Luther College
Reviews

Lots of Family Places to Eat

In Decorah there are lots of family owned businesses to eat at and go to.

Safe and Sound

I feel very safe at Luther College. It is a small campus so there isn't a huge crime rate. Some vandalism happens, but it is always taken care of in a very timely fashion. I love being able to walk across campus and feel completely comfortable on my own. The police and security officers on campus are super nice and do their job well. They also have great special security measures such as when buildings lock up and different keys for each building.

Always a Place Open to Eat

There are a variety of options on campus, where you can swipe your card and use a meal, including the all-you-can-eat cafeteria, Marty's, Oneota, and Sunnyside. If the cafeteria is closed, I often times go to Marty's and order one of their many options. All the food is generally very good, and there is rarely a need to go off campus to get additional food supplies.

Great Quality

I have had great experiences living in all of our dorms, and the two dorms that were older and kind of bad are getting remodeled this summer.

Small Town Fun

No a ton of options, but one nice thing is that 19 yr. olds are allowed into bars in Decorah. House parties are a big thing, and the music at Luther is exceptional. Many other options open up once a person is of age, like a local brewery, and 'Mystery Beer Night' at Rubaiyat. It is a ton of fun, but people looking for more of a 'club' scene may not enjoy it.

Decorah

Tons of outdoor activities, including fantastic hiking and biking trails, "Dunning Springs" (a beautiful natural fed spring), tubing down the Iowa river, camping and much much more. The downtown area is filled with historical buildings and great shops and coffee places. Decorah is also known for its efforts in sustainability, allowing for local food options at Luther college and most restaurants. Most people who come to Decorah, truly fall in love with it.

We Are Different, but United

Luther while comprised of many white students, has a fairly large population of international students as well as those from different back grounds in the US. As a liberal arts college, many views come together and are shared. As a student you are expected to be open-minded about these. I do not know of any issues arising out of people's differences.

Luther Tries

The campus is in the middle of Iowa and Minnesota, so of course everyone is white. There are many cliques of international students on campus and everyone is friendly to each other (I mean it's Luther after-all). Diversity - D, Acceptance - A.

Regarding economic background there are a lot of kids from small towns with a lot of money, but there's little "class separation". Modest kids and stuck-up kids. Everyone's so nice it doesn't really matter.

There's a PRIDE organization on campus, but it is not very popular. Chances are if you were in the closet in high school from growing up in a small town, you will likely find a lot of kids in the same boat. But no one will make fun of you if you are gay. Everyone's pretty cool with it. Orientation's just not a big deal on campus.

All Right

Kids go bowling on Wednesdays and there are party houses in Decorah every weekend.

Roscoe's is frequented by most students. The age to get into the bar is 19, so it's popular among all classes. There's free movie night sponsored by the college every month at the movie theater. Though most places are walking distance from each other, it's best to know someone with a car to get around when it gets cold.

Basically, Decorah's pretty wet at night.

Luther College Facilities

The college facilities are excellent overall.

Athletic center is nice, weight room is large and very up to date and clean. Library is a great location to study.The science building is newly rennovated and a good place to study. The recently new lab building is of high quality with new everything. The campus is amazing all around, very aesthetically pleasing. A great campus if your someone who loves the outdoors.

Safe and Relaxed

i never feel nervous or uneasy at Luther, totally safe community on and off campus. Gorgeous area and great place to learn and study.

Labs Basically Used for Printing and Finals

The computer labs at Luther College are fairly open except during the week of Finals. All the dorms are now WiFi, and all of them include printing labs and printers. It is nice if you use the Luther computers to do papers because you have your own hard drive that you can access from any computer on campus whether it be your dorm, the library, the science building, or the union.

Safety

The wierdest thing for me coming from a city setting to Luther was getting used to the fact that people can just leave things sitting out - computers, backpacks, ect.

They Seem to Do Well

Unfortunately parties are a big deal at Luther. Not being into the whole 'party scene' myself, this rather irritates me. People often get drunk on the weekend and in certain dorms, vandalism does occur. I've heard that the bar/club scene isn't spectacular, but people seem to do well anyway. As for the underage nightlife, I don't know what the bars do to approach this, but again, they seem to do rather well when obtaining their alcohol, typically ending their weekends hung over.

Expensive Fines, JUST WALK!

Luther College campus is small enough that there is no reason not to walk, even if you live off campus. The parking fine for violations is $15 and this is strickly enforced. Spots are designated for off campus students, on campus students, and faculty/staff, not by seniority. There are plenty of spots and Decorah is small, but WALMART is far, and there is no public transport so bring a car.

All Around Great People

Most of what you will find here at Luther (both guys and girls) are nice, polite midwesterners. Due to the fact that Luther is a small liberal arts school you get a lot of interaction with a lot of different kinds of people around campus, and I feel like by the time you graduate you at least know of just about everyone. Luther students are intelligent and hardworking but also really sweet and easy to talk to. We have an amazing music program here so if you're at all into that its not hard to find a ton of people with similar interests, but also have pretty good biology and nursing programs if that is more your thing (or both).

Not Worth It

Off-campus housing is limited to the same apartments and houses year after year, which makes it a fun and easy way to remember where parties happen. Overall, these places are typical college houses, overpriced, well-worn, and tons of fun. maybe too much fun. The Venneheim, Dike House and Cafe D apartments are the best. And by best, I meant most unique for Decorah.

You Really Just Sleep There

The dorms at Luther are not beautiful, but they sure are fun. My freshman year was the year that two of the freshman dorms were re-done. Looking back, these dorms are some of the best I've seen at many colleges. Even Towers is an experience, and still bigger than most rooms at NYU. The Key to succeeding in the housing is to know what you want, and to be organized when room draw comes around.

Like Your Own Private Security Team

Like it or not, these guys are attentive. The security on campus is effective and visible and easily reached. They take care of everything from security issues to providing nighttime escorts home from the library.

Depending on the night, Luther...

Depending on the night, Luther students can favor a number of places. During the week, the most popular place to get a beer is T-Bocks, a restaurant/bar that has excellent burgers, fries, and beer on tap. More adventurous students will enjoy the karaoke nights at Americana Grille, just a short walk from campus. On Saturday night, those feeling the urge to get their drinking on seem to gravitate without fail to Roscoe’s, despite the horrible and well-deserved reputation of the establishment.

Luther does not charge for...

Luther does not charge for printing, although the Library has begun looking at possibly adding a charge for large documents. Many professors will also accept double-sided essays or assignments printed on recycled paper for those students who are environmentally conscious.

Your Luther experience is...

Your Luther experience is dependent on the kind of people you surround yourself with. Most tend to be smart but not arrogant, and many are willing to open themselves up to new friends. The classes are difficult if you don’t work hard enough, but college is supposed to be preparing you for a life of hard work. I think Luther does just that, but allows students to have the ‘college experience’ at the same time.

Luther students are all about...

Luther students are all about open-minded chaos. There’s a lot of discussion on campus that allows you to re-think your life’s priorities, and I think that kind of education is what a college should really consist of. Anyone can help you learn something in a book, but a school that can cause you to change your entire outlook on what you want your life to be is something amazing. That’s the kind of place Luther is.

I love it at Luther, and I never...

I love it at Luther, and I never want to leave.

At Luther, you have to make an...

At Luther, you have to make an effort. That works in any principle: in the classroom, in extracurriculars, or in your personal life. Luther is not a school that’s going to hold a kegger every weekend and allow you to meet people through mindless drunkenness, and professors aren’t going to hold your hand if you’re screwing around. The main thing at Luther is making an effort and being self-reliant, and if you can do that here, you can have a much more successful life.