Butler University (BU)

Centrally located in the heart of Indianapolis, Butler University combines city living with a personalized academic experience. Offering "a large mix of majors and minors," the university does a "great job at providing connections and opportunities from undergraduate research...to outstanding internships." Butler's academic excellence can also be seen in programs like Dance, Pharmacy, and Business that are "extremely well done and nationally known." Across departments, many enrollees agree that the school "goes above and beyond to promote an outstanding environment of learning and growing for its students." Undergrads tout the benefits of small classes and a low student-to-faculty ratio, which "create[s] the perfect atmosphere to get one-on-one time with professors" and "develop a greater understanding of the material."

The hands-on educational experience is made more valuable by the "high quality of academic faculty," especially those who "are passionate and have a genuine interest in students' learning." As one enrollee notes, "Professors at Butler care about who you are as a person, not just [as] a student." The "attentive and engaging" faculty "make learning fun" while also being ever-ready to "help a student out and give them support both academically and personally. With "ample opportunity to work with the professors and get great experience for grad school," many enrollees find that the university provides a "high level of education" that they were looking for.

"Butler's student population continues to emit Hoosier Hospitality. If any student is ever in need of help, they always have someone to go to." The majority of students agree, describing the university as a "very tight knit community," with one person expressing, "Butler students are very friendly," and "[it's] easier to find a kind student at Butler than an unkind one." In terms of diversity, while some find the student body to be "overwhelming majority white," others feel that "Butler is making an effort to [create] an inclusive and diverse environment." As one student puts it, "Although there are many different political beliefs and divides, my peers all come together to celebrate our school and our community." At Butler, "everyone does a great job of making sure people fit in." That's in large part due to what respondents describe as "Hoosier Hospitality," in that "if any student is ever in need of help, they always have someone to go to."

Many students, affectionately known as Bulldogs, consider Butler's 300-acre campus to be "very beautiful, which makes it enjoyable to be outside when the weather is nice." A variety of extracurricular options, including "hundreds of clubs as well as Greek life [helps] keep the whole campus united." In fact, Greek life tops the charts as a "fun way to meet new people and get one's mind off school." Bulldogs also "enjoy participating in intramural sports" and mention that "it's a huge part of Butler culture to attend basketball games." In addition to all of the campus activities, undergrads are all involved with the local community via the university's unique "'Indianapolis Community Requirement' that has students take one class connecting them with the Indianapolis area and often centers around community service." One undergrad sums it up nicely, saying, "everyone is involved in something,"

At Butler, you get the best of both worlds with "great access to a big city while still being far away enough to not be fully encompassed by [it]." Students agree that "Indianapolis itself is very cool to explore," and specifically note enjoying the nice restaurants and gardens, as well as "going to Broad Ripple (a small trendy area of town)." Additionally, "downtown Indy and the river walk are also very common spots on the weekends for students to go and hangout at or visit." As one student puts it, "being so close to Indy gives you a lot of opportunities for fun."