Appalachian State University

Date: Jun 01 2012
Major: Political Science (This Major's Salary over time)
I have just completed my Freshman year at Appalachian and I would like to share my experience. Overall, I have had a wonderful time. I'll break this review into categories. It's a very long review because I want you to understand my experience at App so that, if you're using these to choose a college, you will be able to make an informed decision.

Academics: I am actually a Theatre/Political Science double major. This has proven to be a bit difficult but I've had a wonderful experience with both departments. I was able to have some level of involvement in every mainstage show as well as some student produced ones. In Political Science, I have been able to meet with local politicians. I love the faculty at both departments, as well as in my gen ed classes. They are qualified, I had one professor (intro to math) who was a little abrasive and hard to approach but still she taught the material well.

Campus: The campus is very beautiful and well-maintained. Buildings are being renovated every year and there are several recent additions. The view of the mountains is extremely beautiful. The library is new and it's very awesome with plenty of study space. It gets a little crowded around finals but it isn't too bad. The Student Union is wonderful, it has a solarium which is a great place to study or just chill. Sanford Mall is the quad area where students hang out, common activities in the mall include juggling, hammocking, and slack-lining. There's also a movie theatre. If you're a theatre, music, or dance major the performance spaces are great and they're all pretty new. There are three rec centers (but the one in the Student Union is more geared towards women) and none of the dorms are too far away from one.

Dorms: This is the worst part of life at Appalachian, and I'm going to be honest - the dorms here are among the worst I've ever seen. If you're lucky, you will get into one of the newly renovated halls, but even there the rooms are very small (even by college dorm standards). And I was not lucky, I lived in Eggers Hall which is small and got hot in the summer. There were also a lot of maintenance problems throughout the year. But, it actually helped me meet people because I never wanted to stay in my dorm. Our RA was also really nice to us.

Food: It depends on where you go. Central Dining Hall was just built and has a lot of options, including a sandwich place, grill, and vegetarian. There's also a Chick-fil-a, which students love, and a McAlister's, which according to my tour guide is one of the busiest in the country. However, Trivette Hall is a lot more conveniently located for some of the freshman dorms, but the food there is worse, I usually made the extra trek to Central because the quality is a lot better there. There are coffee shops in the Student Union and Library , which is great when you're studying and need that caffeine boost.

Parking/Transportation: This is the second worst thing about being a student at App. If you're a Freshman, you'll have to pay $100 to park in the State Farm lot, which is a full mile and a half from campus (but there is a shuttle that leaves every 15 minutes or so). Parking in Boone is EXTREMELY limited, and once you get past your Freshman year on-campus parking approaches $300. Boone and ASU police LOVE handing out parking tickets, and speed limits are strictly enforced. Traffic around Boone gets very bad at times. To avoid some of these issues I recommend making use of the AppalCart, which is a really convenient, free bus network throughout Boone.

Safety: I've never felt unsafe on campus or in Boone, it's very safe. There are 'blue lights' (emergency phones) throughout campus and a text/e-mail alert system. The students are always quickly notified of any sort of issues.

Students: There isn't a lot of racial diversity, but the students come from all backgrounds and overall it's a very welcoming campus. There are tendencies on campus towards liberalism, and there is quite the contingent of pot-smoking hipsters. I generally like the other students here. Obviously like at any school they won't all be great, but overall they're usually nice people.

Off-campus/parties: Boone is a great town. There are bars and clubs if you're into that, a LOT of nearby outdoor activities like skiing and kayaking, and a myriad of places to eat from lots of local restaurants to chains. Boone residents overall tend to be nice. Although sometimes you'll find those who don't like college students, they are a rare site especially in the shops and restaurants. Parties are usually off-campus in other students apartments or the frat houses (There is a greek scene here but it isn't too big, like 10% of the students are in it.) The farther out you can get from the core of the town the better because as mentioned police can be strict.

Activities: Other than the student acting group I have been on the Debate Team and ACT (a service club). Our debate team isn't very notable but we still traveled to several tournaments and it was a good experience. There are so many on-campus clubs and events for any type of student. There's political, religious, service, and interest clubs of all sorts. I also recommend RLCs (residential learning communities) I was in one called Art Haus (for arts majors) and it helped me make friends and was a lot of fun.

Overall, I highly recommend App, I've had a great year and can't wait to return.