Colleges of the Year: Indiana University

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What matters most, many freshmen say, is knowing that someone cares about them. For sophomore Patrick Dumas, from West Lafayette, Ind., the university inspired a "terror about getting lost" in the high-powered machinery. But early, close contact with his seminar professor, who met with him regularly for meals, made other professors less intimidating. Dumas now serves as a supreme court justice in the student government and enjoys mentoring freshmen.

For minority students, who constitute 8% of the student body, getting early support is especially important. "A girl on my floor last year said she didn't like black people or fat people," says Cherie Wardell, an African-American senior from Indianapolis, who is able to laugh at the memory. Wardell has for the past two summers been a resident assistant in a program called Groups--open to all classes but focused on first-year students--that offers a summer course and financial and academic support throughout the year for 300 low-income and first-generation freshmen. Wardell discovered that with a "family" of people who had been through similar experiences, she could feel more comfortable at the university.

Joaquin Jara, a sophomore sports-marketing major from Whiting, Ind., is part of the first generation in his family to attend college and says his parents at first discouraged him from enrolling. He says the Groups program inspired him to persevere. His three younger siblings now e-mail him daily, proudly recounting what they're learning in school. They all plan to attend college.

The university's freshman efforts are well targeted but sometimes confusing. "We could use a little more work on getting freshmen to know all their options," concedes Michael Wilkerson, coordinator of academic affairs. "It's not always easy, but it's a challenge we're constantly working on."

Yet for all the patchwork quality, I.U.'s efforts on behalf of its freshmen are creating something valuable: small communities that effectively humanize the gargantuan institution. Says summer-programs director Paulin: "It's a lot of fun every year to watch the freshmen arrive, all nervous and excited, and have a hand in getting them on their way."

--With reporting by Matt Baron/Bloomington