at 9:34 AM on November 20, 2011


Is there a third option of going somewhere cheaper not in Indiana?
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 9:35 AM on November 20, 2011 [1 favorite]


Is there a third option of going somewhere cheaper not in Indiana?

$8400/year for a school as good as IU is a fine deal by US standards. I can't think of a place where non-resident tuition is that low.
posted by JPD at 9:46 AM on November 20, 2011 [1 favorite]


I want to second the notion that you really need to speak with someone from both schools in the human services or social work departments and get some kind of confirmation in writing as to what will and will not transfer. They can allow things that bend the rules or break them completely.

I went to a school during what they called "transformation" where they were trying to make all courses 4 credits instead of 3 but they were doing it gradually. By the time I was too graduate, I had fulfilled all class requirements as far as gen eds and major classes, but was 4 credits short due to some freshman / sophomore classes not being "transformed" and only being 3 credits. Luckily, I was smart and saw "transformation" for the scam it was and got my adviser to sign off on my 4 year plan every semester saying that I was on track for graduation with no extra classes and this was enough for the school to give me my degree, even though I was supposedly 4 credits short.
posted by WeekendJen at 10:27 AM on November 20, 2011


I'm an IU alum, so I'm incredibly biased here. I loved it. I'd definitely agree with the others about speaking to advisers in the department to find out for sure what will transfer, but if it comes down to the intangibles, IU all the way.
posted by SisterHavana at 11:03 AM on November 20, 2011


SuperSquirrel is right. Talk to the people in the department where you want to be. Bypass all other areas. Deal with actual people on the phone or in person in the department, and then get things in writing or email, or in an academic file.
posted by oflinkey at 11:12 AM on November 20, 2011


I'm a Purdue alum. Under no circumstances should you go to IU ;)

More seriously, if you are getting a degree in social work you probably need to be thinking Master's degree, at a minimum.

Really, if you are already in Bloomington I can't imagine why you wouldn't go to IU. It's a better school, with a better reputation, and Bloomington is a pretty good college town.
posted by COD at 11:17 AM on November 20, 2011


I have never heard anyone else say that the Indianapolis job market is harder than Bloomington's, and that is really, REALLY not my experience. Perhaps there are some few types of jobs which are readily available in Bloomington, but neither I nor anyone else I know ever found them. And I had a 3.93 on a double major when I graduated from IUB, so it's not as though that helps.

Indeed, the reason I moved to Indianapolis was that I got a job at IUPUI. Mind, I am not still *in* Indianapolis. Which is good, because it is indeed a pretty stupid town. It's not dirty or unsafe in my mind-- try Baltimore for a couple of years and your perceptions tend to change-- but it kind of is after Bloomington, and it's also really, really BORING. They call it Naptown for a reason. If ou have the luxury of staying in Bloomington, it might be worth the extra money. Cost of living is, as I recall, slightly higher in Indianapolis anyway. And Bloomington has things like The Runcible Spoon, which when you leave you will never live in the same town as again.

Yeah, I miss that place.

I don't really know about prestige for IU students. Not in Bloomington itself-- I was a townie, and we were not always charitable-- and not in the world outside of college. Some departments are known within their field to be good. We did have one of the best Slavic programs in the country. But unless it's that way in social work, I don't think IU has anything special to offer. And you'll get student discounts anywhere.

I worked in one of IUPUI's medical departments, so I do not know the area you'd be in. But it seems like a perfectly all right school. IUB is bigger, the campus is WAY prettier, and, as you know, Bloomington.

Are you planning on staying in Indiana for the foreseeable future? Then definitely stick with Bloomington. Anything else in the state will be a serious downgrade, and make staying worthless. But Indy's all right as a temporary jumping-off point. I was there for a year and a half, and with some nonsense in between (we move for my husband's work), am apparently about to move to England. And allow me once again to strongly state that unless things have changed a whoooooole lot, Indy is a *much* easier place to find a job.

Man, I could go on about this. But I kind of already have. Memail me if you have any other questions I might be able to answer. And go have a cup of coffee at the Spoon for me...
posted by Because at 3:25 PM on November 20, 2011 [1 favorite]


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