Luther College vs. University of Iowa

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I've basically narrowed my search down to these two schools. I plan on majoring in something technology related, if I went to Iowa it would probably be Business Analytics and Information Systems in the Tippie College of Business. If I went to Luther it would probably be a double major of Computer Science and something else (suggestions?).</p>

<p>I really love music, and want it to be part of my life, which is what appeals to me so much at Luther. I also loved the tiny, cozy community. On the other hand, however, I loved Iowa's facilities, opportunities, and the town of Iowa City itself is amazing. The Tippie College of Business was really impressive. </p>

<p>Luther is offering 17k a year and I will also audition for a music scholarship and apply for work study.
Iowa is offering 2k a year, though I am In-State, so it is still cheaper for me overall. </p>

<p>Can you give any insight? I would love to hear from alums/current students of the schools. Is Luther dull? Does Iowa party too hard? </p>

<p>Also, if you would like to suggest any other schools, I love researching colleges in my free time. </p>

2

<p>I’d suggest you visit overnight to each to see what you think. They are very different places! St. Olaf is another school you might consider, very strong in music. More selective that Luther, though, so not sure what kind of merit aid you might get. Or Lawrence in Wisconsin, has a conservatory along with a traditional liberal arts college.</p>

3

<p>I’ve looked into St. Olaf, though I don’t think I’d get much merit there. I have a 29 ACT and a 3.4 unweighted GPA. I’ve heard of Lawrence and looks like a beautiful little place, but I think it may be too little for me. </p>

4

<p>Yeah, St. Olaf isn’t the greatest with merit aid. Agree that you should do overnights at each school to see which one feels like a better fit.</p>

5

<p>Do you have a gut feeling as to which one you like better? If so, consider going with that.</p>

<p>I know for my son, all it took were visits to Luther and Grinnell to know that LACs were not for him.</p>

<p>Visits to Iowa State, Iowa, and U MN confirmed that a large state U was where he needed to be.</p>

<p>What do your instincts tell you?</p>

<p>Does Iowa party too hard? Some do, some don’t. Just make sure that you are part of the don’t crowd if you go there. </p>

<p>Also, it’s Friday night, get off CC and go do something fun!!</p>

6

<p>Um… @haystack, YOU are on CC on Friday night… nothing wrong with that!</p>

7

<p>I’m 52, cranky, have a cold, and need to be at a recruiting event at 7am tomorrow morning. Plus, my dog needs someone to snuggle with.</p>

<p>If the OP wants to go to U Iowa, best to start the training process now.</p>

8

<p>Wow, I’m 52, have a cold, and am cranky because of it! :slight_smile: (Really!) So maybe we both have an excuse for being out here… </p>

9

<p>haha @Haystack‌ I have All State auditions tomorrow so I have to stay in and rest. I’ll be doing overnight soon at Luther. I need to figure out my Iowa overnight. Thanks a lot for your responses. </p>

10

<p>@Haystack, I realize you live/work at Univ of Iowa and I believe your son attends Iowa State and you seem to always portray the Iowa students as partiers and the Iowa State students as more academic and wholesome…my cousin is an Iowa State professor and can tell you plenty about what goes on in Ames-likely to match what you see & hear in Iowa City. OP if you plan on studying Business then yes, the Tippie School is a nice choice. Best of luck to you.</p>

11

<p>Luther would mean an outstanding undergraduate education with high-quality music. For business, check their career center: what matters most for your job placement is what internships you had.
A business major is often seen as a “vocational major by default for students who don’t know what to do” - it can lead to great career development but it doesn’t on its own bring a rigorous education and a sure job. The Tippie business school is good but remember you don’t need a business degree to get a job or work at a business. However you need a good career center that’ll help you find opportunities and internships.</p>

12

To anyone that looks at this thread later, I chose Luther College. I’ll be studying Computer Science with a possible double major of some sort.

13

Wow, congratulations! Thanks for letting us know.
Did you get grants/scholarships?

14

Yes I did get plenty of scholarships. They are offering me $17,000 a year, a $2500 first year scholarship, a $1000 first year scholarship, and $4000 a year for singing.

15

Congratulations :). It’ll be a perfect environment for you to grow and flourish. Make sure to use the career center right away, to plan for summer internships, to take at least one statistics class, to take advantage of every opportunity to see, to bask in the singing, and to enjoy your time there… :slight_smile:

16

Congratulations! Two of my sibs and several of my cousins graduated from Luther. They all loved their time there. Wishing you all the best in Decorah!

17

Hello,
I have applied to Luther college (class of 2020) and have been worried ever since if there are any chances for me. I am an international student and I can only contribute around 10000$-12000$ every year.
My SAT is 2140 (CR+M: 1410). My GPA is 9.0/10 for grade 10 & 11 and 8.8 for grade 12. Do you think I have a chance to attend Luther College with enough aid?
Thank you!

18

^^^^This original post is from 2014. It should be used for reference only.
If you want to ask your chances for Luther College I suggest you start a new post and put it on the chance page.