jmcomicÂþ»­

I transferred to the University of Northern Iowa after attending another state school for two years. At the previous state school, I was told that due to waiting lists to enroll in my programs required courses, it would take me five years to complete my program. That was not an option for me due to the financial burden of me paying for college on my own. The transfer to the University of Northern Iowa was beneficial to me in many ways. I was able to graduated in four years. That was only possible... Read More due to the wonderful staff that helped me align my previous courses to UNIs graduation requirements and work with me to plan out my remaining two years in the most efficient way possible. UNI was also a great fit for me because I was able to graduate in two years (making my college career a total of four years) due to the smaller class sizes. The smaller classes made learning more enjoyable and the professors actually knew you and your academic ability. Multiple times I was able to speak with my professors after class to continue academic conversations begun during class time. Also, I had two teachers ask if they could use my work as samples for future courses. I truly was able to develop relationships with my professors that I was never able to do at a larger university. I enjoyed my time at UNI so much, that when I returned to college for another undergraduate degree, UNI was the only university I considered.

The University of Northern Iowa has an excellent education program. Not only did I receive exceptional college instruction, but we were allowed so many opportunities to apply what we were learning in the classroom in real elementary classrooms. Having this real life experience working with children prepared me so much for the real teaching world. I feel like I was prepared so much more for my first teaching job than many of my colleges who attended other universities. It was a tremendous experience... Read More and I would recommend this college to anyone wanting to go into teaching.

The University of Northern Iowa is a great college and a great place to gain an education. Whether you know what you want to do with your future, or are unsure of your path, the academics and social life are great. This is a campus that allows the exploration of different careers and many opportunities to help expand experiences. I received financial aid that assisted greatly with my expenses there. I also added a minor and a certificate to my degree, and the changes were easy and simple, so I assume... Read More if you were wanting to change you major or any other big decisions like that would also be easy! My academic adviser was very helpful every semester that I went to her for help, and I have heard that most of the academic advisers are very helpful! If you end up with an adviser that is not very responsive to you, it is very easy to switch advisers. I came to UNI as a transfer student, so I was inexperienced with the campus and nervous to start. These feelings soon faded as I met the professors and my classmates. Everyone who attends UNI is extremely friendly and helpful. The students are open and kind, as well as the professors. I soon grew to call UNI my home, and loved everyone there. The professors are fabulous and willing to help in any way they can. There are also many clubs and activities that always keep campus busy! I would recommend UNI to everyone.

I really liked the University of Northern Iowa because to me, it felt like a "home away from home". For me, these were perhaps some of my best 5 years of school I've ever had. One aspect that really helped me through my whole college career was being part of the Panther Marching Band, the greatest band band in the Midwest. One week before school would start, in the Fall, all of the marching band students and staff would be on campus to begin work on our half-time shows that we would perform for the... Read More year. During that time, each member in each section get to know each other. There were fun activities that were held each night after a long day of practice to help everyone relax and get to know each other. I have made some of my life-long best friends through marching band. The biggest selling point for me, when I was choosing which school to go to for my undergraduate career was the school's chemistry/biochemistry department. Did the program seem open and welcoming to in-coming students? Did the teachers seem open to students and encourage the students to come and ask questions when they didn't understand something? These were just some of the questions that I asked myself when I went out on campus tours during my senior year in high school. I toured the 3 big colleges in Iowa: Iowa State University, the University of Iowa, and the University of Northern Iowa. While all 3 schools had great chemistry/biochemistry departments, I was sold by what the University of Northern Iowa showed me. The teachers at UNI seemed to be more friendly, inviting, and were open to working with students to reach their full potentials. Also, at UNI, with research, the students are the ones who get to work with the instrumentation. The other 2 schools, to me, seemed to be more focused on showing off their big fancy labs and instrumentation. Iowa State and the University of Iowa didn't seem to be as interested in helping students reach their full potentials in their future endeavors. The teachers at UNI helped me become the person that I am today, especially the faculty on the chemistry/biochemistry floor. Every day on the floor, teachers would always have their doors open, letting students know that they are welcome to drop by at anytime, either to ask a question about an assignment, or get some life advice. The teachers weren't just great educators, they were also great role models. No matter, if you were having a just plain old bad day, I could always go talk with someone and they would automatically make me feel better in any situation. Another big thing that I'm grateful that UNI provided me was the hands-on learning experience with different types of instrumentation. Through my classes, I was exposed to a wide variety of instruments and analytical techniques, ranging from atomic adsorption (AA) to fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Another great thing that UNI provided was, if a student participated in research, we were given an opportunity to attend a national chemistry conference. At the conference, I gained an opportunity to learn how to network, which has been a valuable life skill later in life. I'm grateful to have had all of the experiences, adventures, and opportunities that were provided to me by UNI. I wouldn't change a thing about it! Go CATS!

UNI offers a great friendly environment that fits several different personalities. It is large enough to offer great classes but small enough to be able to know the professors and staff. Everyone is very approachable and offer help when needed. There is opportunities for having time to relax and hang out with friends and have a good time while still being able to get a good education. I took advantage of the clubs that they offered for example the pre-chiropractic club and was able to meet many new... Read More people, especially Chiropractors in practice and leaders at other colleges for my DC degree.