University of Iowa Top Questions

Students most frequent complaint is there is nothing to do except to go downtown and drink. Most first year students don't recognize that there is a bigger city surrounding the University campus. Iowa City and Coralville are both filled with things to do, ranging from movie theaters to bowling alley's. Iowa City as a town offers more than just what the campus has to offer.

The best thing about Iowa is probably the diversity. I would shrink some class sizes, and in the philosophy department could be structured better, or even at all...On campus I spend most of my time at the Old Cap and library. I have little school pride as far as athletics go. I don't believing in unfairly categorizing people but the amount of illegal and unprofessional activity that the atheletes tend to be involved in is disheartening. I believe if you are lucky enough to attend any school through a scholorship you should act like it, on and off the field. The art department always deserves more money, no matter how much you give them, that building is amazing, and we shouldn't lose our Pollock... I believe everyone should have the right to smoke, but when are they actually going to start enforcing the smoke free campus. The littering that is a direct result of smokers (butts) is appalling. They should fine them, heavily, and without prior warnings. California fines first offense litterers $1000 no ifs ands or buts, so should we.

I think that the size of Iowa is great. It's pretty good sized but it's really easy to connect with a group of people and I always see familiar faces on campus. Football season here is AWESOME! Everyone is so into and the games are so much fun. When I tell people that I go to Iowa, that are shocked and ask why on earth would I chose to go to Iowa? I just laugh at them because they just don't know Iowa like I do. I spend a lot of my time in the dorms or working out or just anywhere that tickles my fancy at the particular time. The Pentacrest is great on nice days and when it snows, it makes a great sledding hill. There is only one thing that I'd change about Iowa: since it is a large university there is a lot of beaurocracy. It is manageable but not the easiest thing to navigate.

One thing that I really like about Iowa is that it is a Big Ten campus, and you can get that feeling at times (especially on football Saturdays) but it isn't too big. The campus seems to be just the right size. You are able to walk from one side of the river to the other where you may have classes in 15 minutes (and that isnt even walking really fast). I would also think that there is a lot of school pride. There are always people wearing all sorts of Hawkeye gear wherever you look.

Iowa is the perfect size. Big enough that you are always meeting new people and small enough that you run into your friends all the time.

Iowa campus is a little spread out, and I wish we had more parking opportunities. It is a great college town that the community really supports. One thing I'll always remember is the early tailgating for football games.

The best thing about Iowa is that since it is a state university it has so much to offer! Students shouldn't be scared that it's "too big." There are a lot of ways to get connected.... student orgs, meeting people in the dorms, going to sporting events, etc. The school is just the right size! It's also important to let people know that Iowa is part of the entire community. There is no clear division of what is and what isn't part of the campus. There is a TON of school pride here and not just in the atheletics. It has many amazing academic programs as well.

I couldn't leave Iowa City, I only ever applied to the University of Iowa because since I have moved here; I have bled black and gold. The Iowa City community is so kind and interested in everything that University does. I would say that Iowa has probably the most pride of a lot of Big Ten schools. I would say anyone who doesn't know if Iowa is the right choice, should come to a football game because you truly don't know what Iowa is about until you see Kinnick filled and see the pride all Iowans feel for the Hawkeyes.

The best thing about Iowa is the small community feel. We have over 30,000 students but even with a large campus, if you apply yourself and get involved with some of our 400+ student organizations, it has to chance to feel like home. This is such a great feature because it allows you to personalize your experience here in college. It is what you make it. You can choose to be involved in a ton of different activities or just a couple. Iowa gives you the opportunity to make your experience of college your own. The school pride here is unmeasurable. The best way I can explain the overwhelming pride is on game days. Football season is way more than just football. When you step into the student section in the stadium, you are engulfed in a sea of black and gold. Everyone is there to support the football team and to show what the University of Iowa is made of. My first game was unforgettable. Being a part of that event was the first time that I truly felt like a Hawkeye.

I love our campus because I think it is absolutely beautiful (especially in the spring). If I could change one thing it would be the parking situation on campus because it is not the best. Our school is a fairly large school, but once you've been on campus for a couple weeks it starts to feel a lot smaller because you get to know so many people. Iowa City is a college town. When I am on campus, I am either in the Pappajohn Business Building, the Admission's Visitors Center, or the Iowa Memorial Union (IMU-our student union). There is a ridiculous amount of school pride and on any given day about half of the students are wearing something that says Iowa on it or is black and gold. I will always remember rushing the field after we beat Iowa State last year.