Iowa State University Top Questions

Adusting to dorm life was a frustrating event in my transition to college. All of my life I have spent my evenings in my own room, so sharing a space with someone else was a big change. I learned to appreciate all the things that I once took for granted. For example, I was no longer able to turn the lights on when I woke up because my roommate was sleeping. Living with a roommate has taught me how to compromise and learn to live with someone who is very different from myself.

A frustrating part of my school is that not every one who is at Iowa State University is here to learn. Many people are here to party, have fun, and get drunk. Sometimes, especially in the dorms, this gets in the way of my own studying. But luckily it is very easy to get away from most distractions as there are plenty of other places to study besides the dorms.

The most frustrating thing about Iowa State (aside from the ridiculous cost of an education nowadays) is the quality of teaching in some of the classes. Most of the professors are very focused on research (depending on the field of study) and outsource a lot of work to TAs. TAs are a crapshoot when it comes to quality.

As a transfer student I feel it has been hard to make friends at this campus, and also the professors are so enthusiastic but at the same time not well organized/not very helpful.

The most frustrating thing about my school is having large lectures and not being able to see the boards. The teachers try and accommodate for the amount of students but it isn't always easy. I would personally like to see the teachers use microphones so that all the students can hear. I would also like to see the teachers utilize the space they have in the front of the classroom for more visuals that can be used throughout the lecture.

To me, Iowa State has nothing frustrating about it.

That Seasons Marketplace is not open 24/7.

One of the most frustrating things about Iowa State University is that there are alot of things to do. There is over 800+ clubs to join, and many other activities to try out. I would like to try them all, but the overwelming number of organization looking for members makes me only choose a the few that would help me in the future. If there a chance to try new things without joining a club, then that would be great.

The one thing that I find the most frustrating is the residence hall I was assigned to. While a dorm without air conditioning costs less and doesn't seem like a big deal, on hundred-degree days and eighty-degree nights, I have wished that I hadn't been afraid of the extra $300 a year and had requested an air conditioned building.

Our campus is large and spread out causing a lot of confusion, getting lost, and long walks to and from class especially for some dorms. However, this is countered by the fact the campus has many open green spaces which make it beautiful.

The most frustrating thing about college, is time, mostly. It all revolves around it, sometimes you get a lot of projects and exams for a specific day or week and your time is unaccountable. Some days you just have to have a jar of coffee and stay up all night finishing a project or memorizing things for a test. However, as I always say, It's all worth it when you put that much effort into classes and see great results after.

Adjusting to the class sizes, they were larger than what I had expected.

They promised more financial aid and now I am not getting any. I am from Wisconsin and Iowa State has both of my majors and minors I want, but they are very expensive for me which is taking a toll on my family.

The most frustrating thing about Iowa State centers around residence halls. Dorms are often overcrowded, and you'll be lucky if the common areas (like the floor den) hasn't been taken up by extra students the school couldn't find room for. In addition, in the dorm I lived in, there was no common kitchen, so any dishes that had to be washed were done in the bathroom sinks, and even quick meals were difficult to make.

As an out of state/out of the midwest student, it was exteremely intimidating in the beginning as a freshman. Most students are from in- state and at least knew people from high school, and many had their good friends from high school as well. I found it difficult to make friends when I first arrived at college.

getting to meet everyone

The most frustrating thing about this school is probably the fact that it is expensive to live on campus.

The most frustrating thing about Iowa State would be how far apart some of the classes can be your freshman year even if they are all engineering courses. There were some days I would have to walk across campus three times within five hours to get to all my classes.

The most frustrating thing about my school is that no every instructor uses the online database to post grades. I have had quite a few instructors that do not post grades anywhere online and it can be frustrating to not know where I stand in the class and I have to go out of my way to talk to them every time I want to find out.

The most frustrating things about Iowa State University is the low levels of personability from the non-academic staff. Professors and Teaching Assistants generally make an effort to connect to students on a personal level, if the student chooses to seize the opportunity. The rest of the staff seems to treat students as "another face". The exceptions are to students that the staff member already personally knows. Most non-academic employees (which include financial aid staff), are Iowa natives and tend to give preference to other Iowans