<p>Would you go to Indiana University or the University of Iowa?</p>
<p>And why would you choose one school over the other?</p>
<p>That's not even close. Indiana hands down. Prettier campus, more highly rated schools (music, business etc). Great college experience.</p>
<p>Not to take anything away from Indiana, but Iowa is actually higher ranked overall and has lots of very highly-ranked programs as well, if you're into the ratings. It's also very pretty, with a great town. It has a smaller population, which is nice though it's still plenty big. There is also less of a Greek presence, depending how you feel about Greeks. Sports are equally important there.
SoCal, you keep asking different variations of this same question -- I'm not sure anyone is going to be able to give you a definitive answer! Visit, or if you can't, apply to both and see what happens. The Iowa application is super easy.</p>
<p>Yeah... I understand that I've pretty much asked the same question multiple times.</p>
<p>But I really can't decide because schools like Indiana, Iowa, Michigan State, and Ohio State are all so similar. I don't want to apply to both of them, because you can't just add every school you like to your college list. If I did this I would have ASU and U of A on my list....Pepperdine, Portland, USD, and LMU....and Oregon, and pretty much every Big 10 School. Creating a nice balanced college list doesn't work like that. I've picked my instate options, my favorite overall school, two big sports schools in warm environments (1 a match, and 1 a safety), and I have Penn State (a match school), and now I need a safety in a college town with a Big 10 environment. I'm not going to add 4 Big 10 schools just because I can't decide. </p>
<p>So...even though I can't go wrong with my choice, I just want to make sure it's the best Big 10 school for me.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>What do you what to major in?</p>
<p>I want to either major in business (marketing or finance), communications (media studies or public relations), or sports management.</p>
<p>So academically speaking, Indiana is stronger, but is the gap big enough to choose IU over Iowa?</p>
<p>For those fields, yes, pick Indiana.</p>
<p>Just previewed my post and found yor latest one, but my comments are still valid.</p>
<p>Why do you want a Big 10 school? Ignore the athletics, you will find many other conferences with equally good athletics (or better) and school sports spirit. People in other areas are just as passionate about their school sports. When choosing a public Midwest school you should be focusing on why you want to spend 4 years here instead of on either coast. Then you need to learn a lot about this part of the country. Around here many would not understand the differences between northern and southern California- everyone there knows them. The best Big 10 school will have a lot in common with your CA choices regarding academics, school size, town size, liberalness, greek presence and all the other factors. I notice you didn't mention Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, Illinois... The climate and terrain does vary from north to south. Iowa City is a vibrant, beautiful, intellectual city. Columbus is a large city. East Lansing is much closer to the northwoods and downhill skiing. Bloomington is a small town in hotter southern Indiana. Consider that you will be spending your time with well over half of the student body from the state you choose- which state culture do you want to immerse yourself in?</p>
<p>There is nothing sacred about Big 10 schools, they are as varied as schools in any other conference. You will find that athletics are not the most important part of your life, even at the most rabid school sports school. Focus on your academic needs first. Compare Iowa to Indiana, see if you can imagine yourself living in each for 4 years. If you can't get excited about either of them, don't bother applying.</p>
<p>If you want a Midwest public school on your list go through your list of priorities, there may be a good one in one of your majors that is in another conference that could suit you better. Also, private schools will give more financial aid, consider them, too.</p>
<p>Well I can see myself going to both Iowa and Indiana. I think the Midwest would be a nice change...for my college years at least.</p>
<p>And I've went through pretty much every public school in the country, and Iowa/Indiana are my favorites, along with the other public schools on my list.</p>
<p>And as for privates...I've went through those as well.</p>
<p>SoCal, where do you want to end up living after college? If you want to end up in Chicago or Indianapolis, then a midwestern school is great. You will find many alums to network with. If you want to go to New York or back to California, then you won't find as many contacts through your alumni network. Indianapolis is a wonderful sports town with pro sports and even more non-major sports. They have minor league baseball, and world class swimming and tennis facilities. I just went to USA Swimming Summer Nationals over there a couple weeks ago. </p>
<p>Also, you need to realize that it gets really cold here in the midwest in the winter. It can be a miserable cold, not a nice, brisk, dry cold like when you go skiing at Lake Tahoe. Indiana will have warmer weather than Iowa. </p>
<p>I know plenty of people who went to Indiana and to Iowa. They all loved it and are rabid fans of their respective schools. Most kids who go to college who are reasonably well-adjusted end up loving the school they chose. The ones who don't either come home to community college or transfer to another school and life goes on. Just pick one. You probably won't end up going to your safety school anyway.</p>
<p>Thanks...</p>
<p>I know a lot about Indiana, but not much about Iowa. So any info on Iowa?</p>
<p>Sorry, I don't know a whole lot about Iowa, but I have been there and it looks like a very nice school. The student body appears to be pretty midwestern and not terribly diverse. I took my soon-to-be senior son there and he preferred Indiana. We went on perhaps the worst weather day of the year with driving freezing rain so I'm sure that had something to do with it. If he didn't like Indiana so much, I would take him back for another visit because I'm sure he would like it. I know several students that go there and they like it a lot, especially the hard partiers. The campus and the town are very pretty.</p>
<p>My son has chosen Indiana as his first choice. He has filled out the application online but hasn't sent it in yet because his schedule for this year hasn't been finalized. He will probably go there if he is accepted which he should have no problem with. He has grown up in a Big 10 town so his criteria for a school is that it be Big 10, not too close to home and not too far away so that leaves Indiana, Iowa and Purdue. Once he saw Indiana, he loved it. </p>
<p>It just seems to me that if you are from Southern CA and your first choices of schools are at the beach or in the desert that you might not be really happy with a midwestern school.</p>
<p>Yeah...Schools like UMiami, Loyola Marymount, San Diego State, Florida State, and Arizona are probably better fits for me because I love warm weather. And I would also prefer to be within 15 minutes of the beach, but it's impossible to be that picky with weather and location, and still have big time sports. </p>
<p>So just to have the option of going to a small Midwest college town with Big 10 sports is what I'm looking for. I love Penn State and Indiana. But I'm thinking Iowa might be a great choice too. So I'm considering replacing Indiana with Iowa. I really don't know....so any info on Iowa would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>I live in a small Iowa town (po. under 300) and U. of Iowa is very diverse, considering small towns tend to be white. Last year the whole H.S. had 4 black kids and one Asian, and several half-hispanics, but even they looked white, one is a red-head. But, remember I go to a small school, the class of '08 will probably have 35-40 kids graduating. </p>
<p>Anyway, all I'm going to say is that my cousin got a job(selling advertising for bill boards) in Chicago because the boss's son-in-law went to Iowa State, and they thought he was a very hard-worker, so they hired her because she's from Iowa.
But, I have heard other people say that they got a job because they were from Iowa. It wasn't, like, you're from Iowa here's a job. It was more like a bunch of finalist from California or Florida, etc. and only one from Iowa. It will make you unique.</p>
<p>Also,what did you want to about Iowa?</p>
<p>I guess I just want to know about the Midwest in general and how Iowa compares to other states.</p>
<p>So what is the typical Iowan like? I know California is known for being laid-back, but my friends who have visited the Midwest say the Midwest is on a whole other level. Is life just really slow and relaxing? </p>
<p>And what is your opinion of UIowa and its atmosphere and student body?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I've got news for you SoCal, but California is not very laid-back. Everytime I visit I get the sense that everyone there is in a constant competition for limited space, time and resources. Got to go,go,go all the time and protect your turf to make enough money to afford to live there. People will stand in a parking lot talking and glare at you territorially for suggesting they move a little to make way for other people who want to park and shop. That would never happen in Iowa or the rest of fly-over country.</p>
<p>The winters in Iowa and Nebraska are brutal and last forever. You just wouldn't believe it.</p>
<p>princeton review pegs University of Iowa as first in partying, and 1st where students spend the least amount of time outside of class studying.</p>
<p>Gahd, we were sort of gearing up for U of Iowa until we saw THAT. Our student is the opposite of that kind of profile.</p>
<p>I am not sure how rigorous PR is in its surveying. I know the party designation seems to change yr to yr. I believe I saw IU get that top party mark only a few yrs ago in a web search.</p>
<p>so if you like a 4 yr party, it seems that either would be ok.</p>
<p>The Midwest is pretty laid-back, one thing would be clothes. Not very many people would spend $100 on a shirt. People don't care where you bought your clothes, just that they look good on you. In High school, not counting team dress-up days for sports, everyone wears jeans/sweats and a t-shirt/ sweatshirt. Most peolpe are Friendly and you don't have to worry about burglary, people go on two week vacations and don't even lock their doors. You just don't have to.
And if your worried about it being a party school, don't. As long as you don't try and be a prefect saint, they won't care too much.</p>
<p>If you're worried about the weather, the Midwest is all the same, hot and humid summers, nice spring/fall, and cold winters. So it won't make a difference between Iowa/Indiana.</p>
<p>Also, don't compare it to Cal. Or any other region. If you do, you won't find the good parts about the Midwest. It would be like going to another country and constantly comparing it to the US. When you're there, take things as there are.</p>
<p>There will every type of person you can think of. Just with smaller groups. Although, a lot of the hicks stay at community colleges. Oh, and don't worry, very few peolpe only think of farming.</p>
<p>Forgot to add, be ready for half the commercials to be about political stuff. They start running pretty early, or maybe that's true across the country.</p>
<p>I still worry about your emphasis on Big 10 sports. I think you may have a false impression that the entire atmosphere at these schools revolves around the football/basketball... events. I know the incredible Wis scene, but I also know it is a large enough school those not interested in athletics can easily ignore them. There are only so many home games and much more academic time to consider. Other schools may not have the atmosphere you imagine they do- what if you become surrounded by those who don't care? Will the rest of the campus culture suit you?</p>