Iowa State University

Location

Ames isn’t exactly the bustling-with-life big city that you may have hoped was on your menu, and to be fair, there isn’t much around it to be too excited about either. Omaha, Lincoln, Minneapolis and Kansas City are all within driving distance, but are by no means nearby. All in all, it gets pretty boring here.

Campus

For a university that was born as early as 1858, ISU still looks magnificent. Of course, they have constantly revamped the buildings and added newer forms of architecture, and the latest technologies to their research centers, but somehow even the old buildings (which are still the cornerstones of the campus) have weathered a million storms and still come out strong. In a nutshell, the campus is brilliant.

Residing Options

Now, at ISU, you’ll probably be living off-campus if you’re a grad student, and fortunately for you, there are a million options. And it’s pretty easy to sort through options too – put simply, the closer you are to campus, the more you pay as rent. But whatever option you choose, you can rest assured that it’ll be cheaper than living in a dorm, and significantly more luxurious. Expect to spend anything between $150-300 per person per month, provided you get yourself a couple of roommates, of course. Most students settle for a place in Polo Run, Alpine, or Sterling University Plains, but just about anywhere on the bus route should do fine, to be fair.

Faculty

ISU is primarily a school of technology, and so has a host of professors who are pioneers in their respective fields. However, students often complain about the language/accent barrier coming in their way, and the teaching methods not always being up to the mark. But for every student who has ‘issues’, there are at least five others who are thoroughly pleased with the academics at ISU. What we can make out of this is that it’s probably pretty good.