East Tennessee State University Top Questions

There is a very wide variety of students at ETSU. Just walking around campus you will primarily see White, Black, and Asian races on campus. The types of students most heavily include: preppy sorority/fraternity girls and guys, hippies, athletic/ "outdoorsy," artsy, religious, and older going-back-to-school students. These are just a few examples of the types of students you will see on campus. ETSU is primarily middle-class white students, though. The thing about ETSU students is that you will find a wide variety, but like groups really stay together. You don't really see a mixed group of friends walking around. But that can be expected. People like to stay near people who are like them, especially in college because you literally have to live with these people and it's nice to make your experience as comfortable as possible. Political views are not really a big deal on campus. We do have both Collegiate Republicans and Democrats clubs, but you won't see students getting into heated debates over politics.

There is a lot of diversity among students and staff at ETSU. There are many ethnic backgrounds here, which makes the classes better in my opinion. We can all learn from each other. You will see a lot of different backgrounds here, some wealthy, middle class, and lower class incomes. Everyone is treated with respect and dignity however. I don't think that there is any group that would feel out of place at ETSU. We welcome everyone from all backgrounds. The more the merrier!

We are a genuine melting pot at ETSU. Students, for the most part, tend not to judge others and are very accepting of all different races, ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations. We have students from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds, but when you are on campus, this doesn't matter. Everyone is a friend to their neighbor, and your past and your home life doesn't get in the way of making new and amazing friends.

Our campus has every walk of life represented. I honestly feel that there is no student that is welcomed onto our campus. Most students wear causal clothing to class. Some where business causal because of the jobs or positions they hold on campus. All types of students, faculty, and staff interact at ETSU. While most people come from the surrounding Application area, ETSU has students from all across the world. Most students would be classified as being in the middle of "middle class." ETSU does have a very strong group of students that are politically award and active. We have both a College of Republicans and College of Democrats student groups, which play very active roles on our campus. Students don't really discuss about what they will be earning one day, they are in their major because they love that field of study.

This area of the country normally leans to the right politics wise. However, students on this campus are more liberal than the rest of this area. Our campus has many cultures represented. Predominantly, the campus is made of Caucasian students. I have had classes with students from Japan, Russia, Brazil, and Ecuador. Students here express themselves through their clothing. While some chose to wear sweats and a t-shirt to class, others show off their originality.

Since we are a state-supported university we have added benefit of welcoming students from all walks of life and socio-economic statuses. Students are welcome to create their own university recognized organizations on campus, so if one is not available it can be made. Religious diversity is evident with Christian, Muslim, and other religious organizations on campus. Most students dress casually for class and many wear ETSU logo shirts or their fraternity or sorority letter shirts. Many of the students are from the surrounding region but it is not uncommon to find students who are from many hours and states away. I would say the middle class is the financial background that is most present on campus. Students are more goal driven and are concerned about their future life one day.

For a smaller school, we are an especially diverse student body. We have a large student exchange and study abroad program that brings people from all over the world to ETSU and allows students at ETSU the chance to experience a different culture in another part of the world. They also arrange a week of information and demonstrations around studying abroad and different cultures/countries. There are many scholerships available and studetns can choose to study at a different school in the US or in a foreign country for a semester or a few weeks in the summer. Last semester my roommate and I planned an international potluck at our apartment and ended up having about forty students from at least a dozen different countries on four different continents come. One of our founding principles is diversity and I believe we embody it well. We have a large asian exchange student population as well as many eastern and western europeans. We have a large african american population as well. There is a japanese club, a gospel choir, and an LGBTs group. We do not have a very large middle-eastern or south american population. I would guess that most of the students at ETSU are middle class. For low SES students or first generation students, there are support servies that include free tutoring in many of the harder classes including the math sciences. There are around a dozen different campus ministries that meet on campus, and each semester they hold a unit service where they all come together to worship. There is definitely a large Christian segment of the student body but there are people of other religions as well.

My classmates are mostly open-minded but also crazy at times, and most of them get along great.

Very nice and friendly. They made conversation and laughed along when funny things happened.

There are a variety of different flavors of personality types in my classrooms, some are funny and out-going, some are quiet and are happy to help and some just love being in class and learning what we are there to learn!