Mapping out campus to live at and away from IU

By Isabella Vesperini isvesp@iu.edu

Iam one of the few students at IU that is an ‘outsider:’ I live at home. Approximately 15 minutes by car. When I tell people this, some say “Wow, that’s so nice,” and others re spond with ‘Oh...how is that?.’ From my experience, I can say that it is not fully horribly or fully amazing. Living at home has its perks: it is cheaper, I eat good food, do not have to deal with a potential bad roommate and I do not have to live far away from my parents. And I get to drive every day and blast music in my car.

Yet it is not always this per fect. Since I hate driving in the dark, I do not usually stay out late because I would have to drive back. I do not really go to parties or sleep over at friends’ dorms because I would always need to go back to change and get things for class. This does make it harder to meet and connect with new people, but classes and extracurriculars make up for this.

If we drive 15 minutes, we arrive on campus and can see all the different dorms and neighborhoods that most of the college population lives in. Starting on the Northwest side of campus (which I am never at), Briscoe is infamously known as a “bougie” dorm: rich people, including many from the Kelley School of Business, live there. Athletes also live in this dorm, which also hosts many parties. Located just behind it, McNutt and Foster are also known as party dorms containing many Kelley kids.

If you are in the Central Neighborhood, and live the single dorm life in Ashton, you are not always alone in your room. While it is known as the dorm people were sent to when they had COVID-19 during the pandemic, it now nurtures a profound sense of community and friendship. If you choose to leave your room, there are groups of people that hang out in living rooms in the evenings and spend hours together talking and going out on weekends.

The RA’s in the buildings are relaxed, yet the building is always warm because the air conditioning and heating do not work well. The walls are also very thin, so you can hear voices in the room next door. There is also no main commons area with a TV or rec area.

Eigenmann is like Ashton in terms of living alone, except you have a suite mate you share a bathroom with. You have more space, and it is home to IU Outdoor Adventures Club. They have a lot of outdoor equipment in the basement for those who want to spend more time outside.

Right next to Ashton is Teter and Wright. Teter is often underestimated but has its perks. It has a nice lounge where you can play video games, pool, and ping pong. It also has multiple study areas and is close to Wells Library and Wright dining hall. The SRSC is also right across the street from Teter and Wright for anyone who wants to get a quick workout in. Yet Wright is often depicted as the worst place to live in because the air conditioning is permanently set to 74 degrees, and it is not renovated.

There is also Collins, which is known as the Harry Potter dorm for how it looks. It has a castle-like structure and was renovated just last summer in 2022. A dining hall was recently added to the basement, yet it has very limited options (more limited compared to Goodbody). Overall, Collins is known for its diversity and inclusiveness.

Moving to Southeast, Forest, Read, Spruce and Wells residents have easy access to Mother Bears Pizza and Soma. There is also the Jacobs School of Music and Bloomington Bagel. Forest is the main dining hall with many options, including pasta, spice road and a burrito bar. They also have a waffle maker with an IU logo.

Forest has the Media LLC. If you are at the Media School a lot, it is recommended that people learn to use the buses so you do not have to walk a lot. The rooms are small though and the walls are thin. It tends to run warm in the fall, but it does have carpet.

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