Choosing a college to attend is one of the biggest decisions a teenager can make. Lots of time and much consideration goes into the decision before a freshman even steps foot on their new campus for the first time.

Bridget Sullivan, a sophomore majoring in management information systems, considered location an important factor when choosing college.  

“I really wanted a big rural school,” Sullivan said. “I grew up in a city, so I knew I wanted to go somewhere, like, kind of in the middle of the cornfields. My dad went to a school like that, and my mom went to a city school. I wanted the college experience, and I feel like that happens in the middle of nowhere.”

She also looked into the university’s academic offerings when making her decision.  

“I really liked all the different programs here,” Sullivan said. “I originally came for computer science, but I liked how all the other majors also seemed to have good programs. I like how it’s not just one specialty.”

Joel Seifried, a sophomore majoring in supply chain management, was drawn to Iowa State for its business school and campus.  

“I considered some of the smaller universities in my area but the factors that really drew me in to Iowa State were the business school and the campus,” Seifried said.

Family influence also played a role in his decision.  

“I had a little bias when choosing colleges because I had a lot of family that went here,” Seifried said. “They all said it was great, and I thought that it would be, and it is. It was a great decision.”

Sullivan said campus tours influenced her decision. 

“I liked when I toured that there were people on central campus talking to each other and walking around and studying outside,” Sullivan said. “It felt like a school where people actually did stuff besides school.”

Sullivan said her first impression was that the campus was “really pretty.”

“It was freezing cold, but the campanile started ringing and it felt right,” Sullivan said. 

Undeclared freshman Ben Mitchell said when he toured campus, it was the “perfect day.” 

“It was 70 and sunny and everyone was out and about,” Mitchell said. “It just felt right.”

Sullivan said the academic and social balance aspects of Iowa State have exceeded her expectations.   

“I wanted a school that would be academically challenging but not so challenging that that was my whole life,” Sullivan said. “I wanted to have balance. My experience has been very similar to my expectations. I feel like I have a good balance of my schoolwork and social life.” 

Iowa State’s athletic success in recent years also influenced some students when they made their college decisions.

“I ended up liking Iowa State even more than I originally thought that I would,” Sullivan said. “Obviously, the athletics in the last couple of years has exceeded expectations considering the stats we had before I came here.”