STUDENT COMMENTS
I have taken a class in which we got to actively manage a $100 million fixed income portfolio with Aegon USA. We got to work hand in hand with portfolio managers at their company and discuss our strategies to get their comments. I have learned more from this class than I did from any class I have taken. I am now also in a class where we get to actively manage a an equity portfolio vs. three other universities in Iowa. These are the only two classes ISU offers like this for finance majors, and I feel it needs to offer more like this to better prepare us for the real world.
Iowa State has done a sufficient and above-average job of preparing me for a career. Much of my experience and education has been determined by involvement in organizations and institutions above and beyond the curriculum. I came to Iowa State because they gave me a full academic scholarship based on my national merit status. The deal was too great to justify studying elsewhere, but the experience has not disappointed me.
I feel that Iowa State has built a very strong foundation within the College of Business with great faculty, new facilities, outstanding Career Services, and a strong, future-career oriented cirriculum.
Career Services really goes above and beyond to help the students interact with employers. The faculty gives us a lot of exposure to real-world scenarios that keep students interested and prepared for the job market.
Being here at Iowa State for five years. I have seen the business college change drastically. They now have a huge new business building, and the professors genuinely care about us as students, and want us to achieve our goals.
I feel as though all of my professors genuinely understood what they were teaching. The problem was hardly any knew how to actually teach. Teaching is a skill. One cannot simply spew knowledge out and expect people to grasp on to it. They must learn how to teach. Countless times I have had people tell me to not take a class with a certain teacher, and many of those times I was forced to settle with one of them because every teacher who taught that class was sub-par.
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We have a phenomenal career services office. They have assisted me greatly and I know many other students would say the same.
I think the ISU business college is good but many of the classes are just too easy. It is very easy to get a passing grade without learning much. That said, the opportunities are still present for those of us who really want to learn. Those who want to learn the subjects can certainly get a good understanding of them here at ISU. And the career services department is exceptional at helping us find jobs.
I felt that the best things about ISU's business program was helping me find internships and full-time employment. Many of the classes I took for my major were taught by professors who didn't know the material. The professor read through the chapter before class and went over it during class. Not very helpful nor does it help me prepare for the outside world.
Every teacher and adviser that I have come into contact with is very helpful and encouraging. I think that I have gotten a lot out of my education and experience participating in the business program at Iowa State.
They need to reduce the size of some of the business classes that all business students have to take, although I do have to say they do an excellent job of geting professors who have been successful in the real world and not just spent their entire life in academia.
There are many opportunities to help prepare yourself for life post-graduation provided by the College of Business Career Services. I was fortunate enough to take advantage of these opportunities and get a great jump-start on internships, etc.
The big problem that I have with Iowa State is that the teaching quality is poor. In my college career I have had less than five teachers who have inspired me to learn. I would say that most teachers at ISU are here to do research. Then again, that's what they are paid for and people do what you pay them for.
I fell in love with Iowa State here in Ames. The campus, the colleges, the people all make this the quintessential college town.
Iowa State is bringing in new MIS professors, such as Kevin Scheibe and Amrit Tiwana (from Emory University), to increase the quality of its classes and increase preparation for the professional job market.
Iowa is not very diversified in the sense that most people are not very open to foreigners. My friends and I at some point faced discrimination sometimes from teachers or even classmates, which makes things harder. Sometimes teachers were really mean, and it is hard to complain about it. Besides, with changing immigration regulations, it is getting harder to get an internship in American companies. I remember that my friends and I applied to the Disney program. Even most of us had 4.0 as GPA the company just recruited Americans, which completely disappointed us.
I cannot speak for any other areas in the business college, but in the MIS program the teachers really care about recruiting and constantly improving classes. These same teachers are willing to help in any way possible and encourage students to seek help from them. Every teacher has an open door policy so that the student can come in at any time. The teachers do not arbitrarily assess grades, teach straight from the texts, or ignore arguments of reason. I feel that the business program at Iowa State is constantly improving, specifically in the MIS area.
Sadly, multiple choice exams are used by the majority of instructors, even in upper level business courses. This to me is not an effective way to truly evaluate student performance and understanding of material. It's easy to regurgitate information in a multiple choice exam, but I think the focus of universities should be to challenge critical thinking and be sure that students can apply knowledge that they've taken from their coursework. Also, too many instructors use the course textbook as a crutch in teaching.
The Iowa State University College of Business is outstanding in every aspect. Top-notch professors, facilities, technology, social life, intramurals, clubs, networking opportunities, and caring faculty. All of my children will be highly encouraged to pursue their higher education at ISU. I couldn't have asked for more from my college experience, especially after talking with my high school classmates that went to different colleges around the country.
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