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Jade Zhao · Indiana University Luddy · Class of 2027 · giving back

Informatics major at Indiana University Luddy

Class of 2027 · AP credit · first-year path

From Jade Zhao at IU’s Luddy School. Official links, AP Computer Science Principles credit, and first-year tips for IU Informatics. Verify everything on live university pages. matchaxmoxie is on archive pause for senior year. This page is giving back while I finish school. ELI5 it. Learn the official page. One slow step.

Start here · official first

Open the live Luddy bulletin and your degree map before my tip sheet. Advising beats a blog post (including this one).

Luddy bulletin · BS Informatics Degree & major requirements

Also: full official links · AP exam credit · Overseas Study · interactive checklist on your path.

What is Informatics?

Informatics is a major about people, information, and technology together: how systems get built, used, and lived with...not only how to write code. At IU Luddy, the Informatics major pairs computing with a cognate (a second focus area) and paths through design, data, infrastructure, and human-computer interaction.

Who this page is for

High school seniors choosing a major, and early college students starting IU Informatics (including kids still in AP Computer Science Principles). I took AP CSP as a high school freshman. Never too early. I love IU, and this is me passing notes forward.

Curious about an informatics major at Indiana University / Luddy
Comparing informatics vs computer science before you commit
Looking up AP Computer Science Principles credit at IU
Wanting a plain-language first-year path, not a slogan brochure

Informatics vs computer science at IU Luddy

Short version from a student still in it: computer science leans deeper into algorithms and software systems; Informatics keeps computing in the room with people, design, and another field (your cognate). Both live in Luddy. Both can include coding. They are not the same degree.

Read the live bulletin before you decide...not a tip sheet: Bachelor of Science in Informatics · Academic Bulletin (current). Ask Luddy advising how sequences differ for your goals.

Advice funnel · do these in order

A funnel is just a short path: start at the top, take one step at a time. Same map as the classroom · student path checklist.

Why this order: AP curiosity first, then live IU pages, then Year ’23 archive, then the four-year peek, optional Scratch, then careers. Official sources before student vibes. Slow progress still counts.

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Start here · AP & never too early Try AP CSP (Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles) if you can. I took it as a high school freshman. Never too early. Jump to AP & AP CSP notes on this page.
Official IU links · live pages win Luddy bulletin, AP credit, Registrar FA26 to FA27 (Fall 2026 to Fall 2027), First Year Experience (FYE = first-year orientation and support hub), and mental health link-out. Official links list.
Campus survival · Year ’23 Archival · Year ’23 (2023) Not FA26 to FA27 tip sheets. Verify live IU pages. Campus survival archive · summary on this page.
Four-year Informatics path Course names + terms: Informatics freshman year · Informatics sophomore · HCI · Informatics junior · Madrid · Informatics senior year. Jump to year-by-year path.
Scratch studio · matchaxmoxie (optional craft) Scratch studio · Instagram @zhao.langxi.
Informatics careers Already lower on this page: what can you do with Informatics.

IU New Student Orientation slide Schedule Updates over a Sample Gates campus photo — IU orientation · Year '23 archive. Prefer live Registrar dates for FA26 to FA27.

Luddy School orientation slide: Relevant AP Scores table for Calculus, Computer Science, and English Language credit mappings — Luddy orientation: relevant AP scores map to IU courses. Always verify the live admissions table.

Official IU Informatics & Luddy links

These are live university pages. Prefer them over any student tip sheet (including mine) when you plan courses, cognates (your secondary focus area), or credit.

BS Informatics bulletin Degree map / requirements

Informatics courses · Academic Bulletin (current)
Web Design and Development Cognate · Academic Bulletin (current)
Advanced Placement Exam Credit · Freshman applicants · IU Admissions (current)
First Year Experience (FYE) · Student Life (current). Orientation hub on one.iu.edu.
Orientation to-do checklist · IU First Year Experience / Orientation portal (login). Official IU tasks, not a personal Doc.
IU Overseas Study · live study-abroad hub (see also junior · Madrid)
Jade's Checklist · packing · first-party on this site · Archival · Year '23 (2023)
Find resources: Student Mental Health · iu.edu (current)
IU Bloomington official academic calendar · Registrar · FA26 to FA27 (Fall 2026 to Fall 2027) source of truth

Archival · Year '22 / '23 bulletin snapshots (not for current planning): BS Informatics 2022 to 2023 · Luddy requirements 2022 to 2023. Your degree rules follow the bulletin year you entered IU. Ask advising. Prefer the Registrar + current bulletin above.

Year-by-year Informatics path · Class of 2027

One student path at IU Luddy: course titles and terms only. Not a planner. Your bulletin year and advising win.

Informatics freshman year (2023 to 2024) · foundations, programming, interaction design, ServeIT start
Informatics sophomore year (2024 to 2025) · human-computer interaction undergrad depth, business cognate, ServeIT
Informatics junior year (2025 to 2026) · independent study, ServeIT, Spring Madrid
Informatics senior year (2026 to 2027 planned) · ServeIT Capstone, ethics, infrastructure, May 2027

AP Computer Science Principles credit at IU

I sat AP Computer Science Principles (AP CSP) as a high school freshman. If you are curious about code and systems now, start now. You do not need to wait until senior year of high school. Build tiny projects you can ELI5 in plain language. If you can’t explain it, you’re not done yet. That habit beats hoarding certificates.

Official AP exam credit at IU Bloomington (always verify current table): bloomington.iu.edu · AP exam credit.

IU Bloomington AP Computer Science credit snapshot for planning · verify the live Admissions table before you count on it.
AP exam	Score	IU credit (typical)
Computer Science Principles (AP CSP / “Computer Science P”)	3, 4, or 5	`CSCI-C 102` (3 cr)
Computer Science A	3	`CSCI-C 102` (3 cr)
Computer Science A	4 or 5	`CSCI-C 200` (4 cr)

Send official scores from the testing agency to IU Admissions. Your counselor can help map credit to your intended major. Credit tables can change, so read the live page.

Orientation & First Year Experience (FYE)

Show up prepared. Know where advising lives. Bring questions about first-semester load, AP credit, and how Informatics sequences with GenEd (general education requirements). Orientation is not a tour for Instagram. It is where you lock a schedule you can survive.

Bloomington orientation hub: one.iu.edu · Orientation Bloomington. First Year Experience: studentlife.indiana.edu · FYE. Orientation task list (login): FYE to-do checklist.

IU New Student Orientation slide: typical first-semester schedule totaling about 14 to 16 credit hours — Typical first semester is often about 14 to 16 credits (4 to 5 classes). Confirm financial-aid minimums.

Luddy Informatics Sample Fall Schedule slide listing English Composition, Finite Math, INFO-I 101, LLLC-Y 101, and electives — Informatics sample fall schedule from Luddy orientation. Your advisor may build a different mix.

IU Academic Transition orientation slide over Sample Gates listing high school versus college workload, asking for help, and self-motivation — Academic transition · the Year ’23 orientation framing for the leap into college work.

Mental health resources

College is a lot. IU publishes official student mental health resources. Use them. I am linking out only. I am not giving medical or counseling advice.

iu.edu · Find mental health resources

IU Luddy Informatics courses · practical notes

Notes from someone still in it, not a copy of the Reddit thread. That post (thanks again, Let's break down the classes in Informatics) showed me what passing notes forward looks like for Luddy students.

Core path · Expect a ladder through intro, math foundations, social informatics, infrastructure (Python), human-computer interaction (HCI), and information representation. Prerequisites matter. Ask advising before you skip around.
Office hours · Go early on group project courses. Do not be the teammate who disappears. Professors remember curiosity more than panic emails at midnight.
Design vs. code · Some courses feel creative and project-heavy. Some feel like systems and databases. Both count. Follow what you can sustain for a whole semester.
Cognate / minor · Informatics pairs tech with another field. Pick something you will actually use. Business, media, security tracks, and more exist. Confirm current options in the bulletin.
Capstone & topics · Save bandwidth for later. Topic courses and capstone vary a lot by semester. Leave yourself room to do good work, not just check boxes.

For official requirements, use the Luddy bulletin and your advisor, not a blog post (including this one). Community threads age. Policies update.

IU Study Abroad at IU slide with programme counts and national rankings number 6 overall and number 2 for semester programmes — If study abroad is on your radar, passport and app timelines start earlier than you think. See also junior · Madrid.

IU Planning Ahead study abroad timeline for Spring Summer and Fall application and scholarship windows — Planning Ahead timeline from orientation. Confirm live dates on IU Overseas Study.

IU Opportunities at IU orientation slide listing majors, languages, and over 300 study abroad programmes — Opportunities at IU · study abroad called out early.

Closer crop of the Opportunities at IU slide highlighting over 300 study abroad programmes in more than 60 countries — Same deck · study abroad line in focus.

Practical advice for Informatics majors

Talk to Luddy advising early about first-year load and AP placement.
Join a student org or peer mentoring space once you land. Showing up beats lurking forever.
Build something small you can explain in plain language.
When you have notes that helped you, pass them on. That is the whole point of this page.

Campus survival · Year '23 archive

Archival · Year '23 (2023)

Student-life notes live first-party here. Visitors, dorms, packing checklist, welcome week, bucket list, outfits, coffee, and Q&A. Archival · Year '23 (2023) · not FA26 to FA27 tip sheets. Verify hall rules and dates on official IU pages. School Instagram: @zhao.langxi.

Campus survival · Year '23 · full archive with dated banner.
Packing · Welcome Week · dorms · coffee · bucket list · Q&A
IU Bloomington official academic calendar · Registrar · current FA26 to FA27 source of truth for deadlines.

What can you do with Informatics · careers

Orientation decks already on this site. Career Development Center tips plus Luddy career offices. Informatics careers often sit where people, systems, and a cognate meet...design, product, nonprofit tech, research support, and more. Your path will look different; start with advising and FYE.

IU orientation slide Career Development Process Step 1 Learn About Yourself with values interests personality and skills — Career development · learn about yourself first.

IU Career Development Process Step 2 Explore Your Options slide listing networking informational interviews and job shadowing — Step 2 · explore options (CDC).

Career progress · networking, brand, and ships.

IU Career Offices diagram showing the Career Development Center hub and school career offices including Luddy — Career offices map · Luddy has its own services.

IU orientation Sprint Sessions printed schedule including Overseas Study Dining and Academic Tutorial Services — Sprint sessions print · Overseas Study included.

Luddy orientation slide listing Informatics cybersecurity and Intelligent Systems Engineering academic advisors with contact emails — INFO advising snapshot · Year ’23. Verify names on the live Luddy advising site.

Luddy orientation slide listing Computer Science and Data Science academic advisors with contact emails — CS / Data Science advising snapshot · confirm live contacts.

IU orientation slide Establish a routine showing a handwritten EZ Pour design process notebook page as an example of building study habits — Establish a routine · orientation nudge to build habits early.

IU Parent and Family Advice orientation slide listing open communication campus resources FERPA and partnership with IUB — Parent and family advice slide · useful if your people are coming to orientation too.

classroom home Informatics freshman year campus survival · Year ’23 archive Scratch studio jadexzhao portfolio @zhao.langxi