University of Iowa
Hallmarks and Quirks
Things I'm Good At:
- Football. Playing, cheering, and coaching. In fact, I've trained more Division I football coaches than any other school.
- Raising money for charity. I have a 24-hour Dance Marathon where students assemble to raise money for pediatric cancer research. In 2014, students raised $1,801,032. Basically, the students dance for twenty-four hours and kids from my affiliated oncology centers are invited to join them.
- Healing people. Speaking of cancer research, my hospitals have been rated some of the best in the country for twenty-five years running.
- Staying green. I have over 7,000 trees on campus and plant 300 new ones every year.
My Top 5 Must-Haves:
- Bibs with black and yellow stripes. Or, in other words, Hawkeye overalls used for tailgating and eating gigantic turkey legs from the street vendors.
- Appetite for late-night food. Between Marcos Grilled Cheese, Pop's Beef, and walking tacos, you won't go hungry at bar close.
- Down coat and rubber boots, for those February ice storms…yeah, just be prepared.
- Shoes made for walking. Iowa is a very walkable campus; you can get most places by walking.
- Sweatpants. You'll wear these every day to class. No need to bring jeans, or you'll look "dressed up."
Why You Might Have Heard of Me:
- If you watch the HBO show "Girls," you'll know that Lena Dunham's character went here.
- The University of Iowa Writers' Workshop was the first creative writing degree program in the United States, and since its founding in 1936, the program has been home to thousands of remarkable writers. (You can look them up...there's way too many to list here.)
- I have an Institute of Agricultural Medicine. I know you may be wondering why plants would need medicine, right? Well, this institute studies all kinds of rural public health issues. I'm here to make sure Interstellar never happens.
On a regular Saturday night, you can find me...
I'll be in downtown Iowa City. It's filled to the brim with restaurants, bars, and shops. There are clubs to go to and concerts to see. It's truly the best place to go for that small-town feel in such a huge school.
Favorite Hangouts:
- The Rec, the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center. It was built in 2010 and is shiny, clean, and smells new. It's got a fancy pool, rock climbing wall, and smoothie stand; what more could you possibly want? Hmm…maybe free fitness classes for students? Oh, yeah. They have those, too.
- Downtown Iowa City. Everything from restaurants, shops, bars, and music venues are all within a walkable distance from on-campus housing.
- Coralville Mall. If you're bored of Iowa City, you could just head to the next town over for some shopping or to catch a movie at their awesome theater. Just make sure you know someone with a car.
- Iowa Memorial Union. Every weekend, I organize some kind of show here—anything from new movies to stand-up comedy shows to burlesque/safe sex presentations. I know that last one sounds like an odd combination, but you'll just have to see it for yourself.
Quirks:
- My official song, "Old Gold Hymn," got its lyrics through a contest that was held over a hundred years ago. First prize was a whopping twenty dollars.
- My students recently revived an old homecoming tradition where they build a tower out of corn. It's just as corny as it sounds.
- I educate 79% of Iowa's dentists. If you've been to a dentist here, chances are, I trained them.
Famous Alumni:
- Ashton Kutcher. He was discovered on Iowa's campus and was in a fraternity. Surprise, surprise.
- Diablo Cody, screenwriter and winner of the 2008 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Juno
- Tom Brokaw, broadcast journalist, former anchor (NBC Nightly News), and author (The Greatest Generation)
- Michael Cunningham, writer/novelist (The Hours) and Pulitzer Prize Winner
- Tennessee Williams, playwright, Pulitzer Prize winner for A Streetcar Named Desire in 1948 and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof