Drake is a school that is focused on developing leadership skills as well as teaching its students to embrace culture and diversity. The students are driven to be the best they can be by professors and advisors that actually care about their students. It is a fun, encouraging and hard-working environment will you will learn all of the skills to be successful anywhere in the world.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
If you are looking for a fantastic business, science, or arts school then you are looking at the right place. The Drake faculty has amazing connections to get students into internships and jobs in any field. This is a place becomes home. The community is small which makes you feel like you have another family.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
You will not find an 'easy A' class here. Everything from general electives, here called AOIs, to your high level major classes are difficult. The professors expect a lot out of every student. And if you can get into Drake, then you can do it. If you are the type of person who didn't have to study in high school to get A's, you will have to study here. Every class is a challenge that you will learn many things academically in, but you will also learn something about yourself as a person.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
Dorm life is a blast. At Drake, students are required to live on campus their first two years out of high school. The first-year dorms are all in a quad together which makes it easy to jump around to see all of your friends. The Sophmores have three different dorms they can be in. The majority live in Goodwin-Kirk which is two huge buildings that are connected. You never have to step outside in the winter to find your friends.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
The food isn't spectacular, but you can survive the two years that you live on campus. There are basically the same options offered over and over again, but since you are at a private university, there are plenty of breaks for you to go home and eat real food.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
The great thing about Drake is that it is in Des Moines, the capital of Iowa. Now don't get too excited- this is know Chicago or New York. But there are plenty of festivals and malls to go to. There are also meuseums and parks. There is always something to do on campus as well, so don't feel like you have to go venture out!
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
This school is well respected. When looking for a job, people will see that you went to a small private college that is not known to be easy. It has an academic rigor competitive to many other private schools. The cost is lower than others and there are scholarships for academics.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
Once you go here, it is hard to realize that no one really knows about Drake Relays. It is a week long track meet, but also a week long party. Every age of alumni comes back to participate in the festivities. It is the one time a year that this small school feels like a giant university.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
Approximately 30% of Drake students are involved in Greek Life. It is a community of people that really stick together. When you join a sorority here, you don�t just gain 100 brothers or sisters, you find automatic friends in all houses. This is not your typical sorority and fraternity life that you see on television. Yes, there are parties and there is a significant amount of fun found in the nightlife, but there is a strong focus on academics and philanthropies here. Drake is a hard school and being a part of Greek life makes you strive to be your best. The fraternities and sororities expect you to attain a GPA higher than the all university average. Also, every single house has one week full of events to raise money for their specific philanthropy. And guess what? Every single house participates in everyone's philanthropies. That is how amazing Greek life is.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
Drake security is a never-ending joke amongst the students, but don't let that fool you. They really are there to keep the students safe and they really care. There may be a shooting every week near Drake's campus, but there is never a threat to campus security. Remember that you do live in the city of Des Moines, so just don't venture too far off campus on your own at night. The school is so small that when you are walking through campus at night, the only people you will run into are friends, classmates, acquaintances and Drake security guards. All of the students feel safe here. When that occasional nervous feeling floods through you and you don't want to walk home alone, Drake security will gladly walk or drive you home- they are amazing!
Drake is a school that is focused on developing leadership skills as well as teaching its students to embrace culture and diversity. The students are driven to be the best they can be by professors and advisors that actually care about their students. It is a fun, encouraging and hard-working environment will you will learn all of the skills to be successful anywhere in the world.
If you are looking for a fantastic business, science, or arts school then you are looking at the right place. The Drake faculty has amazing connections to get students into internships and jobs in any field. This is a place becomes home. The community is small which makes you feel like you have another family.
You will not find an 'easy A' class here. Everything from general electives, here called AOIs, to your high level major classes are difficult. The professors expect a lot out of every student. And if you can get into Drake, then you can do it. If you are the type of person who didn't have to study in high school to get A's, you will have to study here. Every class is a challenge that you will learn many things academically in, but you will also learn something about yourself as a person.
Dorm life is a blast. At Drake, students are required to live on campus their first two years out of high school. The first-year dorms are all in a quad together which makes it easy to jump around to see all of your friends. The Sophmores have three different dorms they can be in. The majority live in Goodwin-Kirk which is two huge buildings that are connected. You never have to step outside in the winter to find your friends.
The food isn't spectacular, but you can survive the two years that you live on campus. There are basically the same options offered over and over again, but since you are at a private university, there are plenty of breaks for you to go home and eat real food.
The great thing about Drake is that it is in Des Moines, the capital of Iowa. Now don't get too excited- this is know Chicago or New York. But there are plenty of festivals and malls to go to. There are also meuseums and parks. There is always something to do on campus as well, so don't feel like you have to go venture out!
This school is well respected. When looking for a job, people will see that you went to a small private college that is not known to be easy. It has an academic rigor competitive to many other private schools. The cost is lower than others and there are scholarships for academics.
Once you go here, it is hard to realize that no one really knows about Drake Relays. It is a week long track meet, but also a week long party. Every age of alumni comes back to participate in the festivities. It is the one time a year that this small school feels like a giant university.
Approximately 30% of Drake students are involved in Greek Life. It is a community of people that really stick together. When you join a sorority here, you don�t just gain 100 brothers or sisters, you find automatic friends in all houses. This is not your typical sorority and fraternity life that you see on television. Yes, there are parties and there is a significant amount of fun found in the nightlife, but there is a strong focus on academics and philanthropies here. Drake is a hard school and being a part of Greek life makes you strive to be your best. The fraternities and sororities expect you to attain a GPA higher than the all university average. Also, every single house has one week full of events to raise money for their specific philanthropy. And guess what? Every single house participates in everyone's philanthropies. That is how amazing Greek life is.
Drake security is a never-ending joke amongst the students, but don't let that fool you. They really are there to keep the students safe and they really care. There may be a shooting every week near Drake's campus, but there is never a threat to campus security. Remember that you do live in the city of Des Moines, so just don't venture too far off campus on your own at night. The school is so small that when you are walking through campus at night, the only people you will run into are friends, classmates, acquaintances and Drake security guards. All of the students feel safe here. When that occasional nervous feeling floods through you and you don't want to walk home alone, Drake security will gladly walk or drive you home- they are amazing!