How did you choose ISU?

**cowgirl836** · 03-15-2013, 08:31 AM

Hey yay, it's Friday! Is anyone excited for today? I hear there's a little basketball game or something.

For all you non-ISU attendees, get out!

(I keed, I keed)

What made you chose ISU (or the college you attended) for your school? Did you always know you would go there? Was it because of friends or family? Best option for your major?

I had actually never consciously realized there was an ISU until late in my junior year. Living in IL and getting Quad Cities news, I thought that UNI and the Hawkeyes were the only schools in Iowa. The first time I kind of became aware of ISU was when the Eustachy deal made the news. Great, huh?

We get a lot of different dairy magazines, and one time about this time of year, we got one that had an annual college directory guide in it. It wasn't a magazine we subscribed to and I'm still not sure how we randomly got that issue out of all of them. At the time I was thinking Madison or Illinois (thought excited about neither due to cost/driving distance for IL especially), so I was looking through their programs when I came across the ad for ISU. They sounded perfect! Everything I was reading sounded like exactly what I was after. We grabbed a map to find out where the heck Ames was.....and called the next day to schedule a visit. I visited right after classes let out for the summer.....and the moment we got to campus, I just knew that's where I was going to end up. I had been to a few other college campuses and I always hated how "city" they felt. ISU was like a nice little park and I immediately felt at home walking on campus.
We met with one of the advisors for my program and found his parents, and my great-aunt and uncle (who were with me on the visit) were neighbors back in IL. Small world! He pushed hard for me to come to ISU and ended up becoming my advisor when I did.

I ended up not visiting or applying to any other college..........very thankful for that random magazine! Once I got to ISU, I found out our club actually helps create that ad, so I made sure to give it my best work in hopes of catching the eye of a few more potential students like myself :)

**Angie** · 03-15-2013, 08:33 AM

**CyOps** · 03-15-2013, 08:36 AM

I was talking to an engineer in Nebraska (where I grew up) who graduated from Iowa State College. I told him that I was considering ISU and UNL. He gave me this advice:

"If you graduate with an engineering degree from UNL and go to get a job, people will say, oh, you went to UNL, they have a good football program. If you graduate from ISU with and engineering degree and go to get a job, people will say, oh, you went to ISU, they have a good enginering program. So unless you are going to play football, I recommend Iowa State."

**CyCrazy** · 03-15-2013, 08:37 AM

I didn't want to pay the out of state tuition to go to Illinois so I choose ISU. Illinois would have been my school if not for tuition cost. Do not regret my decision at all.

**azepp** · 03-15-2013, 08:37 AM

I didn't choose ISU... it chose me.

**mtowncyclone13** · 03-15-2013, 08:38 AM

From ninth grade on I knew what I wanted to study in college but I thought the closest undergrad program was in Ohio. Ohio is a long way from Minnesota and my mom wouldn't approve something that far away. My sister went to Iowa State for her undergrad and my dad happened to be looking through an alumni magazine and there was a section on an alum who had the undergrad degree I wanted. My dad called down there and the minute I got on campus I knew it was where I wanted to go.

**cowgirl836** · 03-15-2013, 08:40 AM

Originally Posted by CyCrazy

I didn't want to pay the out of state tuition to go to Illinois so I choose ISU. Illinois would have been my school if not for tuition cost. Do not regret my decision at all.

Tuition for Illinois in-state was the same for ISU out of state.

**bos** · 03-15-2013, 08:44 AM

Same reasons the Muslims seek Mecca. Its holy. Birthplace of awesome.

**CyCrazy** · 03-15-2013, 08:46 AM

Originally Posted by cowgirl836

Tuition for Illinois in-state was the same for ISU out of state.

Probably but I lived in NW IA. So tuition to Illinois was at least quadruple tuition compared to going to ISU. This was also 13 years ago so I have no idea the tuition difference any more.

**bellzisu** · 03-15-2013, 08:49 AM

Originally Posted by cowgirl836

Tuition for Illinois in-state was the same for ISU out of state.

I've heard a couple people during my years say that.

I choose ISU because of Agriculture and stuck around for the drinking and sports.

**cowgirl836** · 03-15-2013, 08:50 AM

Originally Posted by CyCrazy

Probably but I lived in NW IA. So tuition to Illinois was at least quadruple tuition compared to going to ISU. This was also 13 years ago so I have no idea the tuition difference any more.

oh, I'm telling you that for me, as an Illinois resident, it would have cost me the same, whether I went to IL as an in state student or ISU as an out of state student.

**isubeatle** · 03-15-2013, 08:53 AM

I was born into it.

**MissouriCyclone** · 03-15-2013, 08:53 AM

Didn't even know where Ames was 5 years ago and I hated my parents for dragging me up to "nothing but corn fields". Came here for landscape architecture and hated the design core program. Fell in love with the horticulture program and landscape design/maintenance option in that program. I'll never regret making my decision to come to Iowa State, it has been such a crucial part of my life and I'm proud to be a part of the country that has "nothing but corn fields".

**CyCrazy** · 03-15-2013, 08:53 AM

Originally Posted by cowgirl836

oh, I'm telling you that for me, as an Illinois resident, it would have cost me the same, whether I went to IL as an in state student or ISU as an out of state student.

Ah gotcha didn't know you where from Illinois. Where from in Illinois?