Reviews

I feel like I didn't learn anything in high school, but I love college! At Drake I feel like the professors really teach you the material and most make it interesting!

Drake is a fun college right outside of Des Moines. There are good places to eat around campus and they all deliver for free - in case you don't have a car. There are A LOT of activities to get involved in - you just have to say hello. Everyone is so friendly!

Drake may be a bit expensive, but I think it's worth it. Plus, they offer students a lot of help financially and will take special cases into consideration for aid.

Make sure you explore campus to make sure it's for you. Also, if you decide to come to Drake bring rain boots and an umbrella! Trust me, you'll need them and Target has a ton of cute pairs for about $20. Make sure you stay overnight and attend a class to see what college life at Drake is really like.

Drake is great for motivated students who are willing to step up and try new things. It is a lovely small school and campus is all one block with no roads going through, which is great for getting around.

Classes at Drake are definitely tough & if you didn't study in high school, that won't transfer well here. You will have to put in a significant amount of work no matter what your major is. Although the course material is difficult, it is definitely manageable, especially with the help of the approachable faculty. However, perhaps the greatest aspect about Drake is that you are not just getting a degree, but learning how to navigate the real world as well. Drake strongly stresses real world application through Mock Interviews and Resume/Cover Letter Workshops. Additionally, Drake has it's own career website, comparable to monster.com, which lists full-time positions & internships both in the Des Moines area and across the country so you can learn how to handle life in the work place before you get there.

There is always a lot to do at Drake. The student activities board does an excellent job planning events throughout the year like concerts(Eric Hutchinson, Quietdrive), Free Salsa Dancing Lessons, and even on campus laser tag. However, if you'd rather do something off campus downtown Des Moines is only 10 minutes away by car & has a lot of really neat places to visit. Drake students get to ride the Dart bus(Des Moines Public Transportation) for free and it will bring you right to Des Moines hot spots such as Court Avenue, which has a lot of nicer restaurants and bars for those over 21. There is also the Civic Center which plays host to big name shows such as RENT, Wicked, and Billy Elliot. Additionally, Des Moines is cluttered with cute little shops, coffee houses, and tea bars, all of which are with visiting.

Drake is definitely on the more expensive side, but as a private institution, it's well worth the money. The on campus residence halls are all recently renovated and the dining halls just got a major makeover as well. The majority of professors have an open door policy with office hours, and a lot list their cell and home phone numbers in their syllabus. Since Drake is a smaller school it is really easy to get involved which makes it easier to obtain leadership positions and build a resume. All of this, in combination with Drake's generous academic and need-based scholarship policy, makes the Drake experience more than worth the money.

Open up right away & be yourself. Unlike a lot of state schools, no one comes to Drake with half of their graduating class. Therefore, 90% of students that enter as first years know only 1 or 2 people when they get to campus, thus making it a lot easier to make friends. Take advantage of this by joining lots of different activities and leaving your room door open(when you're there) to encourage the people on your floor to come in and chat.

Drake is great for students who know exactly what they want to major in because you get to begin your major in your first year. This makes it exceptionally easy to double or even triple major.

Drake University is an amazing place to start the college journey. With its small-town feel, Drake University offers many opportunities to students, along with Des Moines, Iowa being a great resource to start job opportunities. Drake University is small enough where the professors know each of the students by name and that is the greatest feeling of all; to have that level of communication with professors.

Drake University is the place to begin your college career! Drake's campus is small enough where you know many other students, but large enough that there are plenty of opportunities for everyone. Drake offers a wide range of academic options, and you can also make your own major too! Drake represents all 50 states and over 50 countries so the campus is very diverse- a great opportunity to meet many other students from around the world. Once you make a visit to Drake, you will know it is the place for you.

Drake University provides very rigorous academic courses, pushing each student to their full capacity. Drake's academic professors are more than willing to help a student succeed in the course, and provide extra opportunities for the student to understand the material covered in class. The class sizes are also small enough where each student feels a part of the learning process, and not just a number in the crowd.

Dorm life is great! The four freshmen residence halls, known as the quads, have all recently been renovated within the past 3 years. The dorms have carpet, real sheet rock walls (not brick), and brand new furniture to accompany the room. Each room is also able to adjust the heat and air conditioning themselves, and the windows do open for fresh air. Each residence hall also contains a laundry room, kitchen, living room/study space, study room, and multiple vending machines, all for the students to use. The resident assistants are great and make each student feel welcome.

Drake University is very lucky to have the food options that they offer. Drake works with Sodexo food services to provide delicious options for meals. Drake University has two different dining halls, the main dining hall called Hubble Dining Hall, where you can have an unlimited amount of food and sit down at a table with your friends. The other, Quad Creek Cafe, is more of the fast food type of dining option. Students get their food and can also sit down at tables with their friends, but the food is not unlimited. Food options vary every day and also offer many great home style foods. Drake students also have the opportunity to choose flex points with their meal plan. Flex points allow the students to purchase snacks and beverages at Spike's C-Store, a convenience store, located in the dining hall, or at various coffee shops around campus. Drake also offers food until 1am, and offers a new menu after 7pm, great for late night study snacking.

Because Drake's campus is so diverse, many students stay on campus during the weekend. With this, Drake offers many opportunities for students on the weekend, as well as weekdays. There are many things to do on campus, such as going to the Bell Center to swim a few laps, or run on a treadmill, go to the library for a great study environment, or go to the Olmsted Student Center located right on campus. This offers pool tables, a coffee shop, and a brand new fitness area downstairs, equipped with over 25 machines, each with a TV on them and iPod hook up. If you want an opportunity to get off campus, Des Moines has so much to offer! Drake students get to ride free on the DART bus, Des Moines' public transportation system, and can go anywhere in the city. With four malls, many local sports and restaurants, and theaters, it is hard to be bored at Drake.

Although Drake University's tuition is very high, (almost $40,000/year) they offer great scholarships to each student. When I was comparing colleges my senior year, it was going to cost about the same for me to attend a state school or Drake University. I obviously chose Drake University for the small atmosphere that the campus offers. Without a doubt, I made the right decision.

Located near Old Main, the central building on campus, is a large rock called the Kissing Rock. Many alumni have been engaged at this spot over the years, and is a special place on campus for numerous couples.

Drake is great for students that want to feel like a person, rather than just a number. With the small number of students on campus, the professors have a chance to learn about each student and how they learn best. Each student has the opportunity to grow in their learning and also meet many new people, while making life long bonds with professors and fellow classmates.

Drake University offers many ways for students to get involved on campus! Twice a year, Drake hosts an activities fair for students to learn more about what is offered on campus and to find what is most like them. From Chemistry Club to Anime Club, there is something for everyone on campus.

Greek life is HUGE on Drake's campus! Located just down from Drake's campus, Greek Street is where the fraternities and sororities are located. Greek life offers fall and spring recruitment, with fall being the most popular. If someone is unsure if they want to get involved in Greek life and the social scene, there are options such as professional fraternities and service fraternities for students to become involved with.

Drake's campus is located in a rough part of Des Moines. Because of this, security is extra helpful, and always available if needed. The central office for security is located across the street from the main campus. Security officers patrol the campus with cars, ATV vehicles, and bicycles. There are also many blue Emergency posts located all throughout the campus, each equipped with a camera for security to be able to see you when you need help. Security officers are very nice, and are very willing to come pick a student up anywhere on campus and take them to their desired location if they don't feel safe enough to walk. I know security was a big concern with my parents, and they definitely feel at ease, knowing that security is very strong on campus and can handle any situation.

What I like about Drake is that it is a small enough school where professors care how you are doing in classes and most are willing to change their schedule to fit yours if you need extra help.

I have met great people and have made great relationships. Also Drake helps students get involved, with so many options it's easy to choose which organization you would like to be a part of and make a difference with!

I feel like everyone who works at Drake is trying their best to achieve personal satisfaction from each student.

Talk to professors and current students while touring. Tours only give out information Drake thinks is important, what's important to you may be different.

Great for students who enjoy seeing students/faculty they know on their way to classes. This school is great for close relationships with faculty and other students.

I love Drake. I am learning so much. The classes are a lot harder than I expected, but that is what happens when you choose a school like Drake. I wanted a school to challenge me academically and Drake does.

I love the campus. Just about every single event is free. The sport events are free and the concert venues are free. The only thing I had to pay for was to see a play, and that was only 6 dollars.

Drake is a little pricey, but I think it is worth the price. They give out lots of financial aid and scholarships to help compensate it.

Just be yourself and go somewhere you truly love.

Journalism, Pharmacy, Science

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!

I would rate drake a 4.8. We are a one of the top best value schools, because of the low tuition price and our great academics. Drake is a prestigious college that will take you places.

Tips for prospective students are that they should not eliminate any school, or have their heart set on one school initially. Because coming from my own experience I probably would never chosen Drake if I wasn't as open minded. Also fill out your applications before the week that they are due! And don't limit yourself to just a couple schools since you can never be absolutely sure if you will be accepted or not.

Drake does pride itself in the fact that we are a very prestigious university and that because of that our academics are extremely rigorous. Getting in may be an easy process but the actual classes will not come as easily as they did in high school. You have to take the initiative in class, the teachers do not coddle you as they do in high school. Also there is a high expectation for you since you now represent the University.

Dorm life can be can be great, and it can be difficult at times. I currently live in a triple and I had a problem with one of my roommates. After talking to our RA it was decided that our room did not communicate at all about any of our feelings about the other roommates. And so to make it through the year with your roommate(s), communication is definitely a key aspect. Other than that you meet people from all of the residence halls and learn to love your own! Also the residence halls are co-ed by floor and they separate them by boys at one end of the hall, girls down the other. But not all floors are co-ed.

The food here is like any other college dining... it's okay, but it gets old real fast. I actually prefer Hubbell which is the buffet hall. It's not the best, but it could definitely be worse.

Drake offers a lot of events over the week and weekend. You sometimes get things in your mailbox or in an email about events going on around campus. Also there are a bunch of flyer's around campus that tell you about events coming up.

This school is definitely a bang for the buck. It is cheaper than most Universities including some state schools. Also the academics outweigh the price of tuition because you are paying for your future.

Drake is great for all types of students! We are a small campus, so it's not too overwhelming and yet you can easily meet new people around campus.

Drake offers a bunch of different clubs and activities. There is an activities fair during the beginning of September where all of the clubs have a table set up and you can get any info on the club. The one thing about signing up for the clubs is that they never take you off their emailing list, so even if you do not join the club you will constantly get emails from the club, for all four years that you are here! Also there is a business fraternity and two pharmacy fraternities and many pre-prefessional clubs for those who want to make their resume look extra nice!

drake is an amazing school, the professors are easy to talk to and more than willing to help. the campus itself is beautiful and small enough to navigate easily without feeling compact. as a private school, it is a little costly but the quality of education is worth it.

be sure to do a campus tour, it will make or break your decision. only by spending time on campus and feeling the layout can you truly decide on where to go.

study! as a private university drake has an ideal of excellence to uphold, so the classes are a little more strenuous than a public state school. as long as you do your homework and keep up in class, you'll do fine.

dorm life is amazing. the freshman dorm complex makes it easy to make new friends and make connections with others in your field of study. the upper class dorms are spacious and on campus.

dining is supplied by sodexo, while the food itself is very tasty, after a while it begins to get old.

join a club, walk to grey's lake, visit the many malls, walk around downtown and see the historic buildings, play quidditch, or go to a play.

as your mother always told you, you get what you pay for. this time it's in a good way though. drake is a private school, which means its expensive, which means that they actually want you to stay. the professors put extra effort into making sure you succeed and do well in their classes.

herriot hall (a freshman dorm) is fond of recreating hogwarts. this year we had the yule ball, triwizard tournament, quidditch, and much more.

campus security is always patrolling. whenever there is an emergency they are there faster than you can believe.

Drake University has become my home away from home. It has become a place were I can grow as an individual to better myself and achieve my goals and prepare for the next step in pursuing my education. Every student that I have met has been able to contribute to making the Drake community stronger and more passionate about each other and our campus.

It is very easy to adjust to living at Drake because in the first-year dorms, they focus on creating programs so that you can find ways to remain active in campus life at Drake. It is a positive learning environment and all of the possible resources necessary to succeed are provided. My favorite thing about Drake is the close relationship you grow to have with your professors and how easy it is to stand out. They are very willing to help, even outside of the classroom. Definitely utilize office hours, tutoring opportunities, and the library.

It can be very difficult learning to adjust to college academics. You must be willing to read, which can be very cumbersome with very long and dull readings. However, they are still necessary and will help a lot with your grade. You will also have to learn your own study routine and not just cram at the last minute before your exams. Lastly, you will be expected to take classes you may have no interest in, but you still have to do your best because that is a class that YOU are paying for.

Drake's residence halls are extremely clean and very at home. All of the furniture (beds, wardrobes, desks, etc.) are very well kept and although there are community bathrooms on the floor, the cleaning crew cleans every day. Some halls are coed so you may see the opposite sex walking around in their towel, but to everyone else, this is normal.

Hubbell breakfast is AMAZING. The omelets and waffles are a campus favorite however, the dining is definitely lacking when it comes to lunch and dinner. You will commonly find yourself eating the same foods continuously but it is convenient that the Quad dining hall is open until 1 in the morning for the night owls. You will also notice that the quality of the cooking changes substantially when it is parents' weekend or tour weekend.

Greek life is a very large factor to many people's social lives at Drake. Many people who hang out or go out are in a fraternity or a sorority, however it is not necessary to be in Greek life to have a social life.

Drake is an outstanding university and a great place to achieve your degree, however the tuition is constantly increasing because of the few students who attend Drake since it is a private university.

There is a kissing rock where it is said that if you kiss someone on the rock that you guys will stay together forever.

Drake is great for students who are willing to push themselves to learn more and achieve greater. They are self motivated and willing to accept a challenge.

Drake really encourages everyone to get involved in clubs and activities outside of the classroom to stay involved and find others who may share the same passions as them.

Greek life tends to dominate the social life at Drake University.

Campus security is very easy to reach and they always make rounds to the dorms to check the safety of the students. They are very friendly and always ready to help anyone out. They always keep all the students well aware of what goes on around the campus.

Drake University is a very prestigious university that helps students excel to their best knowledge. Drake does whatever it can to help students find careers, and advise them in every possible way. Any type of student can excel and succeed at Drake.

If you have any interest in Drake, follow through. They will not fail you.

Classes may be hard, but do not hesitate to ask your professors for help. Many classes are available to all students.

Get involved. Your hall, and building are your best friends. Each hall has many activities throughout the school year.

It's school food. Its good, its bad. You can always find something good to eat even if there is a few bad options.

I like to hang out with my friends, order pizza, watch movies, and go to sporting events.

Yes, it is expensive. But their job placement rate is higher than any school in the area. The education is worth it.

The campus has many things going on, you never know what, but always something!! There are unique things on campus. It is a beautiful campus.

Any type of student will succeed if you put forth a little effort.

So many clubs and activities around campus. More than you even will ever realize. Everyone gets involved.

My roommate was involved in Greek Life, she loved it. And I could tell she always had fun with her sisters. Greek's include other students when doing on campus activities.

The surrounding neighborhood isn't too great. But I have never been fearful of my life. I feel completely safe.