Hi! I’m trying to decide between the Universities of Iowa and Minnesota-Twin Cities and am leaning towards U of M currently mostly because it has higher statistics and is harder to get into. I was wondering if anyone could tell me about the student life? How are the classes, how is the campus, what are weekends like, etc. Just any information people would like to share about living at the university would be great and appreciated! Thank you!!
Home state and intended major?
Illinois and Speech Pathology& Audiology @ospreyCV22
Not familiar with Speech Pathology/Audiology at Minnesota (except as a patient- and all I can say is that there are lots of female students in the major here at Minnesota)…
Minnesota is a commuter school, so you will see the on-campus student population drop noticeably (maybe by a third) on the weekends. However, there is almost always some game or activity, so you’ll have sports fans and alumni coming to campus to watch hockey, basketball or football. Lots of bars near campus, in one of the two neighborhoods “Stadium Village” and “Dinkytown”, as well as little restaurants and coffee shops. Downtown Minneapolis is a short bus/train ride from campus, and you have a wide range of activities from Broadway shows to shopping to museums.
Campus does get very quiet during breaks- nearly all students go home for Thanksgiving and Winter break. But the surrounding neighborhoods are open through the breaks and of course, downtown Minneapolis (or StPaul) are not at all affected by the campus calendar.
I’d be happy to answer any specific questions you might have about campus- hope that helps your decision. We’d be glad to have you come be a part of our school.
It’s soooo fun. Life here is what you make it. Classes are going to be similar here and at Iowa especially your first two years. Campus is awesome. Weekends are exactly what you make them. You can DM me specific questions.
For what it’s worth, Iowa has the #1 Speech Pathology graduate program as ranked by US News. I would assume that reputation trickles down to the undergrad program to some degree.
@sltxdad is correct - Iowa is ranked #1 and #2 for audiology and speech pathology, respectively. UMTC is within the top 20 in these categories so is no slouch - and of course those are graduate school rankings, not undergraduate. Still, that should be a factor, perhaps a significant one, in determining which school to attend. Also the overall rigor of the program - how much math/science is required, for instance - and how broad vs. focused is the core curriculum for the major. One school might be relatively interdisciplinary at the undergraduate level, for instance, while the other might be more focused on directing the major to do further work at the graduate level. These are specifically curriculum issues.
As for UMTC vs. U of Iowa in general, @khidhala is correct that it can get pretty quiet at the U of M campus on the weekends. I visited the Weismann Art Museum with my kids over Thanksgiving Break and Coffman was just dead. Bowling lanes closed, Starbucks closed 
Bookstore open though. My husband and oldest D visited on a weekend once to check out the campus in general and again it was very quiet - no one around. Having said that, it’s also true that UMTC is an urban campus and there is PLENTY to do in the Cities during the weekends or break. In contrast, Iowa City being a dedicated college town will always have a “college community” feel to it even during the summer or during weekends and winter break. Iowa City is also a very charming town and very artsy/kitschy for it’s size. But it’s not the metropolis that is Minneapolis/St. Paul. So you’ll have to figure out which environment works better for you.
Also, something that I actually think is a major advantage to Iowa: it’s about two-thirds the size of UMTC in terms of undergraduate student population (around 22,000 vs. 34,000). The Twin Cities campus is also really sprawling with buildings on the West Bank and the East Bank of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, and then another campus in St. Paul. You will probably have most of your Gen. Ed. classes on the Minneapolis campus and as your major is in CLA you’ll probably have most of your major classes there as well - but you can count on a visit to the St. Paul campus for at least a few semesters. It’s no big deal as there are buses that shuttle you back and forth - I think someone said it’s about a 20 minute trip.
Finally, U of MN’s OOS tuition is significantly less than Iowa’s. Of course, that’s because UMTC is primarily a “local” school and they’re trying to woo more OOS students. On the other hand, I understand that quite a few Illinoisans attend University of IA so if you want to get away from Illinois, Minnesota may be a better choice 
Bonus thought: It may be true that U of MN is a harder school to get into . . . but Iowa has the advantage of allowing the applicant to calculate his/her chances of admission up front using the Regent Index calculator. Therefore, those who can’t get in won’t be wasting their time and money trying to apply. That fact has to affect the selectivity stats at least somewhat.
Lots of food for thought. Congrats on getting into two fine schools!
Edited: Something else I just thought of - The dorms at Iowa seem a lot nicer and roomier than at UMTC. That was just my impression, however, and it could be incorrect as we have not been inside any of the dorms at either school. I know that was a factor for me when I was applying to college way back when, and it’s a factor for my 2nd oldest - but it’s definitely NOT something that my oldest who is heading off to college this fall even cares that much about. She needs quiet for studying but not much else. The aesthetics of the dorm is really something that varies by student.
I live in the Twin Cities, and really don’t have this perception of the U as a “commuter school”. Sure, a lot of students are in-state, and some go home on the weekends. But I don’t see it as any of a “commuter school” than most state flagships.