North Carolina State University at Raleigh Review

Going to N.C. State was a shock to my system. I grew up in a town of 800. N.C. State had around 28,000 students when I drove up by myself and started college. I got lost getting there and then got lost on campus the first day of school. Actually, I got lost off campus. Some lady out in her yard told me that I wasn't even at school at the point I stopped to ask.

Even though I was not well prepared for such a culture shock, I ended up loving N.C. State.

It is an excellent university especially in the areas of engineering and agriculture. There are many other majors as well. My degree is in Communication. I started in chemical engineering and found out that I would never enjoy the work involved in the field. Once I found a better fit on my major, things went much better.

Dr. Robert Schrag took me under his wing in Communication, so it is possible to have a real mentor and now longterm friend from a huge university. In fact, he encouraged me to go on to grad school and get a MA. I worked a year to save money and then did that.

On the social end, there were loads of things to do at State. I really enjoyed the athletics, and we won the NCAA while I was there. That was really exciting. I also got to see Jimmy Buffet in concert and the Charlie Daniels Band. There were great indie movies and programs on lots of topics.

Both my brothers followed me to N.C. State. One got his degree in the School of Design which is a tough program and well thought of. He's a landscape engineer. The other brother went all the way through the programs there and got a PhD. He now works for a major computer software company.

When my marriage split up, Dr. Schrag suggested that I teach at State. So, I have seen things from both sides of the desk. It was a scramble to learn to teach, but I got that down and have been doing it for around 12 years now at various colleges.

In teaching at N.C. State, I must say the students are very down to earth. There are many local (in state) students as well as students from all over the globe. It was a pleasure working with students who really did  want to learn.

State does not have the most attractive campus. There are a lot of bricks. I think men must have designed the campus. It is also spread out due to expansion. Since N.C. State is in the capital city, growth has been a challenge. Parking is also difficult. They do have buses now unlike when I was a student and walked a whole lot.

Hillsboro St. used to be a big party street like Franklin St. over at Chapel Hill, but they changed the zoning. It's mostly little shops now. There are, of course, clubs all around Raleigh but not right up the side of campus like in the old days.

My favorite restaurant is still open across from the English Bld. That's Sadlacks heros. It's a sub shop. It used to be an old doughnut shop. It's a fun spot to "people watch" as well as having great subs.

There's also Char Grill down Hillsborough St. It's an old fashioned drive in. You kind of tailgate usually at Char Grill or make burger runs late at night. They have the best hamburgers I've ever eaten other than home grilled.

I don't think N.C. State is for everyone. It really is a huge place. The opportunities are excellent though. Raleigh is a fun city as well. If you hang in, then you will figure things out and enjoy all that's offered at the campus and around the area.