I'm going to take a visit to UNI soon and I was wondering what the campus, dorms, and activities on campus were like.
UNI
- Thread starter mitchforcy
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Go to State.
UNI's campus is like a mini-ISU, and you can say the same for the Hill to Campustown. Downtown Cedar Falls is really nice, but it's useless until you're 21. The dorms, from what I've seen are pretty standard. The nicest dorm there is probably worse than the nicest dorm @ ISU, but the worst dorm there is probably nicer than the worst dorm @ ISU. However, IMO, living in a crappy dorm is part of the quintessential college experience.
It really clears out on the weekends as everyone there either goes home, to Iowa City, or to Ames. Definite "suitcase school", and you'll be surrounded by obnoxious Hawkeye fans all the time. It's a nice place, but a little boring by comparison.
UNI's campus is like a mini-ISU, and you can say the same for the Hill to Campustown. Downtown Cedar Falls is really nice, but it's useless until you're 21. The dorms, from what I've seen are pretty standard. The nicest dorm there is probably worse than the nicest dorm @ ISU, but the worst dorm there is probably nicer than the worst dorm @ ISU. However, IMO, living in a crappy dorm is part of the quintessential college experience.
It really clears out on the weekends as everyone there either goes home, to Iowa City, or to Ames. Definite "suitcase school", and you'll be surrounded by obnoxious Hawkeye fans all the time. It's a nice place, but a little boring by comparison.
the only cool activity is their homecoming game....but from what I have heard is that is has been "watered down" recently the past couple of years.
Other than that, UNI is not too fun. It is the classic "suitcase school" where you are going to head out to see your friends that actually went to ISU or EIU on the weekends......at least that is what I saw out of UNIers when I was in AMES.
Other than that, UNI is not too fun. It is the classic "suitcase school" where you are going to head out to see your friends that actually went to ISU or EIU on the weekends......at least that is what I saw out of UNIers when I was in AMES.
Thanks i'm also taking trips up to Ames and Iowa City soon but I want to go somewhere that has a big campus with a lot of opportunities to get involved with like intramurals and that has a lot to do on campus.
I went to UNI and had a blast. When i was there the girl to guy ratio was 3-1, so it was like walleye fishing in canada :wink:. we had a blast during the week, the weekends were a little quiet, but still plenty to do or you can just drive to Ames for a football or basketball game.
the reason i chose UNI over the other two were you were in small classes, i think i had 1 lecture hall in 4 years, most classes had 15-25 students, i knew most of my profs by first name - which i think helped a great deal with my education.
but you have to just go where you feel comfortable!
the reason i chose UNI over the other two were you were in small classes, i think i had 1 lecture hall in 4 years, most classes had 15-25 students, i knew most of my profs by first name - which i think helped a great deal with my education.
but you have to just go where you feel comfortable!
QFT. Until they were 21, every single person I knew who went to UNI would take any chance they could get to get out of cedar falls on the weekends. VEISHEA week their entire campus pretty much migrates to Ames.
My wife went there her freshman year, and I went up to visit her often. UNI folks will poo-poo how much of a ghost town it becomes on the weekends but it is the truth. She transferred to ISU her sophomore year and loved it.
If you are looking for the "traditional" college experience I would not recommend it.
If you are looking for the "traditional" college experience I would not recommend it.
Iowa and Iowa State will destroy UNI when it comes to intramurals and things to do on campus. If you're going into teaching, then I'd recommend UNI. Business/Engineering Iowa State. Law/Medical Iowa.
Yes I realize UNI previously has been a better business school than Iowa State, but Iowa State is shooting up the ranks recently, has better facilities than UNI, and one of the best business faculties in the country.
UNI is a great school! Different than both Iowa and Iowa State. Doesn't make it better or worse...just different. If you want a large school experience that feels like a small school...then go to UNI. While Cedar Falls won't get confused with Iowa City or Des Moines...some think that is a good thing! Nothing wrong with any of our state's universities. We are lucky to have 3 good ones. Now...if I were talking about athletics...you couldn't get me to write that about the school in Iowa City.
You really can't beat the male-to-female ratio at UNI. The thing I liked best about it was that no matter where your class was you could walk to it in less than 15 minutes (assuming you live on or near campus)
Really though it depends on what you want to go to school for.
Really though it depends on what you want to go to school for.
Go ahead and cancel that trip to Iowa City. Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life son. :no:
UNI is much more focused on education, while ISU and EIU provide learning outside the classroom in much greater abundance, IMO.
I learned more from being in GSB, VEISHEA, Homecoming, etc, than I did at class.
I learned more from being in GSB, VEISHEA, Homecoming, etc, than I did at class.
UNI accounting professors did a good job in preparing students for CPA exams. I think the passing rate for the first timers from UNI was ~70%
Yup for sure.
I would suggest UNI to anyone that grew up in a small town and likes smaller class sizes. I attended ISU for a year and even with how much I love the athletics, the school was too big for me. I made a lot of friends at my time at UNI, it just has that small school feel.
I lived in Cedar Falls for a good 16 years of my life before coming to college in Ames. Both Ames and Cedar Falls are effectively the same cities, with very similar restraunts/malls/activities going on/historic main streets. Ames does have Des Moines only 40 minutes away which helps with finding stuff to do, but in terms of the cities both are pretty comparable.
As for schools, Iowa States Campus is probably twice the size of UNI's. ISU has the large grassy open areas around campus which make walking to your lecture halls of 100+ a lot more appealing then the Parking lots of Cedar Falls. It also really depends on what you are going to school for, and remember to go to the university based on the education, not the partying. you can party at every school and drive anywhere you want on weekends.
In terms of school activities, the Iowa State greek community makes UNI's greek community look pointless. With well under half the number of chapters, they are not able to do a lot of the stuff that Greeks at Iowa State do. Also, although UNI does have intramurals, Iowa State has intramurals in almost every sport you can come up with, and as long as you have a few friends you'll be able to get a team together.
Another plus for UNI, is you will never have to fight to get good seats for sporting events. In all my years of going to UNI football and basketball games, even when they were competing for 1AA championships and winning the valley, students would not go to the games like they do at Iowa State. The football student section is in the middle of the dome, and is never full. Somehow all the old people that go to the games make that place rock, but yet the Jack Trice library can never get to a comparable outdoor level.
Not sure which aspect of college is most important to you, but hope it helps
As for schools, Iowa States Campus is probably twice the size of UNI's. ISU has the large grassy open areas around campus which make walking to your lecture halls of 100+ a lot more appealing then the Parking lots of Cedar Falls. It also really depends on what you are going to school for, and remember to go to the university based on the education, not the partying. you can party at every school and drive anywhere you want on weekends.
In terms of school activities, the Iowa State greek community makes UNI's greek community look pointless. With well under half the number of chapters, they are not able to do a lot of the stuff that Greeks at Iowa State do. Also, although UNI does have intramurals, Iowa State has intramurals in almost every sport you can come up with, and as long as you have a few friends you'll be able to get a team together.
Another plus for UNI, is you will never have to fight to get good seats for sporting events. In all my years of going to UNI football and basketball games, even when they were competing for 1AA championships and winning the valley, students would not go to the games like they do at Iowa State. The football student section is in the middle of the dome, and is never full. Somehow all the old people that go to the games make that place rock, but yet the Jack Trice library can never get to a comparable outdoor level.
Not sure which aspect of college is most important to you, but hope it helps
I won't take UNI's for one simple reason. Their information systems class is garbage. No SQL taught. I've got a good friend at UNI and we're about in the same place (two different paths...mine was a lot of bigger classes...his all smalller) when it comes to understanding accounting and the concepts, but when it comes to actually using software, I blow him out of the water. I was shocked when I learned Iowa and UNI didn't use SQL which can be used across 95% of accounting programs. I can't actually think of a good reason not to use it, especially when things keep becoming more and more electronic.
If I remember right from one of the pamphlets in Gerdin's accounting office, 66% of students who have attempted the CPA exam since Gerdin opened have passed on the first try, so not a big difference.
I'm a firm believer that the CPA comes down to the individual. Professors can lead you in the right direction, but if you aren't willing to put some effort in on your own, you aren't going to get squat out of it anyways.
Yeah most of the last semester is spent in CPA exam prep classes where they basically take the 4 tests (Auditing, Financial, Business Concepts, Regulation) and split them up between 3 review classes where you did nothing but do problems, take tests, and study your butt off. By the end of the semester you are so sick of studying but it's worth it.
