University of Northern Iowa Top Questions

What do you consider the worst thing about your school? Why?

Madeline

The campus is very windy and it can get extremely cold. We have a lot of snow and ice that can be dangerous if you aren't careful. Since you walk to class from a dorm or an apartment, the weather is a huge hassle.

kayla

that all the college credits dont transfer because there were quite a few of mine that didn't transfer and now I am running out of financial aid and no way to pay for college

Elizabeth

Worst thing? The worst thing about UNI is the winters. Cedar Falls is very cold, and they say that wind from the north doesn't stop blowing until it hits the towers on campus. There are wind tunnels on campus everywhere! You have to bundle up and get a warm jacket to wear for sure!

Gabrielle

The worst thing about the University of Northern Iowa is probably the dorm life. Although they are now building new on campus appartments called Panther Village and those are going to be really nice. The bathrooms in the dorm can get kind of gross because there's about 60 girls to a bathroom area and it only gets cleaned once a day and doesnt get cleaned on Sundays. For now I am just stuck with an older room without air conditioning and the heater makes a clanging noise all the time. It's not bad, just not good.

Brittney

I don't know

Kathleen

I think a lot of students complain about how the administration can give you the run around when adding and dropping courses. This is only because you cannot just go the main building, Gilchrest to switch things over. A student must go to different buildings to get a couple of signatures. It is not horrible thing however as a student who has been given the run around I would hope that the university would be more technologically advanced to this in one area.

Lori

The worst thing about UNI is that more and more adjunct instructors are being brought in to teach. I think that devalues the education I receive as a student.

Jordan

I don't think there is anything bad about it besides the dorms could really use wireless internet.

Karelyn

I would have to say the worst thing is that in the first year your classes can be fairly big. If you really want smaller classes you should watch what classes you pick or just find a school that better suits your class size preference.

Jillyn

Parking

Courtney

If I had to choose one thing I disliked about my school it would be the lack of school spirit we have. Our school is usually covered in apperal from other local state schools. We also have very small crowds of people that attend our sporting events. Our school also does not support extra activities very well such as: chorus, football, basketball, plays, etc... Besides that small fact I love everything else about the University of Northern Iowa

Abbie

The worst thing about my school is that a lot of the classes are geared towards powerpoints and lecturing. There is no room made for open discussion or any other opportunities for class participation. I wish there was more variety in teaching styles that would help keep the class focused rather than dozing off.

Cassandra

The worst thing about the school is the snow/weather. The university never cancels class when they should (-30 degrees out). They wait until the last minute to make paths, and they are horrible about plowing the parking lots. Oh and parking sucks.

Jessa

The worst thing about our school is the layout of the campus. The campus has had many additions and therefore spands across a wide range and has busy streets that go through the area. With the odd layout there are parking issues because of the inaccurate amount of parking and the distance from the dorm hall. While walking to classes from some dorns you often have to wait while traffic goes through.

Tasha

Some classes are so demanding and it is difficult to keep up with the course work plus other classes.

Rachel

I believe that the worst thing about my school is the lack of social opportunites within the classroom. By increasing the amount of time we can socialize with our classmates we would be able to form study groups easier, and thus create good social networking to help with our overall academic performance. With a majority of the classes being only lechures we are unable to get the classmate social network that is needed for better learning.

Melinda

My experience at the University of Northern Iowa was a very positive experience. At times, when taking required general education classes the size of the classes tended to be very large. This made it more difficult to get the personalized attention that some students were seeking. These students may felt more successful if the class size had been smaller.

Sydney

UNI is not very culturally diverse and friendly to different races. The students and faculty seem to judge students by their race and cultural background. Most people only spend time with people from their own race.

Kristen

Our school is not associated with the town, Cedar Falls. I wish going into town was easier. Also the fact that we are a regent school so now we have to figure out how to cut 11 percent of our budget out, which sucks!

Erin

It's so far from home.. Well i am from North Carolina and I came out here particularly to go to this school.

Ryan

that is is rather small. the campus is very beutiful and compact, but the city it is in is very small, wich makes it rather quiet and safe but some times boring.

Emma

The worst thing about the University of Northern Iowa is the winters because not only in Iowa, but up in Cedar falls it becomes extremley! Cold this year we had a new record of -32 degrees it was freezing!

Tiffany

Since it is a more conservative campus, being diverse can be a challenge. Many students are from small, rural communities and honestly don't know life outside of their hometown so it's very interesting.

Troy

It's a suitcase college; a lot of student go home every weekend.

Heather

Certain majors require you get your masters but then they don't offer an advanced program of that major.

Abby

I believe the worst thing about the University of Northern Iowa is the attitude of half of the professors. I have run across a lot of professors who sit on their high throne and are not willing to help or be understanding about anything. Many when approached for help treat students rudely and expect them to figure it out on their own. Along with being rude, some professors are just plain lazy. All professors are not this way, but when a student gets stuck with one that is it makes it extremely hard to learn or even want to learn.

Allison

I feel that some of the classes are too large and do not give the students a fair amount of time for one on one learning.

Victoria

People here tend to be really conservative. I just don't like how some students are really closed minded, many aren't, but there are enough here who are that you encounter them often enough.

Lacie

The lack of parking for students who don't live on campus because the lots are always full, and when you find a spot it is a pretty long walk.

Damon

It is very cold in the winter time.

Katelyn

The wind :-) A good majority of the teaching styles implemetned are focused on students teaching themselves, rather than the professors teaching, as we are paying them to teach us.

Cindy

The bus system. There is only one shuttle that runs through the campus. I wish they would have one that would drive around town to go to different places, or to pick those up who live off campus in the winter.

Kenny

They allow a lot of smart kids slip through the cracks. There isn't much outreach towards acedemically struggling students, especially new freshman who don't know how to access the resources availible to them. I am a producut of this problem as well as my roommate.

Leah

There are not a lot of bad things I can say about UNI. The winters in Northern Iowa are the worst, and that is probably the most discouraging thing...especially after last winter! I am extremely satisfied about everything at UNI, it has a big university feel with small class sizes. The sports are fantastic and there is a lot to do on the weekends. I have not met a professor I did not respect.

Ted

92 percent of the student body comes from Iowa. Some geographic diversity would be helpful in getting to know other parts of the nation.

Elizabeth

The availability of certain courses that may only be offered once every 2 years.

Ben

Our financial aid department seems focused on attracting high school students at the expense of students achieving at the University. In my case, I have been on the Dean's List for four semesters while being a Resident Assisstant and being in Student Government. Yet, I get no financial aid while I watch students come in (with worse high school scores than I had) that get whole years paid for. I transfered here and it's almost as if I am invisible to the FInancial Aid Department.