Iowa State University Top Questions

The biggest thing to know about Iowa State is the opportunities. There is nothing you can't do here. Whether it's music, sports, greek stuff, windsurfing, politics, drinking, juggling...whatever you're into, there's a club, an event, or something for you. There are so many opportunities and so much stuff going on all the time that it can be a little daunting sorting through it all to find what's for you. The best advice is to take your time and figure out what you want out of your time in college, because whatever it is, you can find it here. Iowa State is the most student-run college I know of. The festivals, parties, parades, and everything else are all put on by students. There are real leadership opportunities everywhere you look. Iowa State also has an absolutely beautiful campus. It's kind of cold and windy in the winter, but the people here don't let that keep them from having fun or getting outside. The leaves in the fall and the flowers in the spring make the winter well worth it.

Iowa state gives people a chance. I was not a high-achieving, studious student in high school and did not do well upon taking beginning, liberal arts' classes at a community college; I struggled. The high school I attended in Silverton, Oregon was and is state-rated as being "satisfactory" and did not prepare me for college. Upon graduation from high school, I probably had an equivalent of an eighth-grade education. Overall, I bombed my S.A.T.'s, even though I have a high I.Q., and the S.A.T. predictors determined I would not be a college candidate. Iowa State accepted me, for a semester, on terms that I had to perform well. I decided to transfer there because my husband was an engineering major and was impressed with the programs, quality and preparation of courses. In fact, he decided to attend I.S.U. over all other universities because the engineering program was rated in the top 5, nation-wide, based on graduation rates and around a 95{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} success-rate of graduates passing E.I.T. exams. I heard great things about the education in Iowa, too. The state is usually ranked in the top ten, and that was important to me considering I was entering the education field. My first semester, I entered as a sophomore and took twelve, liberal classes required for my major. I was amazed at the quality of professors and courses. The school and staff are open-minded, considerate, respectful, helpful and supportive. Staff is full of people with outstanding credentials and diversity. The professors are reasonable, educated and concise. I ended up earning over a 3.5 G.P.A. that semester and was embraced by the university. Every following semester, I made it on the Dean's List primarily based on perseverance and the quality of the professors. There are other education programs in the Mid-west that get high ratings, but continously we had professors from some of those higher-rated programs, and they would say that they were most impressed working for I.S.U., working with the students and the superb quality of work produced by education majors vs. other universities they had worked. Their overall statements were that I.S.U. offered among the best preparation for future teachers, and we had recruiters from all over the country wanting I.S.U. educators. After graduating with honors, we moved to California. I worked as an elementary teacher and quickly was advanced to leadership roles and responsibilities. I felt so prepared to be a teacher and was highly respected by my colleagues. My colleagues could not believe, with a four-year educational degree, at how well-prepared and knowledgeable I was considering I was I newer teacher, and my background knowledge and pedagogy clearly stood out. Since I.S.U., I have attended three other universities to obtain other credentials (e.g., Chico State, Simpson University and University of Oregon). Needless-to-say, I have comparisons. Iowa state was the best university I attended out of all four and is stellar! I appreciated the humbled nature of staff and students with the combination of determination, intelligence and research. I am very thankful and grateful I.S.U. gave me a chance, and the affordable, well-rounded education has paid itself off. My husband is now a top-rated, professional engineer in Oregon, and I have been successful as a teacher and leader with my students achieving higher-state-test scores than other teachers in the same schools, districts and states I worked in.

I love all the activities and groups at Iowa State. As an incoming freshman last year, I was intimidated to go to a lot of things by myself. Finally, I just went to a couple of things by myself and ended up meeting a lot of great people with the same interests as me. Iowa State is a larger university, but once you get some closer friends and get to know some of the people in your classes (a lot of people are in more than one of your classes) it doesn't seem so big and scary anymore, especially once you get used to your schedule and classes. I probably spend the majority of my time on campus, walking around campus. That is because i chose to live my first year off campus! I think that living on campus would have been a better choice so i would have gotten more involved my first year. The biggest controversy on our campus this year was definitely VEISHEA!!!! Every year there is always big name bands that perform and in the past they have always been free. VEISHEA in 2006 and 2007 were some of the best concerts i have been to. All these concerts were free, and open to the public, students, and administration. This year the commitee decided to allow only students and administration into the concerts by buying wristbands on top of it. You could only buy one wristband for yourself (no friends, no family). The biggest down fall yet is that they were only going to sell 7,000 wristbands. Iowa State's student population alone is 25,000 people! IDIOTS. Anyway.... The biggest problem i came into was that some of my teachers couldn't teach and wouldn't teach the subject matter-- only watch videos, etc. There isn't one particular experience that would be my favorite. I just absolutely LOVE walking around campus each day, its so beautiful here!

The best thing about Iowa State is the large amount of opportunity to be involved. There is a club for everything, an intramural sport for anyone, & if you just keep an open mind, there is ALWAYS stuff going on in central campus. The school was perfect size for me because I come from Des Moines and went to a large high school. I liked being able to know a lot of different people with a lot of different backgrounds. There is, of course, a ton of school pride. Don't wear hawk clothing on campus--BAD IDEA! GO CLONES!

The school really gives a rewarding feeling to college. Your surrounded by an enviornment that talyored to you as a college student. The university accommodates just about everything one would ever need. Beyond that the campus itself is beautiful. There is most certainly a place on campus that would inspire anyone. The most important part of the college though is the people that run it. Everyone associated with you and your college experience are geared to towards your future and reaping all the benefits of the college possible.

Iowa State is the perfect campus size. The campus is beautiful and all the academic buildings are clustered enough, yet spread across a wide open campus.

Iowa State within itself is a wonderful college! With around 26,000 students attending it feels as if the size is just right. No one is lost among the mass amount of students and everyone is very friendly. That is one of the reason I chose to attend Iowa State, the people are friendly and wiling to help you out if you're lost. The campus is beautiful and I love walking through central campus. Iowa State is also in enriched with the many traditions such as the Zodiac, "Campaniling", the Beardshear run, VEISHEA, and much more! There is always something to do whether it's studying at the library, going to the cafe, sitting on central campus, being involved with the many clubs here, or just hanging out with friends. Of course, everyone has much school pride and there isn't a day where you don't see an Iowa State shirt. The athletic events are also fun and you can even become a part of Cyclone Alley. The academics are also amazing. Professors are willing to help you out because they want you to succeed, there's a tutoring program, and so many more academic programs to help you in college. For example, there are Supplemental Instruction classes that you can attend, academic workshops, and your college's work places. I'm proud to be a Cyclone and have the most dominant mascot in the country!

ISU has some great traditions. We have a bell tower on campus called the Campanille which chimes every 15 mins and plays a concert at noon. This provides a cool atmosphere. We are also known for our swans lancelot and elaine who patrol the local pond, and are not afraid of the students. While we do have a campus town of sorts it is mostly comprised of bars, a few fast food places, tatoo and piercing parlors and one small movie theater. It could be a bit bigger. Our big rival is the University of Iowa and we are in the big 12 conference. Our football team is not the best and I personally would like to see some of the money spent on other male athletics to bring back men's swimming and baseball. Women's athletics are pretty good. I also would like to see the music department be able to hold their concerts on campus at the lovely CY Stevens auditorium, but the university over charges its own music dept for the use and they can not afford it and have to play at the city auditorium accross town (bummer). It really is a great school though with tons of clubs and opportunities. We have a great outdoor recreation program and recreation services department. Our central campus is gorgeous and was designed by the same people as central park in NY. We have a great student festival called Veisha in the Spring.

Most people here are very polite: opening doors and saying hello. I would say there is a lot of school pride. Especially at football games-the energy of the fans is amazing, even when we are losing.

I enjoy many things about Iowa State- the people, the classes, the teachers, the students, the Greek Community. As of now, I'm not a big fan of the tuition spike that will be occurring next semester as well as the extreme Rec Renovation and the fact that we have to pay so much more money over the next few years.