Iowa State University

Date: Apr 16 2013
Major: Criminal (This Major's Salary over time)
I am a male student who came to Iowa State University after graduating high school in northern Wisconsin. I originally chose this school because it was a decent distance from where I grew up and my original intention was to join the Marine Corps through ROTC (great ROTC program for all branches) but I was unfit for military service, so I decided to stick by my Criminal Justice major so I can work towards a job in law enforcement.

Though the University of Iowa is ranked the #2 party school in the nation, spending a week here will make you wonder why Iowa State isn't in the top ten as well. The majority of people come here for the football program and to drink excessively. The people here are rude and inconsiderate. The students in the "dry" dorms are allowed to carry water bottles filled with vodka, and the faculty members who are supposed to keep the wild activities reigned in do not do their jobs at all, even when you directly approach them with issues. The students here at Iowa State run around in a drunken stupor, banging on doors and screaming in the halls in the middle of the night, pulling the fire alarms, blowing cigarette smoke in your face, and just being general jerks. Since I came here in August, the cops (and frequently the EMTs) have come to either my dorm or one of the adjacent ones every single night without fail. The majority of the population here is inner city kids from the Twin Cities and Chicago, and small town "hicks" from around Iowa who were apparently not smart enough to get in anywhere else. Many of the kids who go here were not raised to know the difference between right and wrong, and they are sure to act accordingly. There is also a big problem here with marijuana, cocaine, and mushrooms, despite what the people in Admissions tell you (remember, they are salesmen; their job is to give you only the good stuff that gets them YOUR money). The people here are very bigoted, close-minded, and just flat out mean (as a distinguished bully victim in high-school, I thought it would be better here but it was actually worse). The University treats you as a number rather than a person, and just about any service you need will be a complete dead-end (trying to work with the Office of Financial Aid is like pulling teeth). The food on campus is also not very good, even though they pride themselves on creating "healthy meals" for students (healthy as most people know generally means disgusting). The weather in Ames is generally poor, with hot temperatures and no wind in August and overcast, rain, and cold wind the other 10 months or so a year. The roads are not very well maintained and are hard on your car (something's wrong with one of my tie-rods now). Also, a few of the instructors who have been here since they were undergraduate candidates tend to be oblivious and biased, thinking that this university is somehow "the Promised land". The wireless internet connections are poor at best, and having nearly 30,000 students attempting to access it at once doesn't really help.

The courses in my Criminal Justice major (so far mostly psychology and a few electives) have been very enjoyable and foster great thinking about critical concepts. The staff is relatively helpful, though the office hours can get a bit confusing and hard to meet. Aesthetically, the campus is about average. They have been doing major renovations across campus recently to fix many broken structures. The recreational facilities are in good shape, but you have to be there when they open at 6 A.M. before a lot of the jocks come in to avoid classes and spend the day lifting weights. The campus is pretty well localized, and the free transit buses make getting to class one less thing to be stressed about. The pool hall/arcade is a good place to go as long as you get in before Friday night. There are plenty of off-campus places to eat (mostly pizza joints) that serve decent food and a friendly atmosphere. Plus there are US Bank ATMs situated all across campus, and the US Bank office is right on the other side of Lincoln Way. A lot of older people in the community break out their classic cars when the weather turns nice if you are in to that kind of stuff, and are generally more than happy to let you check out their rides.

To sum up, Iowa State does have some good things about it. In fact, if it wasn't for the majority of the campus population, it would be a good place to go to school. If you are someone who does not enjoy the wild night-life, are focused on good academics, are a little more mature than most people, and want to advance yourself to a good career, I would recommend looking beyond Iowa State University to some other institution. I am transferring to the University of South Dakota and will not be wasting the next three years of my life here (I already dropped $27,000 just for my first year).