Places to Go After Visit Day in Iowa City

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Hey y’all!

I am here to give you suggestions to do in Iowa City after your campus tour!

If you’re looking for restaurants or coffee shops, check out my other blogs, where I rank my favorites.

  1. Molly’s Cupcakes: It won season 1 of Cupcake Wars, and has so many delicious flavors! You also get a discount with your VIP badge.
  2. Iowa Book: Come get Iowa merch there! That is what I did on my own campus visit. There is also a Dunkin located inside if you need a pick-me-up.
  3. Om Gifts for Body and Soul: Cutest crystal shop ever!!
  4. Old Capitol Mall: Another Iowa Merch store, some restaurants, coffee shops, boba, and a cute little chocolate store.
  5. Yotopia: A fro-yo place, so so good.
  6. Aspen Leaf: Another fro-yo place with a little chocolate shop.
  7. Beno’s: Cutest plant store
  8. Iowa City Public Library: Browse some books!
  9. Prairie Lights: Famous bookstore and coffee shop
  10. Sidekick Coffee and Books: Another bookstore/cafe
  11. Insomnia Cookies: Open all day and night!
  12. Pitaya: Cute clothing shop
  13. Revival: A thrift store
  14. Coralville Mall: A short drive away, this place is perfect to walk around in.

These are just a few of my favorites, but there are so many more places in Iowa City and Coralville, I highly recommend exploring and finding your favorites.

Bye for now!
Solenn

 

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Best Outdoor Study Spots

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Hi everyone!

As the weather is warming up, that means more time outside. Woohoo!

I have found a few amazing places to study when the weather is warm to get those grades and some Vitamin D.

  1. Pentacrest: bring a picnic blanket or hammock, or study on the benches! People-watching is fun, and there is some shade.
  2. T. Anne Cleary Walkway: The tables have umbrellas and the hustle and bustle of campus life makes for great background noise.
  3. Outdoor shops: Get Fresh Cafe has a lovely patio that is fun to use while doing homework and sipping on a smoothie. There are several other shops to enjoy too!
  4. Currier Terrace: A little secret courtyard with plenty of tables to relax!
  5. Iowa Memorial Union: There is a fantastic terrace overlooking the Iowa River.
  6. Art Building West: Shade and an amazing koi pond to get some exotic views.
  7. John Pappajohn: Lots of tables outside!

I highly recommend discovering your own study spots, it is a great way to explore campus.

Bye for now!
Solenn

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Into The Woods Showing

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Hey y’all!

I got to see the Theater Department’s show “Into the Woods” last week. It was incredible!

They were cast perfectly and acted and sang so well. It was comedic, a little tragic, and completely engaging. The stage and set were so detailed and I loved all the costumes. It was a sold-out show, which is great support for theater.

I highly encourage attending different plays at Iowa, there are several going on each semester and they are fun to be involved in or go as a spectator. Tickets are free or discounted for students!

Bye for now,
Solenn

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Final Women’s Basketball Game

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Hello all!

I had the amazing opportunity to see the final home game for the women’s basketball team a couple weeks ago. It was senior night for our five seniors, including our hometown hero Caitlin Clark, who will be entering the WNBA draft this year.

We played a competitive game against Ohio State and ultimately came out as the victors. The crowd was hyped the entire game, especially because it was Clark’s last regular season home game.

College Gameday broadcasted live from Carver, which was incredible to witness. We also had surprise guest appearances from Jake from State From, rapper Travis Scott, and basketball player Maya Moore.

The senior ceremony was bittersweet as we honored Molly Davis, who was tragically injured mid-game, Sharon Goodman, Gabbie Marshall, Kate Martin, and Caitlin Clark. This past season would not have been nearly as incredible without them.

Cheer on the Hawks as they head into March Madness!

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Spring Break: Arizona Edition!

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Hello all!

I am back in Arizona visiting my family and taking a break from midterms – phew!

During my time here at home, I have enjoyed home-cooked meals like polenta, tacos, and pasta. I have eaten one too many sweet treats because I miss ice cream and fresh-baked goods LOL!

I have caught up with a few friends as well, which has been so much fun. It’s important to maintain old and new friendships!

I have also enjoyed a much-improved sleep schedule and time to watch TV. I’m binging Gilmore Girls and watched Air for the first time, highly recommend it.

The break is also a great time to work ahead on school-related things. I read Shoe Dog, a memoir of Phil Knight, Nike’s founder, for my entrepreneurship class, and drafted some emails and social-media-related things for my literary magazines. The grind doesn’t stop!

I went grocery shopping for goodies to bring back with me to Iowa City, so I’m excited for that.

I attended a book festival in Tucson (and didn’t buy any books, wow me!), which was tons of fun to see a wide variety of authors and booksellers.

I’m looking forward to returning to Iowa, but the break was much needed!

Bye for now!

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Restaurants in Iowa City Ranked

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Hey y’all! I did a coffee shop ranking last time, so here’s a restaurant ranking! (Out of 5 stars)

  1. Get Fresh Cafe: 5/5. A bit on the pricy side, but bomb freaking everything. I’ve heard good things about their smoothies and other menu items. My personal favorites are their acai bowls and spinach salad. I was a bit disappointed in their chia pudding, however. Worth the wait for the food to be made, and super cute cafe decor.
  2. Pancheros: 3/5. Iowa’s Chipotle. I was a bit disappointed. Why have blue corn chips instead of yellow corn? Their burrito bowls do not taste as good as Chipotle’s. I’ve heard their burritos are better though, so maybe get those.
  3. Chipotle: 4/5. Also a Chipotle in town. Obsessed with their tortilla chips and salsa. Their bowls always hit the spot. They need to work on having better chicken though, it’s so chewy.
  4. Airliner 4/5: Fantastic pizza and Caesar salads. $1 slices on Sundays!!
  5. Noodles and Company: 3/5: Depending on what you get it, it can be pretty good. I feel like the quality is meh – I’m picky about my pasta.
  6. Basta: 5/5: Delicious pasta!! Everything is made fresh there and hands-down the best Italian in Iowa City.
  7. Zzmarik’s: 5/5. My favorite place in Iowa City! $5 Mac Mondays and delicious menu. Never busy in there and I love their pasta wall art.
  8. The Webster 4/5: Bougee restaurant! Like the interior and pretty good food. I’m not adventurous when it comes to food so the menu had slim pickings for me. Great dessert though!
  9. Masala: 4/5. Pretty great Indian cuisine! I like their Tikka Masala, which is rare for me to find one I like. Their naan bread is fantastic.
  10. Buffalo Wild Wings: 5/5. Loveee their wraps and mac and cheese.

There are wayyyy more restaurants in town, I haven’t eaten my way through them all yet. Iowa City is definitely a foodie town, so you won’t be disappointed!

-Solenn

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ISLE Leadership Conference Storytime

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Hi everyone!

This past weekend I attended the Iowa Student Leadership Experience hosted at the University of Northern Iowa. Students from Iowa State, UNI, and Iowa were invited to attend, and all expenses were paid. I went solo, with the intention of making friends and exploring a part of Iowa I hadn’t seen since I was out of state.

The bus ended up not coming to pick us up due to miscommunication, so the fifty people who planned to attend did not. Me and three other students ended up carpooling and we were the four to represent Iowa there.

The conference was great! There were a few guest speakers, breakfast and lunch were provided, and we had breakout rooms to choose from. The speakers were very well-spoken and I learned a lot about what it takes to be a good leader. Most students came representing organizations they are involved in on campus and left knowing how to better the leadership for them.

We got to try a new Coca-Cola product, a spiced cola which basically tasted like root beer. Delicious!

We also got free swag like shirts, pens, notebooks, and Linq, a business card that activates via the app. It was fun meeting students from other universities and we were all eager to connect.

I left the conference with three new friends and some amazing connections from that day. Hopefully, next year’s conference goes smoothly, and definitely attend!

-Solenn

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RA Application Process

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Hello all!

I’m going to talk about the resident assistant application process, which I recently went through.

A Resident Assistant is a student who lives on the floor of a residence hall and ensures floor community. They are there to help students living on campus feel safe, comfortable, and happy. They are the first person to go in cases of emergency, roommate problems, and other advice/situations. They also host floor events to help students meet one another and create a fun living atmosphere. Being an RA at Iowa involves a stipend and free housing, a great perk.

RA applications open near the end of the fall semester, and they have short answer questions about yourself. If the committee likes your application, you are pushed forward to the interviewing round. This is a Zoom call with members of the housing department and RAs who ask you questions about yourself and the RA position.

Then there is about a month until you hear back if you got the position, waitlisted, or declined.

You can apply to be a general RA, an Honors one, a Reach RA who works with various disabilities, a Belin-Blank RA for high-school students accepted early, or a Living Learning Community RA who helps run a community for students with a shared interest or identity.

This is a great leadership experience!

-Solenn

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Rating Iowa City Coffee Shops

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Hello all! I’m back to discuss my favorite thing – Iowa City’s coffeeshops! There are so many, that you will never run out of places to study, hang out with friends, or people-watch. Here are some of the places I tried ranked on a scale of 1-5 (1 worst, 5 best)

  1. Starbucks: 3/5. There are a few different locations on campus and one downtown, which makes getting caffeine quite easy! I always like a good refresher or cake pop, but actually studying there is not for me. It is busy practically any time I go to the one downtown and not much room to sit down. The ones on campus are generally easier to study in because they are located in study areas. Starbucks is also ridiculously overpriced and kind of overrated.
  2. Tru Coffee 2/5. I have personally only been to Tru once and tried one thing, but many people I know love their coffees and food, so I need to go again and try some more things! Their shop is super cute with lots of plants and friendly staff. My chai was served in a cute little Mason jar. However, it tasted kind of watered down and a little too cinnamony for me.
  3. Java House 2/5. Cute art on the walls and nice dim lighting. However, every time I have gone, I find their coffee too bitter despite always getting the sweet stuff. Their caramel latte was good, though. Also a bit on the pricier side. They have great cinnamon rolls!
  4. Fix! Coffee. 4/5. My best-kept secret cafe. It is on the second floor of the Chauncey and Film Scene. Lovely view of Iowa City and gets plenty of sunlight. Offers a student discount early in the fall semester and the baristas are so friendly! They have great chai for a fair price and I love the glasses they pour the drinks in. I like to spend hours here.
  5. Mammita’s 3/5. A cute little coffee shop my roommate worked at! HUGE drinks for the price and great food! Their horchata is so gooddddd. I haven’t been here enough to rate it higher, so I’m staying relatively neutral.
  6. Prairie Lights 3/5. A cute little cafe tucked into the famous Prairie Lights bookstore. A great place to study or read a book and support a local business! They have good iced/warm chai and fun seasonal drinks. The only problem is they exclusively take cash which I do not often have on hand. Relatively cheap drinks!
  7. Encounter Cafe 5/5. Worth the long line!! This place is super popular for its drinks and delicious breakfast menu. Their chai is easily the best I’ve ever had, especially with vanilla pumps! The interior is very cute and sort of farm-themed.

There are many other coffee shops that I have not yet had the chance to visit, but they are all great places to explore and support since Iowa City is home to hundreds of small businesses. Feel free to check them out during your next visit!

-Solenn

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Caitlin Clark Breaks the All-Time Scorer Record!

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Welcome back, everyone!

This past Thursday, our very own Iowa women’s basketball team made history! Senior point guard Caitlin Clark broke the NCAA All-Time Scorer record with 3,569 points, beating Kelsey Plum. She also scored 59 points, the most scored in one game for an Iowa women’s game.

Carver-Hawkeye Arena was loud! When Clark dropped a 3 that broke the record, everyone was cheering and clapping. The energy was unmatched throughout the entire game. I am so grateful I was able to go for only $5 with a student ticket when many were being sold for a few hundred or more! This will definitely be one of the highlights of my experience as a Hawkeye.

At the end of the game, there was a celebration ceremony for #22. The team were all given Nike shirts celebrating Caitlin’s record, which are now on sale on the Nike site and the Iowa Hawkshops! Caitlin’s family attended the game, as well as comedian Theo Von. Carver played a video that brought #22 to tears with various members of Caitlin’s family, former teammates McKenna Warnock and Monica Czinano, her coaches, and other greats. The Des Moines Register printed copies headlining Caitlin’s achievement and confetti poured onto the court to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime achievement.

The love for women’s sports here at Iowa is incredible. Beyond basketball; soccer, field hockey, swim and dive, track and field, cross-country, rowing, gymnastics, cheer, wrestling, and dance all deserve the same energy and are just as fun!

 

Go Hawks!

-Solenn

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