Drake University (DU)

Drake University, a small liberal arts school located in Iowa’s biggest city, “combines specialized academic programs with a small school feel in a way that promotes successful learning and professional preparation.” Nearly one in three students pursues an undergraduate business degree here. Business students benefit from “excellent job placement and internship programs. [The College of Business and Public Administration] graduates almost all of its students within four years, and a majority of them have double majors.” Drake’s “great” and “incredibly well known” pharmacy program is another major draw. Like business students, pre-law students, and students of public administration, pharmacy majors have “opportunities available to work on completing [two degrees] simultaneously” over six years. Theater, actuarial science, and journalism are among the other popular and well-regarded majors at Drake. In all areas, students tell us, “Drake really knows how to tailor the college experience for each person going through. The school puts an emphasis on professional development and preparation that is heads above the rest.” Undergrads also enjoy “a great network of graduates that stay and work around the Des Moines area. They then come back and speak in classes, and often times have connections that can help students land internships.”

“Since Drake is in Iowa, which isn’t a terribly diverse state, the ‘typical student’ is probably white and from a middle-class family,” students here tell us, adding that “Drake does do some recruiting overseas and in bigger cities such as Chicago.” “Such recruitment has brought in some diversity, but it is still a very ‘white school.’ Despite that…all people are welcomed equally, regardless of race, disabilities, religion, or background.” That said, some warn that “You are either a Bible thumper or a frat rat” here, and that “There isn’t much socially available if you are neither.” All in all, students are “serious about their study but they also know how to have fun,” balancing both “very well.” They are also driven by a desire to succeed in school in order to position themselves for good careers.

Drake students are split on hometown Des Moines. Some (Chicago and Minneapolis natives, perhaps) find the town “boring.” Others differ, telling us that it is “a great city because it offers many opportunities for Drake students to get involved in activities that complement your learning experiences” and that it “offers a diverse and exciting range of social scenes that are easily accessible and easy to get involved in.” On campus, “Drake’s Student Activities Board, as well as several other on-campus organizations, offers many programs and things to do throughout the week and during the weekend as well. Different speakers, bands, comedians, and other forms of entertainment visit campus. As with any college, there are parties to attend on the weekends, but it’s not limited to that—basketball games are a really big campus event and the Drake Relays are always fun too!” While “Campus bars sum up the social life of most freshman and many sophomores…. If people opt out of the drinking scene, there are plenty of people who also do so. One just has to become friends with nondrinkers and plan sober fun.”