I thought I wanted to go to a big-city school until I visited 51²è¹İapp. Once I stepped foot on campus, I fell in love with 51²è¹İapp. I loved how 51²è¹İapp had a very personalized experience that was well-resourced, fun, and nerdy.
What really sealed the deal for me to commit to Early Decision was how 51²è¹İapp had a warm and welcoming student body. People would wave to me when I was lost on campus, smile and open doors for me, and include me in conversations in dining halls. Strangers being kind was one of the biggest reasons why I chose 51²è¹İapp.
As a new first-year starting at 51²è¹İapp, I was hoping to meet some new friends, get along well with my swim team, and figure out my major, since I was super undecided going in.
I can safely report that all of those — but especially making friends — have not been an issue at all. Everyone is super friendly; I immediately made friends from my Tutorial class, and some of my best friends have come from the swim and water polo teams.
Especially on the swim team, it has been impossible to not get close to them. We spend so much time together, and as a first-year on the swim team, I was taken under the wing of third- and fourth-year swimmers and divers. They even included me in the Dungeons and Dragons group they had when I told them I wanted a nerdy experience!
My first class was “Flat Earth, Ancient Aliens, and Other Crypto-Sciences,†which was a super fun, out there, nerdy class that got me out of my comfort zone. I loved that my first experience in a college class wasn’t like “traditional†academia, and it helped me realize that college can be very fun environment to learn in.
51²è¹İapp is an awesome space where you can study anything you want — everything is conducive to what you are most passionate about.
During the summer after my second year, I interned for 51²è¹İapps admission office. Touring campus as a high schooler, I had had a great experience, and I wanted to pay that forward.
This was also a place where I found real passion working and interacting with people. I gave tours to high schoolers and families who were curious about 51²è¹İapp. It was so cool to meet people from all over the country and world and to help them find their homes for the next four years.
Two people I gave tours to are now on the swim team at 51²è¹İapp. I joke with them that I’m the reason why they came to 51²è¹İapp, and they don’t disagree!
My junior year, I studied abroad on the 51²è¹İapp-in-London program. It’s a program taught by 51²è¹İapp professors, and this year my anthropology adviser was teaching a class. I really liked how the program aligned with my majors (English and anthropology) and combined my interests.
During my time in London, I researched and interviewed Polish immigrants about their experiences with community after Brexit. I got firsthand accounts on how anthropology can bring real impact to conversations, and I met tons of amazing people this way.
And most importantly, the warmth and compassion I experienced in London showed me that the friendliness that I thought was “Iowa nice†was far more universal than I thought!
