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11-02-2007, 03:12 PM
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Junior Member
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Join Date: Nov 2007
1 posts, read 1,644 times
Reputation: 10
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Ames, IA
My son has applied for admission to Iowa State Unversity. We currently live in Baltimore, MD and I'm very concerned since this will be his first time away from home. Can someone give me some facts about this town. For instance, cost of living, jobs, places to shop, crime, public transportation, minority population, etc. 
Last edited by uniquemonique; 11-02-2007 at 03:30 PM..
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11-02-2007, 04:02 PM
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Not a member
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Omaha, Ne
884 posts
Reputation: 119
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uniquemonique
My son has applied for admission to Iowa State Unversity. We currently live in Baltimore, MD and I'm very concerned since this will be his first time away from home. Can someone give me some facts about this town. For instance, cost of living, jobs, places to shop, crime, public transportation, minority population, etc. |
All that info is right here in this website. Ames, Iowa (IA) Detailed Profile - relocation, real estate, travel, jobs, hospitals, schools, crime, news, sex offenders
Something to watch out for... There is not much to do there except a lot of parties and drinking. I had several friends get into a lot of trouble because of that. I'm sure your son will be fine though...very few poeple have as bad of judgement as my friends.  |
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11-02-2007, 07:08 PM
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Trollenjaeger
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Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Des Moines, IA
1,508 posts, read 1,439,382 times
Reputation: 750
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Ames seems very straight-laced for a college town. Like Steve said there's not much to do there besides drink or maybe hang out at Donutland or Taco Time. I'd imagine it's a pretty safe place with the usual problems you see in college towns.
As far as the minority population, you're looking at a bunch of Chinese international students and the ISU football/basketball team, that's about it.
Campustown has pretty much everything a student would need within easy walking distance. They've got a bus service though, not sure how good it is. It seems like Ames is comprised of two major highways where you'll find almost everything in town, so I'm sure the bus system would be sufficient.
As for jobs, I hear that if you can get on at the Barilla plant, they pay full tuition. That would be a sweet gig. Other than that, I'm sure it's just your basic retail/service jobs.
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11-02-2007, 10:05 PM
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On the misty plateau
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Merrimack Valley, NH
6,760 posts, read 4,736,047 times
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Also, Ames is very close to the Des Moines metro area if that is of importance to the OP.
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11-13-2007, 03:02 PM
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Member
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Join Date: Jan 2007
36 posts, read 57,434 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve_W
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To get opinions from Amesonians  you might want to try www.AmesTalk.com |
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11-18-2007, 02:08 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Boise, Idaho by way of Iowa City, Iowa
310 posts, read 314,724 times
Reputation: 58
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Those tornado/redbirds are confused about their mascot, he should probably apply at the University of Iowa 
But like others said there is next to nothing to do in Ames except watch the Cyclones lose and then drink away your sorrows.
Same can be said about the U of I this year as well though  |
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11-19-2007, 09:14 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Sep 2006
3,387 posts, read 2,270,620 times
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Ames is a nice town of around 60,000 or so. Half of the people in town are college students.
I can't see their being much crime in Ames other than typical college town types of things. I looked, and the city has had 2 murders in the past 7 years. Nothing really to worry about.
It's about 30 minutes north of Des Moines, which has a metro of around 550,000 people, and quite a bit of things to do, shopping, etc.
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11-19-2007, 06:12 PM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Marion, IA
1,315 posts, read 642,871 times
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IA State (Ames) is an Engineering, architecture and veterinary school. Theres next to no diversity (big surprise). And the night life doesn't even compare to Iowa City. I wouldnt recommend the school unless you like sausage parties and meeting a bunch of squares. Not my idea of a well rounded education.
There. That's my honest opinion. I've attended Iowa and have been to IA state a lot and know a lot of people who went there. I went to Iowa and I am so glad that I did.
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11-20-2007, 07:09 AM
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How big is a cubit, anyway?
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: in the general vicinity of Cedar Rapids, Iowa
296 posts, read 347,288 times
Reputation: 163
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Quote:
Originally Posted by zz4guy
IA State (Ames) is an Engineering, architecture and veterinary school. Theres next to no diversity (big surprise). And the night life doesn't even compare to Iowa City. I wouldnt recommend the school unless you like sausage parties and meeting a bunch of squares. Not my idea of a well rounded education.
There. That's my honest opinion. I've attended Iowa and have been to IA state a lot and know a lot of people who went there. I went to Iowa and I am so glad that I did.
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Since the young man is coming to Iowa from Maryland to go to school, I think it's a pretty safe guess that he is coming for one of the programs in which ISU has particular strength -- the Agricultural sciences, perhaps. So suggesting that he go to UI, instead, because they have better parties... is this is some reverse-psychology ploy to reassure his mother?
C'mon, folks -- some people go to school to get a degree in a particular field, and choose to go to schools where that field is renowned. I went to UI because of the Writer's Workshop, not because I heard there were good bars. And, other than the fact that the ISU dorms seemed nicer than the UI ones, at least when I was in school, my ISU friends and I all seemed to find our college experience pretty much interchangeable -- I had fun in Ames, they had fun in Iowa City, and we all studied hard and got great educations and great jobs.
ISU remains a good school and has a beautiful campus. Some days, I wish I had gone the Veterinary medicine route instead of my multi-major-mashup at Iowa, and, if I had, I know I would have been as comfortable, safe and happy at ISU as I was at Iowa.
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12-02-2007, 01:07 AM
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Member
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Join Date: Dec 2007
49 posts, read 52,428 times
Reputation: 23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by uniquemonique
My son has applied for admission to Iowa State Unversity. We currently live in Baltimore, MD and I'm very concerned since this will be his first time away from home. Can someone give me some facts about this town. For instance, cost of living, jobs, places to shop, crime, public transportation, minority population, etc. |
I went to ISU for one year in 82(no money for more than that). Beautiful campus. I now live 9 miles away and shop there often. Jobs available would mostly be restaurant or discount stores for a part time job. There is a downtown shopping area, campus town, and North Grand Mall. There is also a Target, Walmart, Kmart, Staples, Best Buy, and Borders. Crime is very low. There is a great bus service called CyRide. I think it is like 50 cents to ride. They have routes all over the city, out to the Mall, the westside(Lots of apartments), down Duff Ave(The Target, Kmart, Best Buy, Staples, and Borders route). The college has many Asian sudents as previously mentioned but there are other nationalites as well. There is a whole dorm devoted to foreign students. While I went to ISU there was a program that matched an American up with a foreign student so they could practice English and learn our ways. I don't remember what it was called back then or if they still do it but it's something to check out if he's interested.
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