Appalachian State University — Attraction in Boone

Going to Appalachian State University was the worst educational decision I have ever made. I cannot speak for other majors, but I studied Recreation Management with a concentration in Outdoor Experiential Education. Of the things I did learn, I cannot think of any real world application for most of them. I was required to take class after class of topics that had nothing to do with why I wanted to go to ASU. I know that college is sometimes about taking classes that will rarely or never be used in the future, but the classes I found least helpful were most of the ones in my core curriculum. I may have taken one or two courses that I actually had a desire to take and have felt value from since. For a career focused in recreation or the outdoors, I would have been better off going to a number of other outdoor leadership institutions such as NOLS or the AMGA and I would have gained valuable knowledge and experience, two things I gained very little of at ASU.

For anyone interested in this major I would suggest instead going out and gaining as many outdoor certifications as you can and become part of an outdoor organization like the ones I mentioned above. You will go so much further in a career in recreation and you will save money as well.

On a positive note, I did like the teachers in the Recreation program for the most part. They were pleasant and had passion for their teaching. I just gained very little applicable knowledge from the content they were teaching.

Also, the campus and surrounding mountains...

Annoying town to live in. Southern hospitality doesnt exist in Boone. Its full of stuck up hippies. Counting down the days till I transfer to Colorado. If you're transferring here, good luck. My girlfriend has been petitioning classes that they haven't counted since she first got here. They're screwing her out of 27 credit hours that she finished at her old school. Math department is atrocious. I'm in college algebra now and the teacher lost my first test because she took priority in grading a 2 page paper on success before she graded the test. Also, if you're coming here to watch football, the atmosphere sucks. More than half of the crowd is out of the stadium before halftime. Hardly anyone actually cares about the team, they just use it as an excuse to tailgate and get trashed in a public...

Was a very good experience. Best was the faculty, who are from all over the country and internationally as well. I attended another college for a second degree after ASU and had a bad experience which really highlighted how superior ASU's instruction and advice really was. They do not waste your time. If there was a downside, it was probably the fact that many of the students are from western North Carolina, so some of the perspectives were a bit of a culture shock for me. They have several excellent programs, particularly business, music, education, art, as well as some unusual programs like...