Questions about Housing/Honors Program/Iowa in General?

<p>I got admitted into Iowa recently and apparently if you don't apply for housing by now I heard that you have slim chances of even getting housing/get temporary housing/get bad housing.I want to do the honors program anyway and am petitioning to get in since I only have a 27 ACT and 3.5 gpa...When I apply for housing should I put Daum on their even if I haven't been accepted or another residence house as well? I'm really hoping to get into Daum but if I don't, what my options are for housing/what should they be?</p>

<p>Also I have just a couple of other questions about Iowa
1.How big are the classes for incoming freshman? I know they are pretty big but are they more than 100? And if so can one still get plenty of individual attention?
2. Is it a generally safe school/athmospere?
3.Any input on other dorms and pro/cons of them?</p>

<p>Any other input about Iowa would be welcomed as well! Thank-You for your help! :)</p>

<p>I don’t go to Iowa, but I have friends who do (I go to a high school that usually sends about 30 kids to Iowa each year). I can’t answer anything about the honors program, so sorry about that.</p>

<p>I have friends who didn’t enroll/apply for housing until april, and are living on campus. So in December, I’m sure lots of housing is still available.</p>

<p>My friends who are freshmen this year have been in some pretty big classes, but I think that should be almost expected since it’s a big school. </p>

<p>Iowa City is pretty safe. It’s not a very big city, and I’ve never heard of any student being in an unsafe situation. I did a summer camp there, and I always felt safe, even when we were walking around the city at night. </p>

<p>As for other stuff, if you don’t know, Iowa is well-known for being a party school. My friends who like to party absolutely love the social scene (especially my friend who joined a fraternity). But I do have friends who don’t party as much or at all, and they still find plenty of friends and stuff to do.</p>

<p>Thanks! I was becoming really stressed out that I hadn’t applied for housing yet so thats really nice to know!</p>

<p>Roxi, do not be stressed out. You will find yourself in housing that you are happy with. Remember, it’s more about your roommate, and the others on the floor, and all those intangibles rather than “Drat. I got into the Bad Dorm. I am doomed.”</p>

<p>A couple realities, and I speak from experience as my son was in Honors and applied to Daum.

  1. Your application date of today (for example) does not put you in jeopardy of not getting a room - for sure you will not be left out. Nor will you get temporary housing. These would be concerns if this were March. And temp housing, incidentally, is not a death sentence as most students get placed into real rooms within a couple weeks.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Daum is in very high demand and I would guess your chances of getting it are no better than 50-50 at this point. But nonetheless, make it your first choice.</p></li>
<li><p>For your other choices, remember that Daum is not the only Honors option. There are a couple others - they want to accomodate everyone who wants Honors housing, not exclude them. And beyond Honors housing, there are the Living Learning Communities for many areas such as engineering, health care, etc. Those are nice options also. And those dorms called out as Quiet House will have a more serious atmosphere and kids of the same general inclination as Honors.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Class size - yes, they will be big. Lectures are over 100 but discussion sections are small. It’s the way big public universities work. As for attention, and you will hear this from anyone at big schools: it’s there if you want it. But you need to be resourceful and tenacious in getting it. Here are the options you have if you have trouble in Calculus, for example: go to prof’s office hours, go to TA’s office hours, go to ANOTHER calc prof’s office hours (if you hate yours), get tutoring from the math dept (free), view videos on Khan Academy website. My son finished his 3rd semester of engineering and has had to use every one of these at one time or another. He spent his whole first year learning this as it’s totally NOT how things are done in HS.</p>

<p>I believe Manders’ other comments are accurate with respect to safety and social scene (from my senile parental observation).</p>

<p>Good luck! Oh, and apply for housing.</p>

<p>Information on all Honors housing options can be found here:
[Honors</a> Program Places](<a href=“http://honors.uiowa.edu/places/learncoms/index.shtml]Honors”>http://honors.uiowa.edu/places/learncoms/index.shtml)</p>