Appalachian State University

Date: Sep 14 2013
Major: Political Science (This Major's Salary over time)
Academics - I've had a great experience at Appalachian so far. The Poli Sci department is great, and I've found the professors to be approachable even though many of the classes (especially in the first two years) are large lectures. They have all been extremely knowledgeable. I'm currently planning a study abroad trip to Egypt for next year and will be able to pay the same price I would for a semester at App. The biggest negative is that the gen ed program takes a lot of credit hours and the requirements can be very difficult to understand.

On-campus Activites - I've had the opportunity to be involved in a lot of campus activities like the International Relations Association and ACT (community service). There are always bands coming to play on campus as well as $1 movies every weekend. There's always either a play, dance performance, or music concert happening. There are also some great free public speakers. By far the most popular event on campus is football games, which get really crazy even when the team isn't doing so well (like this year).

Parking/Transportation - Parking at App and Boone in general can be a real pain in the ass, especially for freshmen who can only park at an off-campus lot. Fortunately Boone has a totally FREE bus network called AppalCart. AppalCart can get pretty crowded and usually is way off-schedule (because traffic in Boone is ALWAYS terrible), but it can take you pretty much anywhere you need to go.

Housing - It depends on luck mostly. Some of the dorms are old and hot, some are newly renovated. All of the freshmen dorms rooms are really small unless you happen to be an honors student.

Health/Safety - I've never felt unsafe on the ASU campus. There are emergency phones everywhere and at night you can call SafeRide to take you back to your dorm if you don't want to have to walk there in the dark. Health Services is really helpful, just make sure you call-in before going unless it's an emergency, it'll actually get you in quicker than if you just walk in. It's easy to stay fit because you can use the Student Recreation Center or the smaller Quinn Rec Center for free.

Food - Central is pretty good for college food at least. They have lots of vegetarian options which made my decision to become a vegetarian a lot easier. The Student Union has a McAlister's (which is an awesome deli, for those who don't know). Don't eat at Trivette unless you're there to use the waffle maker.

Off-campus - Boone is a great college town with a lot of great bars and restaurants right near campus on King Street. It's also the BEST if you like outdoor activities. I got my phys-ed credit by taking skiing class. There are places to hike, ski/snowboard, camp, or jump off waterfalls all not too far from campus.