Appalachian State University

Date: Dec 16 2003
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
If you don't like the cold or the outdoors, and especially if you don't like the outdoors when it's cold, this isn't the school for you. Some say the worst winter they've ever spent is an autumn or spring in Watauga County (where App is located).

I am in the Interdisciplinary Studies program and also enrolled in Watauga College (A small division of Appalachian students who are smarter, more open minded, and more overworked than the rest). If you decide to attend Appalachian State, I would highly reccommend that you take Watauga if you're up for a challenge. Watauga students almost always have higher GPAs than others when they are upperclassmen. You live in the same building that you take classes in (The Living Learning Center), which is undisputedly the nicest dorm on campus, and at night during the warmer months the courtyard of the dorm turns into a massive drum session/guitar jam/steak grill out/party. The social atmosphere in Watauga College is awesome, as I have noticed that while everyone in Watauga seems to be smarter than everyone else on campus, none of them are pretentious. In fact, everyone here is laid back and very liberal. We even accept conservatives, though they may not be comfortable with the open atmosphere here. A lot of people think of Watauga as that "Crazy Hippie Colony" on top of campus. Everyone in Watauga is very close, and you can count on most anybody to help you if you need help.

The professors at Watauga are very laid-back and selected for their intelligence and willingness to put in extra effort to make sure that students understand the subject matter. If I have a question about class, I can literally walk fifty feet from my dorm room and be in my teacher's office. This level of personal attention is hard to find at a university.
I must remind you, that if you are not up to doing a lot of challenging, fun work that will help shape the way you think, then do not join Watauga. For more information about Watauga College, visit ids.appstate.edu/watauga.html

Any students interested in Appalachian, or especially in Watauga can feel free to contact me through my e-mail, and we can set up a time to talk.