Thinking about it, it's also a good way to meet people of different backrounds - melting pot. Urban/rural, religion/race, rich/poor, et al. You can learn a lot about the world and meet a lot of different people with different experiences.
Son just got accepted for Fall 2022
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Thinking about it, it's also a good way to meet people of different backrounds - melting pot. Urban/rural, religion/race, rich/poor, et al. You can learn a lot about the world and meet a lot of different people with different experiences.
Oh just interesting stuff, and probably "study" just enough to learn it. History, sciences, whatever. I have always enjoyed learning anyway for its own sake, sort of a hobby I guess. But I wouldn't be afraid to take some physics/math, keep the brain sharp too.
My son took a beer/wine/spirits class his last semester. That's on the list; might even fail and re-take!
Many students found high school easy and/or had people pushing them to do the work. They get to college and no one is pushing and the bottom 2/3rds of the kids in their class pulling down the speed of lectures due to being a marginal college student are not there and they had to put in effort and it flops on them. I had 4 roommates while in the dorms at ISU and all four failed out. It is not uncommon.
I already posted about my freshman year but I guess I'll give my whole college living experience.
Freshman year: Friley - loved it, doing a year in the dorms is essential. It's how I made friends that first year that lasted through college and it's a good transition from living with parents to living on your own with really only half the responsibilities.
Sophomore year: Apartments in West Ames - Worst decision I ever made and I wouldn't recommend to anyone. Bus routes were limited so I skipped a fair share of classes because I wasn't gonna walk 2.5 miles if I missed a bus. My grades slipped because of this. I know that comes down to a personal responsibility/motivation factor but living this far off campus made my motivation a lot lower. I was limited from the social aspect of campus and felt secluded.
Junior/Senior Year: Moved into a house just west of state gym with some friends - This was the best decision ever. It was the stepping stone to real life and living in a place that I had full responsibilities for (other than maintenance expenses). I made some of the best memories of my life in this house. It was also a close walk to the engineering side of campus, state gym and the bars (which was very important). It was nice to have a yard and a fire pit for parties/bonfires/cookouts which was missing at the apartment. The only downside to this house is I'm sure I have permanent lung damage from the mold in the basement but oh well.
Super Senior Semester: Moved to an apartment on the east side of town near Duff - This was fine. It was a nice apartment with great amenities, but I had gotten used to living in a house. It was a great place to live during football season because it was a short walk to the stadium. At this point I had saved enough money from internships that I was comfortable wasting a little money to drive and park on campus for the few classes I had. If driving isn't an option I wouldn't recommend living too far off campus.
Freshman year: Friley - loved it, doing a year in the dorms is essential. It's how I made friends that first year that lasted through college and it's a good transition from living with parents to living on your own with really only half the responsibilities.
Sophomore year: Apartments in West Ames - Worst decision I ever made and I wouldn't recommend to anyone. Bus routes were limited so I skipped a fair share of classes because I wasn't gonna walk 2.5 miles if I missed a bus. My grades slipped because of this. I know that comes down to a personal responsibility/motivation factor but living this far off campus made my motivation a lot lower. I was limited from the social aspect of campus and felt secluded.
Junior/Senior Year: Moved into a house just west of state gym with some friends - This was the best decision ever. It was the stepping stone to real life and living in a place that I had full responsibilities for (other than maintenance expenses). I made some of the best memories of my life in this house. It was also a close walk to the engineering side of campus, state gym and the bars (which was very important). It was nice to have a yard and a fire pit for parties/bonfires/cookouts which was missing at the apartment. The only downside to this house is I'm sure I have permanent lung damage from the mold in the basement but oh well.
Super Senior Semester: Moved to an apartment on the east side of town near Duff - This was fine. It was a nice apartment with great amenities, but I had gotten used to living in a house. It was a great place to live during football season because it was a short walk to the stadium. At this point I had saved enough money from internships that I was comfortable wasting a little money to drive and park on campus for the few classes I had. If driving isn't an option I wouldn't recommend living too far off campus.
Wow, they did it different when I was there in the 70's.
I had a class where one guy was probably 30 and we all thought he was old, You would be called gramps if you went back NW.
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+1 one for Friley or Helser. Get the experience. Actually meet and get to know people.
Daughters were engineers (aero and Materials) and both lived in Friley freshman and sophomore years, and liked it. Close to most of their classes. But I had to build them a loft for their bed(s). Still have one in the garage, was thinking of trashing it for space, its yours if you want it 
I remember the Barker Brigade from back in the '80's. Is the lawn chair thing still in existence?
I was in Ag Bus, so living in BWR was kinda nice to get to all my econ and agronomy classes just north of us. Food Service in Oak-Elm which was close and playing basketball in then named building PEB just north of Oak Elm. Hilton and the JTS also an easy walk.
This is why I loved Friley. I was coming from small town Iowa, and didn't really need/want to just have my friend circle be at home people. I met so many wildly different people in my 2 years in Friley, I wouldn't change a thing. I think you should stay for 2 years. My current friend groups still revolve around the connects I made in the dorms.
You'd be amazed how some random connections from 15+ years ago make there way back into your lives later.
Another great thing about Friley (in my day) was you could leave your room and be in your seat for football in 5 minutes. Of course they had to go and move the stadium.
FWIW, my son actually said one of the best advice I gave him (and he listened to) when he started college was to get out of his dorm room, meet new people and don't limit his interactions only with those he knew from high school.
Some advice he'd probably give: Have a family member make/send boxes of cookies and cupcakes, then take them to the girls floor and hand them out.
Some advice he'd probably give: Have a family member make/send boxes of cookies and cupcakes, then take them to the girls floor and hand them out.
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Yea 24 dropped out of college or Iowa State. I know some went to DMACC to try and come back but he ended up transfering to Iowa and I never talked to him again. A few dudes were forced to go to college because of their parents but they just wanted to farm and stuff.
I think it proved that college isn't for everyone more than the dorm system failing them.
I had a class where one guy was probably 30 and we all thought he was old, You would be called gramps if you went back NW.
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I know that, and it probably won't ever happen, but I still enjoy walking across campus, it's amazing the number of buildings that have been added since I was there as a student. I've got a friend that is hoping to come back this fall I think he'll be shocked at how much the campus and Ames has changed since his last time there (late 80s early 90s)
I've actually looked at some of those OLLIE classes but I've been too busy for them.
Iowa State's five-year graduation rate is 74.05%. Honestly that's more than I thought it would be.
I think I was *in* Friley once in my 5.5 years. Never been in several of the residence halls.
I have been trying to talk my wife into buying a house up there for years. Of course right now is a terrible time to look, but I will keep pushing for this when the prices come back down. My son's group is a bit nerdy, although athletic. I still call them the Nerd Herd. So I'm not too worried about them in a house together.
Our church sends the freshman care packages, so maybe he can use that.Some advice he'd probably give: Have a family member make/send boxes of cookies and cupcakes, then take them to the girls floor and hand them out.
I was in Larch the first 2 years and made plenty of walks to Gilman. Never rode CyRide to go to class, although it just wasn't as popular as it is now. I never really thought the walk was a big deal. Yeah, it sucked in the winter time, but you bundled up and just hit the sidewalk. When you're that age, walking that far is easy and you really become a fast strider.
