These past two weeks, the ILS department welcomed Ph.D. and master’s students who have been admitted into the department through an ILS Master’s Visit Day and Luddy Ph.D. Campus Visit. For years, Luddy has held a welcome weekend, allowing admitted Ph.Ds. a chance to visit campus, but this year was the first ILS visit day for master’s students!
The Ph.D. students had a full weekend planned February 27th to March 1st. They got a taste of the fun Bloomington has to offer with a performance from a faculty string quartet from the Jacobs School of Music, a tour of IU’s campus and the Eskenazi Museum of Art, bowling and billiards at the Indiana Memorial Union, and dinner with current students and faculty at some of Bloomington’s downtown restaurants. They also had many opportunities to learn about the Ph.D. program and explore the resources here at IU through faculty and student panels, tours of places like the R-House Robotics Lab, and research poster sessions.
The master’s student visit day on Friday, March 7th was similarly packed with both useful and fun activities. They received overviews of both Luddy’s Master of Library Science and Master of Information Science, followed by a panel from faculty in both degree programs and current master’s students from the ILS department. They enjoyed lunch with the current students and getting to hear more about the degree and life in Bloomington. Afterwards, they attended a research poster session and toured campus, including special tours of the University Archives and the Lilly Library. The day ended with a social hour focused on the many specializations that the ILS department’s master’s program offers, giving the students a full picture of what they can expect as a student here at IU Bloomington.
The department looks forward to welcoming all new Ph.D. and master’s students again in the fall!