University of Iowa Top Questions

I have no idea about which student organizations are more popular than others. Although, I can tell you a little bit about the dorms: Stanley, Currier, and Daum are easily the nicest dorms. Burge, Slater, Quad, and Reinow are somewhat gross. I love Hillcrest, though. It has plenty of amenities (pool, lounges, games, movies) and its pretty nicely furnished. The marketplace is there as well, which is pretty convenient. Most of the people I've met in Hillcrest seem to be either really annoying and drunk or really nerdy and interesting. That's just personal experience, though.

The most popular student activities in my area at least are medicus and research.

people get to know eachother a lot quickly in the dorms. Every weekend people go out to the bars to drink or to a house party or even just drink in their dorms. during the winter it dies a little bit because its fucking cold and not many people wanna walk to go from party to party. if you don't enjoy drinking it is hard to find many drugs other than bud or vicodin or adderall. Its there but you have to look. if you dont enjoy either of those options there is good food and the university offers many events during the weekend nights. Also the bars get pretty good artists to come play. This year they had sam adams, macklemore, ANA SIA, mimosa, das racist, wiz khalifa, and many more.

The bar / drinking scene is huge here. But that does not mean there isn't anything else to do. There are tons of free things for students to get involved in, or just drop by. I've been to free concerts, lecture series, theater shows, and a lot more. There is always a few local bands playing at the Yacht Club, Picador, or the Mill. You can always find a good drink deal every night of the week, if that's your thing. People do party a lot, but there are a lot of other things going on - you just have to look.

There is SOOOO much to do at the University of Iowa. I'm in the Marching Band(I could spend an hour breaking the stereotypes about that) and it's a lot of fun, because the student body actually enjoys us, the football team respects us, and the cheerleaders and dance team hang out with us more than they do with the football team. I'm a Morale Captain in Dance Marathon, which is a HUGE student organization that raises money for the University of Iowa's Children's Hospital. If you have to pick ONE student organization to be involved with your Freshman Year, choose Dance Marathon. It's a ton of fun, relatively low commitment, and it's a great way to meet people (we don't dance all the time. Or really ever....except once). Last year, I believe over 1,600 students were involved in Dance Marathon, and this year we're trying to get even more. This year 100 of us are actually training to run the Chicago Marathon(running) as a group representing Dance Marathon(stud. Org). I'm a Volunteer Captain for the 10,000 hours show, which is a student organization that tries to provide incentives to volunteer in your free time. Basically, if you volunteer 10 hours over the course of the year, you get to see a concert for FREE. Recent Bands have been OK GO, Jack's Mannequin, Guster, and Ben Folds. Organizations like Dance Marathon and 10K are great because they show the community that us college kids are doing more than just going to school here I'm in Intersection, Iowa's All-Male A Cappella Group. We sing around campus every once in a while, and we rehearse weekly, so it's a lot of fun to be involved in a small organization like this one because you get to know everyone really well. There were twelve of us this past year, and we're holding auditions the first weeks of school to find some new recruits. I'm actually the group's webmaster and MADE our website (www.iowaintersection.com). Iowa has been slowly sliding down the "Top Party School" lists over the past few years because the University has been increasing programs on weekends and encouraging students to get involved in student organizations. (I can't remember which list had us at #5 in 2005, but it's now 2008 and we're at #9). There's tons of stuff to do besides drinking, and you don't really get pressured if you decide to abstain from alcohol. If you do want to drink, Iowa City is a true college town, with 50 some-odd bars within walking distance of campus. Dorm life is a wonderful thing to experience, and in my opinion, everyone should experience Dorm life for at least one year. Iowa has 10 Dormitories. I spent my freshman year in Hillcrest in a double with no air conditioning, and I spent my sophomore year in a double with no air conditioning. If you really want to save money and not get air conditioning, it's what I did, and my friends who did have air conditioning never really needed it (the first week of the school year was the only time I ever thought about it, but I had two fans and kept my door open so I was actually quite comfortable. Each side of the river has a 'Flagship' Dorm that contains the two Dining Halls. It doesn't really matter what dorm you live in, because even the smallest room at University of Iowa is bigger than the largest room at University of Illinois (I really don't know what else to compare it to. I don't mean to be degrading Illinois' school, but it's true). EVERY room also has a sink and mirror, so you don't have to always go to the bathroom to brush your teeth, and you don't need a suite with a bathroom in order to have a sink. Over the course of the year, the floor becomes more of a community than a hall full of rooms. At the beginning of the year, most people keep their doors open to welcome the rest of the floor, but as the year goes on, the doors stays open because you want all your friends on the floor to stop by on their way to or from Dinner. Athletics are a lot of fun to go to. Football is the biggest one that draws the largest crowds. I have to be at the field for marching band by 7am for the noon games, and I've seen people on my way there that have been tailgating since 4am. It's pretty hardcore. Iowa has some strong athletic teams. Almost all of them are at least 'good' if they aren't great, and most events (except for football and basketball) don't cost anything to get in. I met some of my closest friends through the student organizations I'm in. Others I met from class, and one was a completely random stranger that a friend of a friend brought to game night hosted by one of my high school friends' RA. A few dozen people from my high school also came here, and I run into them every once in a while, so that's nice. The point is, you never know where you'll end up meeting some of your closest friends, so it never hurts to some of the random things that the University sponsors. The 'dating scene' (the survey suggested it as a topic) is very broad. From people in class, to people in organizations you're both involved in, to the people in the bars, there are many different ways to meet different people. I work at a Theater in Iowa City called Hancher Auditorium. Hancher hosts productions, musicals, comedians, classical and modern concerts, and many other things. This past year Lewis Black, BB King, and the musical My Fair Lady were just a few of the many events that performed at Hancher. Hancher is connected to the University Music Building, so it's right on campus, too. I am not in a Fraternity, but I have a lot of friends that are. Let me first say that Greek life is nothing like the TV show "Greek" so I'm not even going to try and figure that one out. Fraternities and Sororities are an aspect of college that has always interested me, but I haven't really found a Frat that's exactly what I'm looking for. I have a few friends in most of the Frats through class, student organizations, and social events. One thing they don't tell you is how much it costs to pledge, and that's too much for me. If you can afford it, fine, but don't join one just because "I'm in college now and I HAVE to be in one". If I'm awake at 2am on a Tuesday, it's either because I just got off work, I went to Steak & Shake with my a cappella group after practice, or someone had a birthday and wanted to celebrate.

Football. You've gotta love it.

Iowa has a lot of activities. The largest activity I can think of is Dance Marathon. Students organize into dance teams to help raise money for cancer. Once they reach a goal all the teams gather in the Memorial Union and dance for 24 hours. The group is able to raise over a million dolllars every year for children with cancer at the UI Children's Hospital.

Each night there is some type of deal at the bars and downtown. If that's your thing, you will never have a loss of things to do on any random night. I didn't join a sorority and still some of my closest friends are a part of Greek life.

A lot of different activities to chose from.

The most important thing to most Iowa student, more important than food, safety, school, or dignity, is partying. Every night, people will head down to the bars, which allow anyone in 19 and up, and get shit-faced. Though a majority go Thursday through Sunday, there are a die-hard few that go every single day. After 7 pm, the bus lines are packed with already drunk, scantily clad girls and guys in polos. I've seen girls in tiny halter tops, 3 inch long skirts and stilettoes stand outside for half an hour in 15 degree snow and wind with their cartigans over their heads to make sure their hair doesn't frizz, waiting for the bus. When trying to drive downtown after dark, people will lay in the middle of the street screaming, then when you try to get by, flip you off like it's your fault. It's happened to me quite a bit. Avoid downtown if you're soberly driving. The party scene is God. If you're one of those who doesn't like to party, there are a lot of less popular but still fun things to do. Foreign films show every night at the IMU for very cheap prices, and a lot of free concerts or stand-up comedy is done. Many productions and shows are put on in the theater building, like when I saw Lewis Black live or went to the Counting Crows concert. There are some alcohol free sororities and fraternities, and sometimes the dorms have free activities like movies and gingerbread house building. In the spring there's also Riverfest, where bands come and play while you walk through booths along the river.