One down, eight more to go

The first acceptance letter arrived yesterday.  The teen now has one in the bag, a ticket to the University of Iowa if she decides to go that route.  

I imagine you're thinking what I was thinking when the teen and husband told me she should apply at Iowa.  What the heck?  But, come to find out, they have some of the top ranked medical profession degree programs in the country.  Who knew?  

U.S. News & World Report has rated University of Iowa programs as some of the top in the country. The ratings listed below reflect the most current comparisons of programs nationwide in both public and private institutions.

#1	Speech-Language Pathology — Master's (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
#2	Audiology — Master's, Ph.D. (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
#2	Nurse Practitioner — Gerontological/Geriatrics (College of Nursing)
#2	Nursing Service Administration — Master's (College of Nursing)
#2	Physicians Assistant Program — Master's (Carver College of Medicine)
#2	Rehabilitation Counseling — Master's and Ph.D. (College of Education)
#3	Social Psychology (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
#4	Printmaking (College of Liberal Arts and Sciences)
#5	Physical Therapy — Master's and Ph.D. (Carver College of Medicine)
#6	Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics)
#9	Rural Medicine (Carver College of Medicine)
#10	Otolaryngology (University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics)
#11	College of Nursing — Master's (College of Nursing)
#11	Counseling/Personnel Services (College of Education)
#11	Nursing — Anesthesia Master's (College of Nursing)
#12	Nurse Practitioner/Pediatrics (College of Nursing)
#12	Primary Care (Carver College of Medicine)

*above table filched from the university's website

The campus looks nice, Iowa City has a respectable population of 69,000 and it seems like a safe place to send your 18-yr-old daughter.  Plus it's not a university "monster" with 40,000 students, but more like 21,000 students.  As much as we ♥ the Texas biggies like UT and A&M, we think a more mid-sized university population might be a better fit for the teen... less opportunity to fall through the cracks and all that.

So we're on a roll over here with the college application process.  We've got two other applications already submitted and in the decision-making hopper as well as three college essays just about wrapped up so they can be sent off to the other six colleges on our master list.

Honestly, any of the nine universities on our list would be a truly great place for the teen.  May the best school win!