Iowa State University Top Questions

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

Spencer

A more in depth look at offered classes and strength of the programs.

David

That no high school relationship can withstand long distance if you go to colleges more than an hour apart. I made the mistake of staying with my high school girlfriend and we were two hours apart - it got ugly when I found out she had cheated on me multiple times just in the first few months while being at school. I'm really trying to say that it isn't likely that the person you want to end up with for the rest of your life went to your high school. Don't be afraid to get a fresh start.

Rachel

I wish I knew where everything was located. I was completely lost the first two weeks, as to where I was even at.

Kali

Before I came to Iowa State University, I wish someone would have told me that college is nothing like high school. With all the new freedoms, you cannot abuse them; you have to quickly adjust and keep up with your academics otherwise you will fall behind fairly quickly. Once you have fallen behind, it is almost impossible to catch up with all your classwork.

Jacob

I wish I knew just how fast paced college courses, especially engineering courses, really are. There is no slowing down, because the material needs to be covered and is crucial to continuing on course within your desired major.

Caitlin

I had actually not visited Iowa State before my summer orientation as a new student. The only thing I wish I knew beforehand was what I wanted to do with my time at Iowa State more fully -- with every class I take, I learn how much more I want to know and how much more I want to be involved with on campus. I guess, ultimately, I wish I could have foreseen the balancing act I'd have between school and extracurriculars.

Amy

Nothing, it was what I had expected.

Nakisa

One thing I wish I would have done is a campus visit before coming to this school. For myself financially, this was the only school I could attend that had a great program for what I wanted to major in. However the small city of Ames takes a little getting used to when you're more of a "city" girl. It is a very small town, so for all schools that any student applies for, I think it would be worth it to visit the campus and make sure you would be happy living there.

Rita

I wish I knew about all the different activities and clubs that exist on campus. There are so many things you can do around campus like fitness classes and sports teams, art and music clubs, as well as club for pretty much every major that exsists on campus. There are also a lot of activities going on such as talent shows, job fairs, movie nights and such.

Emillio

I wish I would have known how to organize my schedule more properly as to not feel overwhelmed by the different thing going on between classes and campus life.

Laura

Something that I wish I would have known before I came to school is to become involved in everything that you can. The more involved you are the more you are helping to enhance your social and acedemic life, figure out what best suits you, and add experiences to your resume.

Dallas

Freshman year is going to be much easier than your remaining years. Do not let it set the bar for your last 3 years.

Haley

I wish I would have know the difficulties I faced as a transfer student. GPA's do not transfer so it was quite difficult filling out scholarship applications when I didn't have an official GPA on file. It only drove me to work harder on the semester so that once I did have a GPA at Iowa State it would be a great one but I wish I could have known so I could have prepared.

Kevin

I wish I had known how to study.

Alexandra

Before coming to school here, I wish I would have been informed more about involvement on campus such as, Homecoming, VEISHEA, Clubs, and living in the dorms. I have noticed that some dorms are more involved and social with each other, while the dorm I live in is quiet, and not involved at all. It would have been more beneficial to know the best ways to get to know others on campus. My set goal when coming to school was get educated and meet a lot of new people, which I am continuing to do just at a slower pace.

Rachel

I wish I had been reassured how awesome it was going to be! I never knew college was going to be this cool or that I would love it so much!

Austin

I wish that I had developed the capacity to act upon what I actully wanted. I think that being forced to go to high school, regardless of my feelings on high school itself, turned me into someone who seeked to please others and I lost the ability to act in a way that truly reflected what I wanted. I'm in school now and people tell me to "do what you want," and I really have no idea how to do that or even what that means.

April

join many clubs when you first get here (go to clubfest or look online) and get involved in leadership positions early on because it helps your resume later on.

Liesel

I wish I would of known about all the hidden fees there are when it comes to registering for classes and buying books.

Emma

I wish i wouldve known how to adjust to living on my own before moving in. It took a while to get into the swing of things if you have never been idependant from your parent before college.

Michaela

I wish I would have known how much debt I was getting myself into, Iowa State University has always been my dream, but being from out of state, the tuition is crazy expensive. I'm not sure if I would change my mind about coming to this college, because I absolutely love it. But I wish I would have though more about gaining Iowa Citizenship before committing to this college.

Alexander

I wish I would have done more reasearch on how many majors were offered.

Madison

I wish I would have known the stress that is needed to be put on studying. It is a completely different ball-game than high school. Hours upon hours of studying have to be put into EACH class. It takes a lot of dedication and persistance, but it can be done. If anything, I wish i would have known that I would basically have no social life because every free minute is dedicated to getting that better grade.

Brandon

How to save money and not spend it on projects related to class.

Colton

The one thing I wish I had known is how to study and keep classwork at its best. I waited a little too long to get help my first semester, but I ended up ok. I plan to learn from my first semester and start getting my GPA where I want it to be.

Shelby

I wish I would have known how lonely and homesick you can get when you come from another state. Coming here to Iowa from the Chicago area was also a bit of a culture shock. I'm not used to smelling manure and seeing tractors on a daily basis. Being six hours from home with none of my friends or family make the adjustment to living here very difficult. And due to the differences between many of the people here and myself, I have found it hard to make friends.

Melissa

I wish I would have known how big the campus is at first but after you get used to it, it doesn't seem that big. Also, always make time to talk to your CA and academic adviser because they can be so useful in finding new dreams and writing recommendations for anything.

Daniel

My academic advisor has been lacklustre; there were two courses my fall semester that I should have been able to bypass due to transfer credits, but he insisted I had to take them. I later found out through friends who had skipped the courses. After residence hall preferencing, I was stuck in a hall I hadn't preferenced, with no air conditioning.

Elena

When coming to school people had informed me that it would be a lot more work and more time management but I just thought, "Oh everyone says that." Once at college though I soon discovered that everything that everyone had told me was true and that the new free time isn't really "free time" instead I would say this new found time is actually new responsibility. With all the time in college I had to learn how to be get my homework done and stay on top of my classes while still wanting to have fun.

Lauren

I wish I would have known how cold it gets in Ames, it is like a whole different kind of cold from anywhere else in Iowa but it is easily manageable with the bus system!

Mitchell

I wish I had known the dorm buildings are kind of old.

Cooper

I wish that I would have known about Iowa State's athletic program before I came here. I was an athlete in highschool and miss the competition!

Lauren

Before coming to Iowa State University, I wish I had known just how much I would love the school and my experience there, despite it being out of my comfort zone. Very few of my peers from high school chose this school and it was my first time living outside my home state of Minnesota, I was also in a long-distance relationship. I was filled with a lot of anxiety and did not give the school a fair chance at first. Luckily after my first year I finally embraced the school and truly fell in love with it.

Stephanie

I wish I would have known how involved and benefical it would be to join the Greek system on campus. They do so many activities interacting with fraternaties and other sororities, and seem to be involved in many difference campus activities. For example they are widely invloved with organizing and participating in Homecoming events on our campus.

Heidi

I wish I had known more about how involved I would be able to be. With so many different things to do on campus, it was hard for me at first to priortize and determine how much I could really commit to. It is important to understand as a new student that although being involved is important, learning and getting good grades is really what you are at the university to do.

Ryan

I wish I had known how easy it is to get involved in different things on campus and how welcoming everyone is once you do get involved.

Kelsey

I wish I had known how involved the school was with the Greek life. I would have conisdered joining a sorority my first semester of college If I had known how involved the Greek Community is at Iowa State.

Allison

I wish I had known how much time is necessary to put in outside of class in order to get your work done and learn the material.

Christina

Before coming to Iowa State, I wish I would have prepared myself more. High school and college are very different, socially and academically. I wish I took more classes that involved my major. In addition, I wish I mentally prepared myself to meet and open up to new people, in an attempt to make friends. I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, people at my high school were very snobby, however, when I got to Iowa State, the people were so pleasant and personable, making me feel right at home.

Ryan

I wish that I would have understood the advisor proccess and why they are there. Along with how much they really would help and how personal they would be in helping me with my education. Also how much work it would be to just sign up for classes and deciding which classes to take and how little your advisor helps you through this proccess.

Paul

I wish I had asked the people I knew in college what to bring to college. There were so many times when I called my mom and had to have her mail something from home that I could have brought my first day. Especially when it as averaging around 100 degrees that first week!!!

William

Before I attended Iowa State University, I wish I would have known the campus better so I would not get lost going to class the first week.

Micah

I wish I had known more about the research opportunities. There are many available, but they are not particularly interesting to me. I would recommending looking into research at the school if its some thing you are interested in.

Kristen

I wish I had known that I only get four years as an undergraduate student at Iowa State and that my time would fly by quickly. Now that I am a junior, I am realizing that my time is dwindling quickly and more and more of my friends are graduating. Even if someone tells you college will go by quickly, it doesn't always sink it. It often takes personal experience to truly understand something. I wish I had understood that better as a freshman.

Heather

I wish I had known how important it is to get involved! Club fest is a great way to find out about different organizations. Also, it is very important to get to know the people on your floor. You will be spending all year with these people, so make some friends and avoid drama. Finally, it is very important to utilize your meal bundles. Regularly check your meal plan to make sure you are on track, and take advantage of extra sides by taking them back to your room. By doing this, I rarely bought groceries and saved money!

logan

I wish I would have known what scholarships applied specifically to me. There were a bunch of scholarships in a list and it was difficult to know which ones I was elligible for. Everything else was pretty straight forward and the school does a great job of advertising the resources.

Sarah

I wish I had known the difficult level of the courses I signed up for my first semester. Had I known I was taking two weed-out courses in the first semester, I would have changed some classes around.

Taylor

I wish I would have had a better idea of how much different an university is from a community college.

Janelle

The number of scholarships Iowa State University claims to offer are not as available as they make it appear.

Joshua

I wish I had known the small things such as managing my own finances, or how to properly ride the bus. When I first became a resident I had no idea of how to do anything. I did however have many of my peers show me the easy way to do things, and alot of my teachers help with the transition too.