<p>Trying to decide between Iowa State University and Marquette University for our High School senior. He is planning on going into engineering. He has been accepted to both schools and has received University scholarships from both. He is a BIG fan of sports, but has no plans of playing any sports at either school, other than recreational.</p>
<p>This is our first experience with this decision, with two more to follow, and we don't want to miss anything in terms of thought processes. Can anyone offer any advice to help in the selection process?</p>
<p>Have you visitied these campuses? I have been to both campuses and would offer this. ISU is a more rural-minded school. The emphasis is on engineering and agriculture and Ames is not a big city. Marquette is more urban and liberal arts oriented. Marquette, Creighton, Rockhurst and Saint Louis University seem to form a trade organization. Bright Catholic students who don’t want to stay in Milwaukee, Omaha, Kansas City or St. Louis go to one of the Jesuit schools in another city.</p>
<p>ISU has Big 12 (minus two) football and basketball and they are nuts about wrestling. Maruqette is a basketball school.</p>
<p>Public semi-rural university vs. Catholic/private urban university. From my visits to both (for sporting events), I consider them very different. It would depend (to use a favorite CC word) the “fit.”</p>
<p>Rodsing, my oldest S (a junior in bus.) attends ISU while S2 (a sophomore in eng.) attends Marquette, I am a Marquette alumnus (Eng. '83). I believe both schools are very good especially their engineering department. Marquette is building a new 100,000 sq. ft. facility for the engineering department, the first phase is scheduled to open August '11. What engineering major is your S interested in? Also consider that if he goes to Marquette he will enter the engineering department freshman year, while at most state universities you are not officially enrolled in engineering until after shophomore year. I strongly recommend you visit both schools. ISU is very rural, Marquette is near downtown Milwaukee. My oldest S just visited S2 at Marquette this weekend and told me he would like to attend graduate school at Marquette. So I guess as olderwisermom said is a matter of fit. Again try to visit both and if you have any questions lmk, I’ve been to both schools several times these past three years.</p>
<p>I would also say visit the schools. My eldest went to ISU. She wanted a large school. My youngest thought she wanted Marquette until she spent the night there. She didn’t like the dorms (where the freshmen were located) and she wanted more trees on campus. Marquette is a beautiful campus but it is urban. I think both are good engineering schools although I do feel that Marquette has an edge with its Jesuit teaching and the fact that it is a smaller school can make a difference to some students. On the flip side, big schools offer a lot of EC things and a large variety of classes.</p>
<p>ISU is not “very rural” – check out Grinnell for a "rural’ campus. ISU is at Ames a mid-size midwestern city, and within the Des Moines corridor.</p>
<p>Yes, definitely visit both schools. Then if there is a big cost difference (after scholarships and/or aid), determine whether there are advantages of the more expensive option to justify the difference.</p>
<p>lololu - Ames pop is 50,000 (love Ames) while Milwaukee’s close to 600,000 and Marquette is almost downtown. What I meant was that difference. At least to me Ames is very rural and I do not say it in a demeaning way, really like Ames, and my oldest S is a junior at ISU. For me a city of 50,000 is rural, but I guess it all depends on each persons perspective.</p>