North Carolina State University - Raleigh

Date: Dec 31 1969
Major: Geography and Geosciences (This Major's Salary over time)
As an undergrad I went to a fairly small liberal arts college, so coming to NCSU was a different experience. I didn't have any trouble adapting and have enjoyed my time here.

My department did tend to be pretty political. Big grant producers definately had the power and don't look after their graduate students. I think my best advice is to make sure that you know what project you will be working on before you get here. If you don't, you might not find a professor to pick you up and put you on a project. I have seen too many grad students flounder for a couple of years before getting started, or just leaving without finishing.

I was also a TA in the sciences. Really, I couldn't figure out why some of my undergrads were even in college. Most of them were buisness majors and doing the minimum to get by. That was very depressing for me as I really love my discipline. But my upper-level students were great!

Raleigh itself is not a thrilling town (coming from DC) but there are some nice places to eat, drink, and shop. It is pretty expensive to live around here though, which took me by surprise. Overall I would say that my experience was good and definately usful. Your experience, as with most places, will be what you make of it!