University of Iowa
Reviews

Food-Crawl

Plenty of great restaurants in the area, and most of it is really affordable! Go to Short's for the burgers (get the #4 the Dundee. I know a fried egg on a burger seems weird but once you have one you'll be converted), Donnelly's for gigantic half-price wings on the weekend (Guinness BBQ sauce is the best), and Saloon if you're in the mood for mexican. Falbo's has some of the greatest pizza, and Paliai's is amazing too! Get the pokey sticks at least once. Givanni's is super classy, but a little more pricey so take someone special there!

Reasons Why I Chose the University of Iowa

I will be attending University of Iowa in the fall of 2012 for many reasons. Not only is the medical program at University of Iowa ranked in the Top 10 of the country but they have also graduated many of the top medical researchers in the United States as well. I loved the fact that outside of the classroom there are over 50 different student lead organizations to get even more involved in the health community. After visiting the campus I was welcomed by not only fellow classmates but by faculty as well. I was made aware that professors will take any extra time, if you schedule with them, to help you further understand any material that you're not grasping. I felt Iowa was overall a great campus with a very vibrant feel.

Not Too Severe

The RA's in the dorms are pretty lax, they will definitely overlook certain things if you are being respectable with alcohol. If you are being an idiot, obviously they will write you up. The police are the same way. If you are being smart and respecting people around you and them they will usually let you off with a warning or just leave you alone completely. If you are being rude they WILL write you up. Just doing their jobs though - I don't blame them, I wouldn't want to put up with rude little brats 24/7 either.

We're Number 4 for a Reason

Students don't care what day of the week it is, if they want to drink they will. Drinking is a pretty big thing here at Iowa. It's strange for student to not go out and party of the weekends.

Strictness

Strictness is limited, but everyone needs to be careful when it comes to drinking in the residence halls, although its possible, and a lot of people do it, security guards are allowed to look through trash and listen in to doors. Unless you're really drunk, you won't get caught.

Athletic Centers

The CRWC - Campus Recreation and Wellness Center - is state of the art and has everything one needs to stay healthy and relieve stress at school. From a rock-climbing wall to an olympic-sized pool to a large free weight area to 2 floors of cardio machines to a Tropical Smoothie station with healthy smoothies, this place has it all!

Police Are Very Present on Weekends; a Large Majority of People Drink

Alcohol is only visible outside the dorms in the bars where you can buy it. Bouncers check id's very closely.

Campus Buildings

The facilities are U of I are pretty good. Some of the buildings where classes are held are fairly old and need a newer look in my opinion. They just built a new rec center and it's really nice and modern. I love that. The library is a good place to study and the students use it a lot. The majority of the dorms need remodeling though, I don't think they're worth what we pay for in tuition. I mean, there's no central air in any of them. It's 2011. Update your dorms Iowa. And stop spending all that money on football.

UI

You can get almost anywhere on cambus. One comes to a stop about every 10 minutes and it is FREE! I wouldn't suggest bringing a car because parking is EXPENSIVE!

Campus Activities

This is definetely a college town. Downtown (where campus is) theres a number of bars and clubs, and the music scene is great-tons of bans come through a lot. Football here is HUGE. Everyone tailgates. Theres a lot of cool thrift store downtown too. If you want to go to a mall, you need to drive to Coralville- its just 10 minutes away. Its a decent mall with all the usual stores. Also theres a lot of art festivals and what now. Movies are offered at the Iowa Memorial Union for 2$ a person, and free comedy shows come through too (for example, the woman who played Stiflers mom in American Pie did a show here). Basically, theres always stuff to do. Its a laid back atmosphere around campus.

Alcohol Controversy

The City of Iowa City recently passed a law prohibiting anyone under 21 from being in a bar past a certain hour. This caused an uproar on campus and bar owners. House parties increased in number since. If you don't mind staying in to have drinks, then everything is fine.

Great Programs at Iowa

The University of Iowa has great programs in engineering, nursing, athletic training and physical therapy to just name a few. It has one of the top Physical Therapy programs in the country and with the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa is a terrific place to start a nursing career.

Football and Every Other Sport

Football is the priority sport at the University. School spirit is thrilling and the stands are always cramped full, even when it's snowing outside. People from citites all throughout Iowa to come support the Hawkeyes.

As far as other sports go, our wrestling team is top notch. While there is less support for these men, they are very talented and successful in their matches.

We have excellent facilities not only for Division sports but also clubs.

Weather Is Terrible.

It seldom rains and it is very dry. My skins are even ruptured. SO I hate here.

Greeks Are the Background

At the University of Iowa there really isn't too much of a Greek life. You might see some of them at the beginning of the year to get people to rush, but other than that Greek life is only visible on the weekends where people go to party.

Living in the Dorms.

I think that living in the dorms is a great way to meet new people your first year at the University of Iowa. Sure the cost is high, but the experience you get that first year will last you through the rest of your college experience. You always have chances to meet new friends with the people on your floor, and if you get sick of people on your floor then you can always go up one and start all over again. Plus the convenience of where the dorms are located is great, and if you feel a little lazy one day there is always a Cambus stop somewhere near your dorm (most right outside the front doors).

Great Culture

I grew up in a similar sized town to Iowa City, but Iowa City is different. The downtown and main campus are one and the same, I brought a bike, but I don't even use it. Within 5 blocks are all my classes, the library, my church, restaurants, grocery stores and everything I need. Also there are random pianos sitting in the street for anyone to play. Awesome.

Off Campus Living

Off-Campus living has several perks. The first being a little bit more freedom, you are not under the rules of the University. In general renting an apartment is cheaper than living in the nicest dorm on campus that has a kitchen and bathroom in each dorm room. However, there are some cons to off campus living. If you want a decent place to live you need to start looking early. The good apartments get snatched up fast! Another con is that the apartments that are close to campus can run very expensive. Parking is also a big issue, the whole city has very limited parking, and to get a space you have to be willing to pay.

Iowa City Weather

Iowa City has very typical midwestern well--unpredictable. Iowa City has warm summers and falls accompanied with very snow filled, cold weather and rainy springs.

If You Don't Do Them, You Don't See Them

Drugs are obviously around, but if you don't do them you really don't see them. Every so often you'll read about a bust where someone got caught, but even then it's only with marijuana. No hardcore drugs.

Please Do Not Let It Snow

Iowa has fickle weather. One day it could be 75 and sunny, the next 30 and snowing. Winters can be especially difficult. The University doesn't make a habbit of cancelling classes, so generally students are responsible for getting there at all cost, regardless of the three feet of snow. It can put a cramp on parking and for the first few weeks while everyone is adjusting, it can cause some lateness. Spring and summer however, are the exact opposite. When the weather returns to normal the city comes to life. It is a wonderfully positive experience when everyone isout enjoying the weather.

Good Restaurants, Lack of Fast Food

Iowa City has a nice mix of restaurants, and several ethnic cuisine restaurants, like the Ethiopian/Eritrean restaurant. There is, sadly, a lack of fast food restaurants downtown. It would be nice if there were a few more, since it does get expensive eating in IC restaurants.

Apartments Vary in Iowa City

It depends on who you are renting from or how lucky you get when looking for apartments. Apartments Downtown is not a very good place to rent from, often charging you for things that were not your fault and just not being dependable in general. Many of their apartments are very similar looking and there is not a lot of variety. In my opinion it is best to rent from an independent landlord. There are many apartments on campus that vary from more expensive to less expensive generally depending how close or far away they are from the pentacrest. It is also generally more expensive to live in the dorms rather than an apartment. Some students who live in the apartments also get a meal plan even though they do not live in the dorms so they dont have to cook.

What Greeks?

Greek life is commonly considered the place to go for parties and having a good time. However, this is really not needed at the University of Iowa since there is already so many parties. The greek life is there, but only about 10% of the student body is involved in greek life.

It's Iowa

Well... what do you expect? It's boiling in the summer, freezing in the winter, and rainy in the spring. You get the best of everything, if that's what you're looking for!