<p>My daughter has one day to decide between Iowa State in Ames, Iowa and Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colorado. Both schools are equal in size (25,000) and programs.</p>
<p>Iowa State: Closer to home - a 4 hour drive. Her sister goes there and so will 52 or her classmates (however her class is about 600 so she will only see them if she makes an effort). She will have access to the car her sister has. She likes the school and campus but not the area. Cost is about $8,000 to $10,000 less per year than Colorado.</p>
<p>Colorado State: A 2 1/2 hour flight or 13+ hour drive. LOVES the campus and the area. 1 person from high school attending that she is not friends with. Cost is $8,000+ more plus transportation.</p>
<p>Would love to hear from students attending either college or those that have gone far from home. One of her biggest concerns is missing family and friends... otherwise Colorado would be her first choice. She is torn between the two. Thanks for any advice!</p>
<p>I attend ISU and actually faced a similar debate--CU-Boulder or ISU. </p>
<p>Yeah the area around Ames isn't the greatest (farmland) but Des Moines is less than 30 minutes away and there's plenty to do on-campus and in the town of Ames. Honestly I don't leave Ames often because when I'm not in class/studying or at work, I'm on campus or in the "campustown" area just south of campus, at an athletic event, or going out to eat in town with some friends. There's plenty to do. </p>
<p>I was hellbent on getting out of Iowa and UNC was my top choice but when it came down to money I chose to stay in-state, and now I can't imagine going to school anywhere else.</p>
<p>Any other questions, PM me. Can I ask what her major is?</p>
<p>Well I had to decide between CU-Boulder and UMiami. I thought I was going to pick CU the whole year but then right after I did a campus visit I realized that Miami had everything I was looking for and Colorado just wasn't it.<br>
Colorado is a beautiful state with mountains and amazing scenery, but you have to make sure you enjoy everything it has to offer, because if you don't really like it much, such as snowboarding or hiking, then the experience in Colorado won't be as great as it should be. That being said, I drove through Iowa(yes, so take what i say with a grain of salt) but it seemed extremely boring, and I don't think I'd ever want to live there.</p>
<p>Despite the distance, and the inevitable homesickness, this is a great chance to experience the sunshine-filled blue skies of the Rockies. The winters are much milder due to the sun, the landscape is beautiful, and there is easy access to recreation (Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park), Boulder, and Denver. Assuming you are coming from the mid-west it would be a real treat. Yellowstone and Grand Teton Nat'l Parks are within a long day's drive (think summer jobs/spring break).</p>
<p>Ames is a lovely, friendly town, but there really is not much to do. Winters are much colder and windier.</p>
<p>Which program are you planning on studying? My brother was looking at the two and ended up deciding on CSU (pre-vet).</p>
<p>I haven't been to CSU, but I did visit ISU and got accepted. Both are similar in academics, but I feel Fort Collins is a lot better than Ames hands down. It wasn't until I got into college that I realized how important having a great town/city was. I love the city I'm going to school at, plenty to do, but still has that college feel. To me, I'm afraid your daughter might get a little bored living in Ames. There isn't much to do in the city, and going to parties gets old after a while. With CSU, you're daughter has some amazing places to eat, bars to drink at, and activities downtown. I have some friends from Fort Collins that go to my school and they are absolutely in love with their hometown.</p>
<p>She is interested in cultural studies and may go into counseling or social work. She is also very interested in the Peace Corps. She would like to explore different avenues. She is a strong B student. As far as things she likes to do, she has been involved in dance, tennis, tutoring programs for young kids and other volunteer work. She also loves hiking which of course, Colorado has a lot of.</p>
<p>The other consideration we have of course is money. Iowa State is several thousand dollars less expensive per year and seem to be more liberal with giving money. Colorado State did not offer money and probably never will.</p>