<p>I am considering Iowa as one of my choices.
Its just that I do not know if the people there are the ones I want to be with for 2-4years.
It is ranked in the top 100 of usnews, so thats good. Just, I came across a post saying</p>
<p>"...A girl got a 20 on her ACT and similar gpa , and still was admitted. you will be fine."</p>
<p>its great that they have a broad range of students, but if my classes are filled with people who cannot solve simple equations, or we review half the semester. I'm not sure if this is right for me. I would not consider myself as a super genius, but I still want to be with people who are really into school and learning.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>plzbefriend,
Welcome to the wonderful world of large public universities, where the only generalization you can make is that there are no generalizations. Think about the enrollment at a school like Iowa - 20k undergrads -vs that of a typical LAC - maybe 4k. Imagine what a wider slice of humanity you find at the big institutions, and all the good and bad that comes with that. Dunce girl with the 20 ACT? Yup, she’s there. Wicked smart pre-med girl with a 34 who will graduate in 3.5 years and go on to Stanford medical school? She’s there too.</p>
<p>It has been said many times on this forum and I believe it’s true - it might be easy to get into Iowa, but woe to you if you think it’s easy once you get there, esp. if your major is one of those in the Carver School of Medicine, or in engineering, or in…</p>
<p>The typical incoming freshman class at Iowa numbers over 4000. You will share classes with a small portion of them. You can choose your friends among them - as many or as few as you wish. As smart or as mediocre. In a school of 20k students, how many nicks and crannies of students do you think there are? Yes, quite a few.</p>
<p>Here’s the key for you and all seniors in the same boat: know thyself. Have you visited Iowa? You must, if you want to make an intelligent assessment of whether it’s right for you. Maybe you’ve just looked at it on paper, or online. If so, you don’t know the place. Go there, talk to the department in which you’re interested. Shadow a student. Attend some classes. Review your program of interest critically - Iowa is great for some and not others. But whatever you do, don’t make judgments based on the admittance of “a girl who got a 20 on her ACT…”</p>
<p>First of all, a test score does not measure intelligence, nor does a GPA. You will meet students who had low test scores and GPA at most schools. Some of those kids will blossom in college and may be your boss one day. :)</p>
<p>College is not high school. A calculus professor will expect his/her students to know the material and will not slow down or spend the first quarter reviewing material for the “dunce” in the class. The students who don’t understand the material will need to seek extra help, drop the class, or fail. Their ACT score and GPA will not make a difference to you unless you decide to copy their work. </p>
<p>Iowa seems to be more selective this year than they were in the past. Our high school Naviance scattergram shows those pesky little red x marks over the nice little green squares from previous years. </p>
<p>So relax plzbefriend, your classes won’t be “filled” with students who hold you back. If anything you will find that you will have to work harder than you ever imagined. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I used the term “dunce” with tongue in cheek. If this came off like a real criticism, I apologize. I was trying to make the point that a wide spectrum of students attend Iowa.</p>
<p>No apologies necessary Beastman. I actually chuckled when I read that, my dad used to threaten to put me in the corner with a dunce cap if I didn’t do my homework! :)</p>
<p>Have a Happy Thanksgiving.</p>