University of Iowa Top Questions

The professors I've encountered at the University of Iowa have all been very enthusiastic and professional. With that said, there seems to be a lack of departmental oversight in classes taught by TAs; in talking to other students I learned that my Rhetoric class bore little resemblance to theirs. For some, this could be a plus, as there is a more unique experience for each student. I'm concerned about how well my later classes will build on their prerequisites, since the lower courses have so much variation in terms of content.

The academics here can be challenging. Some classes can be only 10 people and other lecture halls fill up to over 500 people. The professors are always available to answer any questions you have and are always at their office hours. My least favorite part about the academic system is the overfilling of lecture halls. Classes over 500 students results in sitting on the floor which is quite uncomfortable for an hour and half. Class participation is more common in smaller classes and is very beneficial. The most unique class that I have taken is youth subcultures where I learned about all the different youth groups outside of the country. I do not tend to spend time with professors outside of class because I manage quite well on my own. Students here are competitive but mostly because there quite a bit of foreign students. The school's academic requirements are justly and adequate. They are not impossible but require hard work and dedication.

Classes are difficult at times; you definitely need to study if you want to earn a good grade! Students are very competitive. I am in business right now. You can see many Asians on campus. They come abroad to the U.S. to study Accounting and/or Finance. This is mostly a white school, though. Some of my professors and TA's know my name, but that is because I take the time to see them after class if I am having difficulty with the class. Getting a job is definitely a priority here.

It's a big public school with so many opportunities, but it's not as huge as schools like Penn State and Ohio State. I'm currently a Resident Assistant and an executive board member in student government (UISG) so a lot of my time is spent in my residence hall or in the UISG office at the Iowa Memorial Union. Early in the fall semester and late in the spring (when the weather is nice and warm) I like to study outside on the Pentacrest or one of the other grassy areas and courtyards that have Wi-Fi. There's also a lot of great restaurants and coffee shops to study at downtown. I've actually had several parents on college visits say that Iowa City is the best college town they've been to on their visits. The campus and downtown Iowa City are right next to each other and there are bus routes that students can ride to either of the 2 malls in the Iowa City area. The one thing that has frustrated me most about the University since I have been a student is that so little has been done to recover from the flood of 2008, but I know from my work with student government that this is because FEMA has slowed everything down immensely. Most of the buildings are expected to be completed soon after I graduate. Apart from the football team not meeting expectations, I would say students complain most about tuition increases. Our tuition has gone up in recent years more than it ever has before, but Iowa's out-of-state-tuition is still about the same price as a lot of schools' in-state-tuition. So, we complain about it because we don't want the price to go up, but we're better off than many students.

The academics are not very impressive, and it's usually not too difficult to do pretty well in a class. My favorite classes have been Organic Chemistry I & II, Arabic, and anything with Professor Belli. Some students freak out and study constantly. Others just party all of the time and flunk. It really depends. Do students have intellectual conversations outside of class.... sometimes....? It's hard to generalize about 9,000 people (or something like that). Again, some classes are very competitive (usually the more advanced you go, the more competitive it becomes). Gen eds are seldom competitive. I am majoring in International Studies. It's an interdepartmental major so I pretty much am allowed to take what I want... be it philosophy, history, linguistics, etc. It all counts. The academic requirements for my major are pretty lax... something like 45 credits or so. It allows me to take on a few minors in addition.

Very good.

The BEST thing about classes at Iowa is the size. I absolutely love the small, intimate environment I find in my classes. Outside of lecture, I rarely find myself with a group larger than 25 students. This makes it so that your professors know you personally, which helps with letters of recommendation later, and so that discussions are really engaging and meaningful. You'll always have the opportunity to make a remark on the subject if you want to. Small classes also keeps students accountable--it's really hard to skip often or sleep through class and not have your teacher know. At least with the classes I've taken as an English and theatre arts major, participation is really core to doing well in the class. Theatre is especially hands on, and English classes expect you to have something substantial to say. Honors classes are even more engaging because you know each and every student has the commitment that you have, AND you can always turn a non-honors class into honors credit by designating it honors.

the classes are nice at least for engineering. Yes they are hard if you don't go to class or keep up with the work. The professors all have office hours that you can go to. if you want them to recognize you then go to these. the lectures are big but then there is a discussion section for each class that builds on the lecture. the discussions are taught by T.A's and really help you understand the material.

If you take a lot of huge lecture classes, your professors won't know who you are unless you're in an honors section. This is true for a lot of the general ed classes. Once you get into your major classes, you'll have a lot of the same teachers and classes are very small (5 - 30 students). As a freshman, a lot of your classes will be big ones but you can choose whether you want to take smaller ones too. Be careful not to get too lost in the crowd, or you may lose confidence and not feel like trying. TAs are very intelligent people and they can help you out just as well, if not more, than your professor!

I am an ex-engineering student who is now triple majoring in English, Theatre Arts, and Marketing with minors in Psychology and German, and I'm pursuing an Entrepreneurial Certificate. The English and Theatre Arts are probably going to become minors, and the Psychology will probably disappear, but at this moment in time I look damn busy on paper. Engineering was an interesting experience for me, and it taught me that I didn't want to be an engineer. During Orientation, we were told that only 1/3 incoming freshman engineers graduate as engineers. We were later told that half of all engineers have to retake one of the upper level classes our junior year because of its difficulty. Maybe if they weren't so intimidatingly pessimistic and emotionally detached, I would still be in Engineering. There's nothing wrong with it. Both of my roommates are engineers, the atmosphere is friendly (in a "we're all suffering together" sort of way), the facilities are wonderful, and the professors are pioneers in their fields of study. The only problem I had with Engineering (besides the fact that Civil Engineers (the ones that design highways) have to take 'C' computer programming) is that there are so many required classes in engineering that there's no room for a second major unless you extend to 5 years. Out of the 120 semester hours, Engineering takes up 96 of them (as opposed to English(29), Psychology(32), and Theatre arts(31). Do you see what I'm getting at?). The schools like the College of Pharmacy and the College of Dentistry seem like they're geared more toward getting jobs, but that's because of the difficulty of the field. In most other cases, even the required courses are, in some way, geared toward learning for its own sake. Iowa is a large enough school that it offers very very many majors, while the school is small enough to offer more intimate class sizes (besides 'gen eds' (100 level courses that all or most students are required to take before they graduate)) Freshman year I went from a class of 400(chemistry) to my Rhetoric class of 26. Larger lecture classes almost always have a discussion section with a course TA that are usually around 20-30 people, so no matter what, you still get that small class size. Elementary school prepares one for High School, and High School prepares one for College. College prepares one for life and the road ahead of him....so don't worry about getting a 4.0 all the time (at least don't worry AFTER you get accepted to the program you're gunning for). There's a class called "World of the Beatles" that explores the history, goings ons, timeline, and little known facts about the Beatles before, during, and after they were a band. Every person I know that has taken it can never stop talking about it and they all say "it's a must" before graduating.