Mar

28

Know Where You’re Going

category icon Posted in Academics, Campus Life, General, Photos

A lot of spring breaks are taking place this week, and, as a result, a lot of college tours. There are a lot of places you probably want to check out, but only so much time to see everything. So, if you’re an explorer like myself and would rather do things yourself instead of (or in addition to) taking a tour, here are some places to check out, east to west, so that you can get a better understanding of what life at Iowa is like.

Hancher

Hancher Auditorium

Hancher Auditorium

Hancher Auditorium is where most major performances take place. Tickets for students are usually only $10, which is super cheap considering that some of these performances would usually be $70+ in Chicago or New York. Some performances are even free, like the Leslie Odom Jr performance I went to last night, and a jazz performance by Trombone Shorty I saw at the beginning of the year. You definitely should put a performance at Hancher on your college bucket list.

East side residence/dining halls 

These comprise of Currier, Stanley, Daum, and Burge. Burge is also where the east side dining hall is at. While you’re at it, check out the Pomerantz Career Center and the Blank Honors Center, the former being the place that helps you with jobs/internships and the latter being home to the Honors Program.

Pentacrest

Pentacrest

Pentacrest

This is where a majority of your classes will be, and you really can’t avoid running into it. The Pentacrest consists of Schaeffer, Maclean, MacBride, and Jessup Hall, and is located right in the middle of the east side of campus. Even on the west side, you can’t miss the giant gold dome in the very center of it all.

IMU

The IMU isn’t a place I can categorize better than saying that it’s where a bunch of stuff happens. Dance Marathon is here, a lot of informational meetings for clubs are there, and the Hawk Shop is there for all of your spirit wear needs. It also has an art museum in it that’s worth checking out.

Library

The Main Library is an awesome place to study, and it is very likely that one of your TAs will hold their office hours there. Also, if you ever have to do a presentation for a class, I would highly recommend going to the One Button Studio on the first floor, where you can record your presentation or just get some practice saying it out loud in a room where no one can hear you. However, if you do decide to go here, keep in mind that as the floors go up, it gets quieter and quieter, to the point where it’s dead silent on the fifth floor.

CRWC

CRWC Rock Wall

Campus Wellness Recreation Center

The main recreation center is an amazing facility and has just about everything you could think of that you would need to work out. However, it might be worth your while to also check out some of the smaller rec centers, like Fitness East and the fitness loft at the Field House, because the main rec center is a bit of a walk from most dorms, which can be all the more reason to dissuade yourself from working out on a cold day.

West side residence/dining halls  

These comprise of Hillcrest, Peterson, Rienow, Stanley, and Slater. The dining hall for west side dorms is in Hillcrest.

Kinnick/Carver

Kinnick Stadium

Kinnick Stadium

This is a little ways out so I wouldn’t recommend walking all the way over if you start from the east side, but if you’re in the area then it might be cool to see the football stadium. Carver Hawkeye Arena is also in this vicinity and hosts a variety of athletic competitions like basketball, volleyball, and wrestling.

Additionally, here is a list of places to check out based on your interests:

  • Varsity Athlete- Gerdin Learning Center
  • Honors Program-Blank Honors Center
  • Internships/Jobs- Pomerantz Career Center
  • English/Creative Writing- Dey House, Prairie Lights Cafe, English Philosophy Building, Special Collections (3rd floor of Main Library)
  • Math/Statistics/Informatics/Computer Science- Maclean Hall
  • Physics/Astronomy- Van Allen
  • Engineering- Seamans Center
  • Education- Lindquist Center
  • Journalism/Communications- Adler School of Journalism and Samuel L Becker School of Communications (by the Main Library)
  • Music- Voxman Music Building
  • Classics/Social Sciences- Schaeffer Hall
  • Natural History- Museum of Natural History in MacBride Hall (free!)
  • Dance- Halsey Hall
  • Chemistry/Biology/Drama/Art- respective department buildings

That’s all for now. For those of you on break, stay safe and have fun. And for the rest of you, let’s just make it through the final stretch in one piece.

-Mina

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