Drake University

Date: Sep 12 2010
Major: English (This Major's Salary over time)
Drake is a solid school that is what you make of it. Academics are solid but not overly challenging (save perhaps pharmacy or actuarial science). You can get an excellent education if you so choose, but you can also skate by and make decent grades without a whole lot of effort. There is plenty of partying going on Thursday through Saturday if that is your scene, but the rest of the week is pretty tame (which is probably a good thing). Most people are from the Midwest, and there is a fair amount of socio-economic diversity, and a diversity of opinion and backgrounds, though not much racially. Students range intellectually from fairly dense to brilliant, with the majority simply being average college students not much different than those you would encounter at most flagship state universities. Many students are involved either in athletics or Greek life, both of which can be a bit cliquey (though not obnoxiously so), but most people here will find a core group of friends. Truly eccentric students or those looking for a big party school should probably look elsewhere.

Des Moines has enough going on to be interesting for four years, and anything you realistically need is within a five minute drive of campus. However, by senior year, most people will have pretty much seen and done all that Drake and Des Moines really have to offer. Overall Drake is a solid school where you can have a good college experience and get a solid education, though put bluntly, it is nothing special.

However, be aware that outside of Iowa, only some Midwesterners have heard of Drake and will either say "thats a good school" but know nothing else about it, but many will have never heard of it. Outside of the Midwest, no one has heard of it. Because of this, iff you come here, you must absolutely take advantage of internships, build relationships with professors, join campus organizations, volunteer and do well in the classroom from day one. Unfortunately, the Drake name itself just doesn't go a real long way, so you need to start doing everything possible to build a competitive resume beginning in your first year. Do this and you should be fine-otherwise, you will spend your first few years out having to do these things-which is not much fun. Of course, this advice goes for college generally, but at a school such as Drake that does not enjoy a national reputation, it is doubly important. Also, this school is NOT for everyone; some people were absolutely miserable here for whatever reason (and I really can?t pinpoint why). A campus visit is a must.

I had a good time and Drake and received a solid education, but was a bit disappointed that the school was a bit less respected or well known than I may have anticipated (and I had no pretensions that it was some kind of Harvard of the Midwest or that I was going to land some high rolling wall street job; I was simply surprised by how many people had just never even heard of the school). Good luck.