Appalachian State University Top Questions

Attending my local community college has been a valuable experience because it has allowed me to finally know what I want to study. My parents have always told me to just pick a career field or major already but I didn't know what. When I took an British Literature survey class it gave me the confidence to really just decide to become an english major. I feel confident about this decision and in this field.

Appalachian has been the most wonderful experience of my life. I started out my freshman year at a much smaller, much more tight fisted university, and was completely miserable. It wasn't the right place for me. I felt out of place all the time and couldn't seem to find my place there. I transferred to App, which had always been my first choice, and immediately felt like I was home. Everyone up here appreciates the outdoors, individuality, creativity, and everything in between. Never once at this school have I felt out of place, or like I don't belong. I don't know if it's the mountain air, but people up here are incredibly sweet and accepting. I've been through a lot the last few years, I lost my mother my senior year in high school, and had to bounce around between my friends houses, but now, more than anything, I consider Boone my home. It had been over a year since I'd had a "home", but the teachers, students, and overall atmosphere of Appalachian State has made me feel like this is where I belonged since the beginning.

I just completed my first semester at Appalachian State University. Along with most freshman, I came across a number of challenges in the fall. However, I am extremely grateful for those bumps in the road because I was able to learn the proper way to handle certain situations and what I am truly passionate about. For example, I have genuinely enjoyed working with children and children with disabilities in my community in the last five years, but have struggled with deciding whether or not I should work in such a field. To be honest, I formerly avoided the thought because of the low income that comes with the career. Thankfully, after being at Appalachian for a semester, I now know the importance of doing what fills you with internal riches not physical riches. Helping adolescents succeed and just making them laugh will always be more valuable, in the long run, than a big fat check. So even though I believe that my 3.93 GPA makes me a great college student, my passions and involvement on campus are far more meaningful. Without the help of phenomenal advisors and ministry leaders I would have discovered this much later in life.

I have learned that furthering your education is important in the world in which we live. You need to take school seriously and work hard to earn good grades. There are many experiences you learn in college that will help make you a high functioning member of society. I have become more independent, I have learned how to manage money better and live on a budget. I have learned that the choices I make everyday will impact the rest of my life. In college you learn not only in the classroom, but through meeting new people, developing relationships and learning about their culture. Participating in extra curricular activities at school has allowed me to learn to manage competing priorities which will enable me to handle everyday occurrences that I will be faced with in my adult life. College has taught me not to take things and people for granted. It is a privilege and a great opportunity as a young adult to be a part of a higher learning institution. This experience has allowed me to flourish into the person I am proud to be and the adult I hope to become.

I am an older student in the midst of college freshman and sophmores, so my university experience is much different than most. For myself, the most important and valuable experience has been the community I have found here. I wasn't able to relate to the younger students, but I was able to find a niche of older students (graduate students and continueing education students) who influenced my direction in life. When I came to Boone, NC to attend school, I had just finished a year and half long trip around the world and chose a career with availibilty to travel. Being a part of a warm and fun community for the first time in my life made me realize the importance of great people in my life. Now I am studying to be a nurse, so I can work with people in my community and try to influence them in positive ways. The two years I have spent here as completely changed my outlook on life.

The college experience has been awsome. I have learned to be on my own which includes so many aspects that I was not aware of until I started college. My schedule was the most difficult to get use to. Having to get up by myself, get to class on time, manage my money, my homework, meals, clean clothes, and all that fun stuff my parents always made sure I did and did on time. Now my success is up to me andI am going to succeed.

Attending a Community College allowed me to get a small taste of not only college life, but also the real world. I am a full time student, who also works part time. Community college gave me the freedom to take a variety of classes, helping me to decide my major, while giving me the ease of knowing that I wasn't wasting thousands of dollars on classes that I might not even need. It was a stepping stone in the right direction, allowing me to now apply to a State College, knowing what future path I want to take.

As cheesy as this may sound, my college experience has molded me into the woman I am today. Appalachian State University (ASU) is known for its philanthropic and going green initiatives. These two characteristics have helped open my eyes to how I can further help the world in which I live. Since these two characteristics are strongly valued, they become almost an expectation for all students to participate in. Soon I will participate in a school research endeavor to the Philippines to work with Operation Smile. These experiences have helped me to pursue an international career in speech-language pathology, a pursuit I would have not otherwise pursued if I did not attend ASU. Outside of the excellence in academics, I also gained meaningful experiences and friendship. Living in the Appalachian Mountains, I took up skiing, hiking and even rock climbing! No other university in the southeast offers such great opportunities. ASU has thus given me the opportunities and experiences to become the strong woman I am today.

Thus far in my college experience, I've been overcome with the realization of responsibilty while living on your own. I've had to learn to balance my time between school and play. It's been challenging, but i've already learned my valueable lessons, even outside the class room. I've learned how to live/deal with others. I've learned that it's ok to switch your major up, this time is for me to figure out what I'll be doing for the rest of my life, or at least have a general idea. There is no rush to automatically know exactly where i'll be in the next 10 years. I've learned to be spontanious and just roll with what pops up in my life. Patience is an attruibute that I am beginning to form. I've learned that life is not all about you. Other students are here going to college to further their learning too, it's ok to compliment your classmates, and let them know that they are doing a great job at what they do. College is an adventure that we're all apart of. I have learned a lot.

In college, I have learned who I am, what I love to do and how knowledge can affect my future. I took a Field Biology class recently and finally found my destined major. I would love to have a degree in Marine Science so that I can help rehabilitate injured sea life and help conserve the waters. The sea life is so important to us and without it, our population and environment will be hurt. I have learned so much through college, not just about math or english, but how to interact with people, use life skills everyday, and learn to love our planet and what life is all about.