Q&A: What’s it Like to Commute to Butler?
If you’re thinking about applying to Butler as a commuter, know that you are not alone. Any student who lives with parents or guardians within 30 miles of campus is eligible to commute. So, is commuting right for you?
We chatted with Marissa Klingler, a junior Arts Administration major who drives to campus from her family home in the Indianapolis area, to learn more.
Why did you choose Butler?
It was my dream school. I loved the small class sizes—I do really well with that kind of close-knit interaction. It was also close to home, so it checked all my boxes.
Why did you decide to commute?
I personally struggled with the decision to commute because I wanted to be close to my family, but I didn’t want to be alienated by not living at school. But commuting doesn’t have to inhibit your college experience in any way.
My main reason for commuting is that it saves money. And I figured if I didn’t go home right after class—if I still spent time on campus by getting jobs or joining clubs—it would feel the same as if I lived there.
Commuting has allowed me to stay home, sleep in my own bed, see my pets and family every day, and not pay for a meal plan. But I’m still going to my top-choice school and having a full experience.
What does your day-to-day schedule look like?
My commute is about 15 minutes. I try to schedule my classes for later in the morning because I’m not really an early riser, and you never know what traffic or weather will be like.
When I have gaps between classes, I don’t go home: staying on campus helps me feel more connected. I work shifts at the Clowes Hall box office and tutor students in the Writers’ Studio. When I have extra time, I study at Irwin Library or have coffee with friends at Starbucks.
What advice would you give to new students who are thinking about commuting?
Don’t go straight home after class. I know the temptation is there, especially if you only have one or two classes that day. But do your best to stay on campus and find a few comfortable places to spend your time. And don’t overwhelm yourself, but find a community to join.
Don’t think of commuting as a limitation or restriction: I think I spend more time at school than I do at home.
Applying as a commuter:
If you want to apply to Butler as a commuter, first apply using the Butler application or the Common App. After receiving your admission decision, you should fill out the "Commuter Request" form in the housing application. You can also contact your admission counselor if you have more questions about applying or commuting to Butler.
Q&A: What’s it Like to Commute to Butler?
Junior Marissa Klingler shares her experience of commuting to Butler
Butler Adopts Test-Optional Admission Policy
PUBLISHED ON Apr 15 2020
INDIANAPOLIS—In a commitment to provide support and improve access for prospective students during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, Butler University will no longer require applicants to submit standardized test scores. This applies to high school seniors in the Class of 2021, as well as to all incoming classes thereafter.
Beginning with first-year and transfer undergraduate applicants for the fall 2021 semester, the Butler Office of Admission will not require ACT and/or SAT scores for admission to the University. Some graduate programs will also waive requirements for GMAT and/or GRE scores. This change reflects Butler’s commitment to a holistic admission review process, offering flexibility as test-taking opportunities are canceled and future testing dates remain uncertain.
Applicants who still prefer to provide their test scores will be able to do so, and those scores will be considered alongside other application materials. Select undergraduate programs may still require or encourage the submission of test scores.
“As admission officers, we are very aware that the college application process may be stressful in any given year,” says Lori Greene, Butler’s Vice President for Enrollment Management. “Add the complexity of the COVID-19 crisis, and that process can be simply overwhelming. Our goal is to provide some clarity and reassurance to prospective students who are interested in the Butler experience, so they don’t need to worry about when and/or if standardized tests will be offered.”
More details about this change to the application process will be communicated to prospective students in the coming weeks through the Butler admission website. Students are encouraged to contact their admission counselors at any time to receive personalized support. Counselor information can be found here.
Butler’s test-optional admission policy will go into effect starting with the August 1, 2020, application opening for the 2021-2022 academic year and remain in effect for future admission cycles.
Media Contact:
Katie Grieze
News Content Manager
kgrieze@butler.edu
260-307-3403
Butler Adopts Test-Optional Admission Policy
Beginning with the fall 2021 incoming class, Butler will no longer require standardized test scores on applications
Beginning with the fall 2021 incoming class, Butler will no longer require standardized test scores on applications
Butler Welcomes Third-Largest Class Ever Despite COVID-19 Challenges
PUBLISHED ON Aug 24 2020
INDIANAPOLIS—Despite a year of unexpected challenges in the college admissions world, Butler University is welcoming its third-largest class ever, with 1,128 first-year students planning to begin classes on August 24.
Butler has continued to experience a surge in interest and enrollment over the last five years. Last year’s Class of 2023 was previously the third-largest, topped by this new incoming group of students. The Class of 2022, now juniors, is the largest in the University’s history.
The Class of 2024 has been through a lot over the past six months. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many of them to finish high school online, cancel graduation celebrations, and navigate changes to AP and IB exams. These students are also starting their college experiences in a way that likely looks different from what they ever pictured, with the first two weeks of the semester occurring remotely. But even as they log on for their first day of classes, they are excited to be Bulldogs.
“I ultimately chose Butler because I got that ‘home’ feeling when thinking about the University,” says Marissa Flannery, an incoming student who had initially planned to attend college closer to her hometown of Fairport, New York. “I know there are people here who truly care about students and want success for all of us.”
Flannery says Butler’s relatively small size was a big factor in her decision, but not just for safety reasons during the course of the pandemic.
“You can’t walk into Butler and feel like a little fish in the ocean, or feel like there’s no one to notice if you need help with something,” she says. “The sense of community and family is undeniable, and that is my absolute favorite part of Butler.”
Flannery had the chance to visit campus multiple times before making her choice. While that wasn’t the case for some other prospective students, Vice President for Enrollment Management Lori Greene applauds the adaptability of Butler staff who adjusted quickly to a virtual environment.
“Butler already offered a virtual campus tour option,” Greene says, “so we were able to build upon that foundation by adding virtual counselor meetings and events for both individuals and groups. Our enrollment team, both the admission and financial aid staff members, worked diligently to meet the needs of prospective students by focusing on creative solutions for outreach and active follow up. Our biggest concern was working to provide support at a time of great uncertainty.”
Faculty members at Butler have also committed themselves to providing extra support for this group of new students. As the pandemic continued to surge in mid-May, the University announced it would offer a free online class to help incoming students learn about and reflect on the widespread impacts of the COVID-19 crisis. The one-credit-hour summer course was taught by a team of 14 faculty members from across the University, with more than 250 incoming students enrolled.
“We wanted to show our incoming students how current Butler students, faculty, and staff have really rallied to make the best of a very difficult situation,” says Anne Wilson, Professor of Chemistry and faculty lead for the online class. “This course offered an opportunity for incoming students to learn more about the Butler community while reflecting on what they have learned about their own adaptability and resilience.”
Many traditionally on-campus enrollment activities moved to virtual delivery this year. All incoming students completed course registration virtually this spring, and more than 130 students attended a virtual admitted student visit.
Despite the pressure of adjusting to a global pandemic, this incoming class is as academically strong as ever. The Class of 2024 includes 41 high school valedictorians, 23 Lilly Scholars, and 40 21st Century Scholars. Nearly 18 percent of the students graduated in the top 10 percent of their classes. The average high school GPA of the class is 3.92, one of the strongest in recent admission cycles. In addition, Butler will also welcome 66 transfer students.
The most popular majors among the incoming class include Exploratory Studies, Pre-Pharmacy, Exploratory Business, Biology, and Health Sciences.
Butler’s upward trend in out-of-state growth continues with this class. Incoming students represent 37 states and 13 countries, including Australia, Mexico, and South Korea. Out-of-state students make up 57 percent of the class, with significant populations from Illinois and the Chicagoland area, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Enrollment also increased in California, Texas, and Maryland.
One incoming Maryland student, Anisa Cobb, says she chose Butler for its nationally renowned Dance program. The Morton-Finney Scholar is also looking forward to exploring a wide variety of academic options.
“The great thing about Butler is that there are so many options that it’s possible to be involved in so many different things,” Cobb says.
Another out-of-state first-year student, Ashton Franklin, says he was drawn to Butler’s welcoming atmosphere. The Michigan native plans to major in Strategic Communication: Public Relations and Advertising, using what he learns to help others tell their stories.
“I really believe that the world can become a brighter place if we all try to understand one another,” Franklin says. “And by the time I graduate, I’m confident that I’ll be the very best version of myself because of the opportunities that Butler has given to me.”
Media Contact:
Katie Grieze
News Content Manager
kgrieze@butler.edu
260-307-3403
Butler Welcomes Third-Largest Class Ever Despite COVID-19 Challenges
More than 1,125 first-year students plan to log on for their first day of classes on August 24
More than 1,125 first-year students plan to log on for their first day of classes on August 24
'The Mall' Lets First-Year Students Publish
PUBLISHED ON Mar 22 2018
First-year class president Elizabeth Bishop is a Marketing and Strategic Communications double-major who has always had a passion for writing.
So when Jim Keating, the instructor in her First-Year Seminar (FYS) course Utopian Experience, and some of her friends encouraged her to submit her writing to The Mall, she said she would.
The Mall is a journal dedicated to showcasing exemplary FYS work. First-year students can submit a piece of literary analysis and criticism, a creative writing piece, or a personal essay. Bishop said she will be submitting an analysis of alienation in literature and why it is so common among characters.
"I'm so excited to have the opportunity to have my work published in The Mall," Bishop said. "I've really enjoyed my FYS and I feel as though it has definitely helped me develop as a writer. I think it's wonderful that Butler is giving us this opportunity and I'm highly anticipating reading everyone's entries!”
The Mall, now in its fifth year, was created by Adjunct Professor Nicholas Reading, with a push from English Professor Susan Neville.
"She sparked the idea of publishing student’s work, and just needed someone to take initiative and do it,” Reading said.
He said students are not required to have a certain grade on their work to submit. It is also possible to submit multiple papers, and in some cases, be published twice.
The most recent edition of The Mall was 201 pages, with all different kinds of pieces submitted by students. In all, 34 papers were published.
Reading said The Mall serves three primary goals:
-To present to the Butler community the FYS program and increase awareness about the program and the work that is produced in FYS courses.
-To build an FYS learning resource for instructors so that they will have the opportunity to use published essays as learning tools in the classrooms and to provide models of exemplary FYS writing to new students.
-To empower first-year students and give their voices and opinions a forum to be heard.
The Mall is edited by FYS students. Throughout the process, students exercise the peer-review and collaborative learning skills practiced in their FYS courses. Similarly, the journal provides a forum for students to be published and have an opportunity to showcase their work.
“Our purpose is to empower students in their writing," Reading said. "That is the end goal. To understand that the written word will always be an integral and indispensable facet of our existence. To understand that as writers, we have the opportunity to participate in larger discussions that work to elevate us all. To own that voice, and use it passionately and responsibly, can be an exhilarating feeling. And we try to showcase the results of that journey.”
Goals of FYS
- To reflect on significant questions about yourself, your community, and your world.
- To develop the capacity to read and think critically.
- To develop the capacity to write clear and persuasive expository and argumentative essays with an emphasis on thesis formation and development.
- To gain an understanding of basic principles of oral communication as they apply to classroom discussion.
- To understand the liberal arts as a vital and evolving tradition and to see yourself as agents within that tradition.
- To develop capacities for careful and open reflection on questions of values and norms.
- To develop the ability to carry out research for the purpose of inquiry and to support claims.
'The Mall' Lets First-Year Students Publish
The journal is dedicated to showcasing exemplary FYS work.
The journal is dedicated to showcasing exemplary FYS work.