The University of Iowa

[Tinyboss]

I've accepted their offer, and I'm currently living in Iowa City. I transferred to UI last year to wrap up my undergrad.

Anyone else?

[That_One]

I'm leaning towards Iowa so far, but not decided yet.

[TimRobbins81]

I have just accepted too. I will officially be a Hawkeye this fall. I am making the move from New York some time this summer. Any housing suggestions?

[wazi]

I'll be heading to Iowa in the fall. Second on the request for housing suggestions!

[bibliophile23]

I'll see you there, Tim. I, too, will be an English PhD Hawkeye! (And I, too, would like housing suggestions.)

[Tinyboss]

One important thing: GRAD STUDENT HOUSING SUCKS (Hawkeye Court/Hawkeye Drive apts). It's cheap, but unless you just can't afford an extra $100-$200 a month, don't do it. The units are extremely small, the floors are vinyl tile, and the walls are cinder block. My washing machine is in my kitchen and the dryer is in the bedroom. There are practically no closets, no countertop or drawers in the bathroom (just a toilet, and a sink sticking out of the wall). The kitchen barely has any cabinet or counter space, and there's no dishwasher, nor room for one.

On the plus side, there is regular bus service to campus, but you can find real apartments that are on or close to the bus lines, and I recommend you do if you're outside walking distance. Cambus is a good system, and parking on campus is a chore.

My wife and 5-year-old and I are moving to a new place in the Fall, thank god. I can't offer much advice on good areas--we wanted to keep our kid in the same school district, so we didn't look at anything outside that small area. We just drove around and wrote down phone numbers.

The only other (obvious) thing is that fall rentals fill up fast, so try to get on it early.

As I get ready to hit "Submit", I'm realizing that this exact post, names changed, probably applies to 50 different schools in the US.

[Tinyboss]

A few Iowa-specific things: the river runs through town and through campus. The main campus and downtown (bars, bars, restaurants, liquor stores, and bars) are on the east side, and the law and medical schools, hospital, and athletic facilities are on the west side. There are many large houses within walking distance on the east side, converted into apartments. It's a very undergrad neighborhood, though, so if you like your evenings quiet, I wouldn't recommend it. The west side has more traditional apartments and condos, and a more grad student/family demographic. You probably won't want to walk from the west side, but it's an easy bike ride, and as I said above, you can probably find something on or near the bus line.