Put Your Worries to Bed 

How to find community at the University of Iowa, whether in the dorm or across campus

by Jacob Wynkoop

Iowa City is a long way from home for many students– maybe ten miles, maybe one hundred, maybe two thousand. Even if home is just a few minutes away, this environment is unlike anything you’ve done before. 

For most young adults going into college, there are two main worries many keep returning to: How am I going to make friends? And how am I going to feel living with a stranger?

If you’re living on campus, the best place to start looking for answers is in residence halls, commonly known as “dorms.” There are 11 across campus–six on the east side and five on the west side. With these numbers, it is no surprise that a lot of college social life is centered around residence halls; the people who you share a home with are a baked-in community of neighbors and friends. 

Community lives across the floors of all the residence halls, and honors housing is a prime example. 

“It’s definitely more of a familiar relationship with the floor,” first-year honors student Abi Imm said, looking around the lounge of Catlett’s 10th Floor Orange lounge on a winter day.

The lounge is awash (unsurprisingly) in orange. There are two couches, several chairs, and a few tables atop a carpeted floor. Light shines through the window looking out at the Iowa River, freshly thawing after several weeks of freeze. 

Come nighttime this place will be bustling like downtown on a Friday night. Movie watch parties, game nights, and SNL viewings are weekly occurrences. Group dinners happen almost every night. A few weeks earlier, one resident set up a Minecraft server for anyone to join. The floor not only invites but openly fosters community. 

But community is not a fluke of one enthusiastic floor. A brief walk through Catlett’s halls showcases a variety of group gatherings happening almost every night. A few nights before, a large group in Catlett 10 Green was watching old episodes of Maury projected onto a window.  

Shared experiences lead to easy discussions and a mellow and supportive environment.

Beyond the dorms, there is no shortage of community-building experiences at the University of Iowa. Clubs proliferate on campus, such as the Sunset Club (as its name implies, members gather at the end of every day to watch and rate the sunset from the capitol steps) and Dance Marathon (an organization helping to support children diagnosed with cancer, culminating every year in a 24-hour dance marathon). These clubs, of which there are hundreds, are easy to find and easy to join, and there is no pressure within those clubs to commit to anything. 

“Biggest tip I would give is go to the org[anization] fairs,” said Imm, who serves as a member of the board game club, meeting every Tuesday and Friday. “You’ll find everything there. Join a bunch of group chats… Just try a bit of everything.”

The Honors Program hosts a plethora of events in the Blank Honors Center (BHC) weekly. These events range from trivia nights to movie nights to speed-friending. In fall semester, a board game night and a Taylor Swift listening party were held within the span of a few days. In October, there was a Halloween costume photo contest. 

As mid-terms hit in February, origami folding offered a brain break. In two “Hear from a Peer” events, students shared tips on getting involved with research, internships, and volunteering. In April, students and staff alike gathered to hear comedian and playwright Megan Gogerty discuss her craft. 

These events, all of which are promoted on Instagram and featured in the weekly Honorable Messenger Newsletter, arriving in students’ inboxes weekly, seek to foster greater community among members of the Honors Program from all across campus. 

Transitioning to college life can be tricky and feel daunting, but it’s important to remember that, firstly, everyone around you is going through the same transition and secondly, the university actively wants you to succeed. Community flourishes everywhere across campus, whether you find yourself living in honors housing or another spot. 

The University of Iowa’s campus may seem huge, but don’t look at that size as a drawback or an imposition. If anything, the campus’s size is a benefit: no matter who you are or where you’re going, the University of Iowa will have someplace right for you.