Iowa has a reputation for being culturally uniform and flat. At least in Ames, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Of Iowa State’s students, 22.5 percent are international students. Compare that to Harvard’s 11.2 percent or Princeton’s 11.1 percent and it becomes clear why Iowa State provides a unique opportunity for those wanting to experience different cultures.

The International Student Council, which aims to foster communication between the international student body and the rest of the community, is evidence of this.

Iowa State offers classes in cultural anthropology, African-American studies, international studies and human studies — just to list a few — for a reason: there is a profound emphasis on understanding different people.

There are hundreds of positions for studying abroad on all seven continents. Not that there’s a lot of exciting culture to experience in Antarctica, but there’s probably some pretty interesting scientists from around the world.

Most importantly, students can simply interact with people at Iowa State they would have never imagined being around. That’s the easiest, simplest way to understand other people — to just work with them and live with them in daily life.