Student Profile
Amber
- Class: Junior
- Major: Government
- Gender: F
- High School: Albemarle High School
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
The greatest thing about NC State are the opportunities-both on and off campus. On campus, there are hundred of organization in which students can participate, from fraternities to political and debate clubs to organizations specific to your particular major or career interest. The number of resources available to students for community service, career development, etc. is enormous. Then you have the Raleigh area in general. Raleigh is most definitely a "college town" with 5 universities all together in the area--but, it is also the center of North Carolina government. The surrounding area offers amazing opportunities to students both during their college career and after they graduate. The NC General Assembly and many other agencies are located just a few miles down the road, as well as the Research Triangle Park linking research within NC State, UNC and Duke. These offer great internship opportunities to students and chances to get involved in the local community. There is often a stigma that students must compete with faculty and administration in bringing about change. From first hand experience, however, I've found that if students truly desire for something to change and are willing to put in the time to talk with faculty and administrators about policies, they are usually very open to new ideas to create a better environment for students. The University is currently undergoing plans for some major rennovation on the student centers and on-campus dining opportunities to better accommodate students' needs and wants and make campus more student-oriented.
Academic Life
As a political science and business major, I have the benefit of (generally) smaller classes and less competition for faculty's time and attention. As a research institution, students at NC State have the privilege of being taught by individuals who are currently engaged in cutting edge research, especially in the fields of science and engineering, and many times being a part of this research. From my experience, professors are generally very open to spending time with students outside of class. In addition, many professors are often also work or have worked in the "real world", as entreprenuers, businessmen/women, lawyers, politicians, etc. who bring great insight to the career focuses of their students. They also, in my opinion, bring a more engaged and less "textbook" manner of teaching which greatly benefits students. NC State has also recently revised its General Education Program to make general ed requirements much more flexible for students to choose classes which interest them as well as reduce the number of non-major related hours. These changes allow students to switch majors more easily without having to retake general courses as well as allowing majors and departments to "personalize" their students' requirements.
Student Body
NC State offers a very diverse student body who is actively concerned with promoting diversity awareness and recognition. As a southern university, NC State's campus has a stigma of being very conservative, however I believe this mindset is rapidly changing to a much more diverse political identity. There have been some issues of discrimination and "hate crime" activity toward certain groups on campus, but they have been rapidly denounced and handled by both student leaders and administration. NC State recently established a GLBT Center on campus to offer support to the GLBT community and their allies as well as promote awareness around campus. Financially, NC State has many more middle- to lower-class students than our rivals in Chapel Hill. In response, the financial aid office has developed a good level of assistance for students facing financial difficulty, especially through their PackPromise program which offers students whose families are at or below 150% of the poverty level a full covered education. I believe every type of student from any background would feel comfortable and be able to find their "place" here at NC State. The number of student organizations on campus offers an outlet for people of an enormous range of interests and lifestyles. For the most part, people are open and accepting and interact freely with one another regardless of race, socio-economic status, background, etc.
The Best Things
The level of experience and opportunity available to students. ATHLETICS!!
The Worst Things
The apathy of students to get involved. About 10% of the student body does most of the work.
