The Iowa State Experience

College it was tough trying to decide where I wanted to go to school my folks were supportive the guidance counselor's offered their advice and there were a thousand catalogs but the decision was mine out of all the options I had I'm convinced Iowa State was the best this is a great university not only for its excellent faculty academic programs and social life but in addition to these big school resources there's a unique small school charm it's well worth your time to look at Iowa State come on inside and let me introduce you to a few people that can tell you a little bit more about Iowa State hey everybody the pizza's here plenty for everybody hi my name is Troy I'm from Denver Colorado and I'm studying civil engineering here at Iowa State today I'm here with a few of my friends from the Student Alumni Association let me have them introduce themselves hi I'm Andrew I'm studying Industrial Engineering and from Chicago Illinois hi I'm Jenna I'm studying English and I'm from st. Paul Minnesota my name is Mark and I'm studying agricultural business here at Iowa State and I'm from Inwood Iowa hi my name is Jill I'm majoring in journalism and mass communications and I'm from Audubon Iowa my name is Naomi I'm from Cherokee Iowa and I'm majoring in accounting hi my name is Bryce I'm majoring in chemical engineering and I grew up in Ames which of course is where I always say is located and my name is Charlene I'm double majoring in sociology and anthropology and I'm from Donaldson Iowa when I first started looking at colleges I heard Iowa State had one of the best engineering schools and that got me interested there were schools on the East Coast and the west coast but the Midwest seemed the most comfortable then I visited the campus and I was amazed at how friendly a school with over 20,000 people could be I got to know some great friends in a really short amount of time when I started classes in the fall the professors were just as friendly and that made the transition from home to college just that much easier in fact gen knows a little bit more about the academics what can you tell us Jim I think one of the most important things to look at when you're choosing a college or university is the quality of the education that you'll be receiving and I really feel that at Iowa State I have received a world-class education and I feel that for two reasons first of all look at who we've got in our classrooms we have professors who are Pulitzer prize-winning authors and internationally recognized scientist and people who are leaders in their field teaching us what they know and I think that's an incredible opportunity second all of my professors and my advisers have really become mentors for me taking an interest not only in what I'm doing in their class but what I'm doing in all of my classes and in my outside activities realizing that all of that contributes to my education and I think these two elements together really contribute to the fact that the education I've received at Iowa State is out of this world you're right Jen and you know one of the best things about Iowa State is the technology with over 50 computer labs on campus I can always find a computer to work on when I need it and we also have project Vincente the computing network on campus computer labs offices and even residence halls all over campus are connected to the network project Vincente also has direct internet access that means that everybody has free access to the internet I can use email in even the world wide web but that's not all Iowa State is one of the top research universities in the country that means there's a ton of research going on here in fact some of the most technologically advanced products have been developed by ISU alumni well that's right Naomi in addition to famous Iowa State grads such as George Washington Carver and Carrie Chapman Catt Iowa State graduates have been instrumental in development of such modern-day conveniences as a first computer microwave pocket calculator and even a first fax machine on a lighter note Iowa State grads are responsible for inventing such thing as Pringles potato chips the silicon dinosaurs in Jurassic Park and even the building of the Gateway Arch in st. Louis Iowa State currently has placement offices in all seven colleges to help current students find part-time jobs and internships and help graduating seniors find full-time employment as a student in the College of Agriculture our placement office finds jobs for ninety to ninety-five percent of graduates within 30 to 60 days after graduation we both such famous alumni as John Ruan president and CEO of the Ruan foundation in Des Moines and Henry Wallace former United States Secretary of Agriculture who went on to become vice president United States both of these alumni realized the benefits they receive from Iowa State Education and even this day they continued to contribute scholarships to Iowa State students Jill tell us a bit more about the financial aid opportunities at Iowa State mark there are plenty of opportunities to be able to financial education here there are scholarships loans and you can also have employment you can get jobs through student employment center all you have to do is go in and they'll help set you up for either an on or off-campus job and as far as scholarships goes all you need to do to apply is fill out a free application for federal student aid you can get one from your guidance counselor and just by filling out that one form you're applying for all the scholarships at ISU offers a new twenty six million dollar president scholarship campaign is also unique to ISU and in addition to scholarships there are also many grants available and don't worry about needing much money when you're at Iowa State not many people have a lot of spending money so there are plenty of free and inexpensive things to do in Ames there are also plenty of opportunities to find a really great place to live both on and off campus and there is something here for everyone if it's a social atmosphere you're looking for as well as a living working and studying environment there are three separate residence hall associations on campus each one is divided into different floors and houses each floor becomes a community of its own and you become friends with everybody very quickly there's also an extensive fraternity and sorority system here the Greek system offers opportunities for leadership and provides the same social benefits as the residence halls when you first arrived as a freshman the people here at Iowa State makes sure that there are plenty of chances to get to know people before you know it you're making lifelong friendships Andrew why don't you tell us a little bit more about socializing okay coming to Iowa State University you're not only studying here for your education but also that is important for you to know what you like to do here in order to balance your academic life ios8 University offers more than 500 divers type of organization on campus that match each and every one of your interest to be involved within this organization to take leadership roles among other students to socialize with other students faculty and staff will give you benefit as follows for freshmen or incoming students we will prevent you for getting bored it will prevent you for getting homesick for a while but eventually it will get you going in general you'll be able to build positive attitudes between yourself to face every single aspect of your lives and the most important thing you will be able to get along very well with others in the time at Iowa State I'm enjoying so much working with faculty staff and other students and Ames community well and I grew up in Ames and I decided to come to Iowa State for many reasons one of the neatest things about Iowa State is that it's community totally on its own it's separate from the city of Ames yet it's also a totally integral part of the ant's community Ames has a population of 50,000 people and since half of those people are college students all the activities and opportunities in the area are geared towards young people the community of Ames really enjoys its role as a traditional college town you can see Troy Davis rush for 300 yards the Rolling Stones in concert and even the Leningrad Philharmonic in all the same weekend the Iowa State Center has a ton of events going on and the campus nightlife and weekends are great you'll find that Ames has all the advantages of a larger city in a place that truly feels like a hometown I visited a lot of campuses when I was trying to find a school that was just right for me and I can honestly say that Iowa State has one of the most beautiful campuses in every season Iowa State's campus has everything from beautiful old traditional buildings to brand-new high-tech facilities it seems that every student has their own favorite place on campus from logger marcinho courtyard to the Campanile or a union or even central campus but my favorite thing about Iowa State's campus is how small it feels for how big it really is you can't go anywhere without seeing a friendly face you're right Bryce we all agree you should investigate Iowa State University talk to an alumnus or talk to somebody you know and see what they think about the university then take a chance and visit us on an experienced Iowa State day tour you'll be glad you did you