Admissions

Be ready to jump in and work. Don't throw out all your study skills you've developed, because they will be extremely useful once the semester gets going. Don't let yourself slack off, because you'll be paying for it in semesters to come!

For all looking to go here, make sure you understand the meal plans before you choose one. Also, I advice being in a living learning community and living in the freshman dorms your first year- you will meet a lot more people and be closer to everything offered at USI. Look for scholarships early and take advantage of the Office of Financial Aid.

Choose the college which you will attend based on how you feel when you visit. I felt very welcome here, but not everyone is the same. I enjoy the trails and bike path and don't mind walking to class, but if you don't, then this might not be the college for you.

Visit campus during one of USI's Southern Hospitality Days. They give you a tour of campus including the dorms and let you meet some of the faculty. They also break you up into groups depending on what field of study you might be interested in and let those groups meet with professors and faculty who are in that area. Going to a Southern Hospitality Day really lets you get the feel of the campus and decide if it is right for you.

I would tell the in-coming students to register for classes very early because they fill up quickly. I recommend living in the dorms as a freshman. Also the weather can be brutal so bring appropriate attire.

Relax your first year. Do not fret too much. Yes, you will have to study, this will be much harder than high school. Will this actually be fun? absolutely! you are studying for something that you WANT TO DO! Remember you are going to have to do core your first two years. So if you have to change your major you should be fine. Also, choose a back up especially if you are a nursing or engineering major. Half the nursing students will drop due to frustration with CHEM 141 or BIO 121. You will struggle. Everyone does. Even the geniuses.

Consider University of Southern Indiana if you are looking for a large school curriculum in a small school environment. You are not just a number at the University of southern Indiana.

GET INVOLVED. May that be greek life, or your major. Most of my grief from my freshman year was that I was lonely and didn't have much too do. I'm not very social, but once I got involved with my major and got an on campus job, this school is really really growing on me!

Just like any other college, you get out what you put in at USI. It's easy to fall behind in classes if you aren't dedicated to your schoolwork but so long as you put forth an effort you will succeed. Coming to USI is a great opportunity to form relationships with professors and faculty because with smaller class sizes it is easy for them to know students by name. Making connections like that help to further your goals because the faculty here love working with students here to build resumes and will happily work with you on projects or write fantastic letters of recommendation so long as you make the effort to stand out from the crowd.