<p>Big10Padre, my son only applied to Indiana and Iowa. He was going to apply to UIUC, Purdue and Miami (OH) but once he visited Iowa, he was done with applications. He just loved the campus and the way he was treated on his tour of the engineering school. His brother goes to Indiana and actually, both my boys knew where they wanted to go by the time their tours were over. They are pretty easygoing guys though and would probably be happy anywhere that wasn’t too intellectual and had a big sports scene. IU was the only place my older son applied to.</p>
<p>I agree that Iowa is an underrated school. We know several people who attended Iowa, both recent graduates and parent-aged and every single one of them LOVED Iowa.</p>
<p>Well, we’ve become quite a crew of happy new Hawkeyes here, haven’t we? I think it’s great and am glad to see the concurring orientation visit reports!</p>
<p>On the topic of Other Schools: my son is interested in biomedical engineering and applied to UW Madison, Marquette and Iowa only. UW declined him, the others accepted. I am actually glad for UW’s decision because I think Iowa is a much better fit. The engineering college at UW really shrugged about things like internships, co-ops (which are semester-plus work assignments at real companies) and research assistance gigs with profs while Iowa has a very active office in the COE dedicated to just these things. I know a UW junior engineering student who didn’t know what the word “co-op” means - she’s spending her summer idle at home rather than gaining experience. UW is totally sitting on their laurels as a so-called Public Ivy while letting their students twist in the wind. I will bet my next paycheck that my son will have both research assistance and co-op experience and emerge from little old Iowa as a much stronger job candidate than he would’ve at UW. I am a UW alum and love Madison but it just doesn’t work for a large number of kids who, as you say, are clamoring to get in. Iowa is quietly doing a better job!! Plus the Badgers’ football program is in tatters.</p>
<p>Marquette has a great engineering rep and a strong co-op program but these things are highly strutctured and their are no opps for undergrads to do research. The honors program there is an elitist proposition while at Iowa it’s very down to earth. My son will have much more flexibility and opportunity to stretch his wings at Iowa than he would at Marquette.</p>
<p>So now it comes out, Beastman – the real motivation driving the Iowa decision is Iowa’s rising football fortunes I do think it is a nice “icing on the cake”. Well, if the UW program is in tatters, not sure how to describe the Illini’s fortunes. but I’d rather not think about it!</p>
<p>Kidding aside, I feel the same way about Iowa vs places like UIUC, similar to your feelings about UW. UIUC is a great school for the right kid, but Iowa seems so much better for our D for many of the same sorts of reasons you cited. </p>
<p>Izzie, I was very impressed by Indiana, for a student who would take advantage of all the breadth that it has to offer due to its sheer size, and I thought the administration has its act together there as well. For my D, I think Iowa is plenty large, and Indiana is over the top for her. I would not be surprised if you could take Iowa’s east campus and fit 5-10 of them inside Indiana’s campus. Will be interesting to see how you compare the two as you learn more about Iowa. </p>
<p>Finally, Beastman, I like that phrase – has a nice ring to it – “Happy Hawkeyes” indeed!</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your thoughts. I did have a good chuckle regarding Beast’s “kum-ba-ya” Iowa quip. Well done! </p>
<p>Beast - Glad you brought up Marquette. Older S also considered that school. Never was on our D’s radar. Had a good tour in '08 with our S. Impressed by the very personable admissions staff and had a very good meeting with one of the engineering profs. Did not care for the dorms or the locale. Overall, wife and I liked Marquette better than our S did. He liked the school ok, just wasn’t his top choice. Regarding your UW comments, I agree it can be very impersonal. Fortunately, our S’s had good experiences with his engineering adviser and with the placement office. He did score an engineering internship this summer. Hopefully, the school will continue to improve in both areas.</p>
<p>RWE - was frankly surprised about your KU visit. I’ve been on campus twice (business conferences) and came away impressed. KU’s relatively “close” for us, has solid academics, reasonable OOS tuition and is located in a nice college town. One of our D’s best friends (recruited athlete) attends there and raves about it. Our D considered looking at KU but, after her U of I visit, shut down looking/touring/applying to any other schools. RE: Indiana, I’ve been in Bloomington and have driven by the campus but have never taken a tour. No recent grads from our HS is attending there so my personal knowledge is limited. I understand it’s a strong school and I’ve always been a fan of BB Coach Tom Crean (see: Marquette Connection).</p>
<p>Izzie - see above regarding Indiana. I assume that there is a certain comfort in having your kids develop an instant affinity for their schools. Removes the angst and soul searching many kids have when it comes to selecting a college. We’re just glad both our S and D have chosen to attend schools that my wife and I liked, approved of and met our academic and budget criteria.</p>
<p>Thanks again to all.</p>
<p>P.S. Beast - I know that Ferentz is a better coach than Bielema but am guessing that the U of I vs UW game in Iowa City on 10/23 will be epic. Wife and I will need to split our loyalties that day : ).</p>
<p>Big10Padre, Re: KU, that was my D’s 1st choice and clear front-runner before the visits. I think on a different day with different weather and a better tour, there may have been a different outcome. I completely agree with you that KU is a great school, and overlooked by many outside of Kansas and the Midwest/Plains. I know several Jayhawks and they all loved their time there. I would have been quite happy with KU if she had decided to become a Jayhawk. </p>
<p>On a related note, it is really amazing how many college decisions hinge on little things that happen during a campus visit. There are some hilarious CC Parent threads on why students rejected a given school based on some trivial factor. In reality, I think sometimes students are not comfortable with a college for some conscious or subconscious reason, and then they find an un-related reason to reject the school. So perhaps she was uncomfortable there for some other reason. I will say in my D’s case, Iowa feels like a much better fit that KU, but it may be my Big 10 and Chicago-proximity bias coming through.</p>
<p>My son is now in his third year at Iowa. He was accepted at Kansas, Indiana, Michigan State and Illinois State.</p>
<p>He is in the Hawkeye Marching Band and Wanted to be in a BIG10 band. Indiana was too big and spread out and he couldnt get to meet with the band director. He didnt like the downtown area… When we got to Iowa he had a personal meet and greet with the Band director which we sat in on! He put on the charm. That did it… Iowa was the choice and a good one it turned out to be as my son has had the opportunity to attend two Bowl games with the Band! Go Hawkeyes! Also he loved that the downtown was actually part of campus with Campus buildings in the mix… Tons of places to eat etc… so much nicer than Indiana. Michigan State was even bigger than Indiana and he hated it! We appreciate the 3 1/2 hrs to get to Iowa as opposed to the over 5hrs to Indiana!!</p>
I think it’s great and am glad to see the concurring orientation visit reports!</p>