View Full Version : Colleges along the AT
southernstepper
02-12-2008, 21:44
Hello Hikers,
I'm graduating high school in 2009, and am starting to consider an out of state college (18 years in Louisiana is good enough for me). What I'm looking for is a college or university in the East, preferably no further north than Maryland. Since this puts me near the AT anyway... well, wouldn't it be great if I could spend 4 years making weekend and summer trips with ease? So, are there any colleges near the southern AT (so, no Dartmouth), that are worth looking into? Any neat trail/college towns? Or even if it's an hour's drive away... I'll still be able to zip over to the trail on free days. Thanks for your help in advance!
hammock engineer
02-12-2008, 21:47
Check out VA tech. They even maintain a section.
envirodiver
02-12-2008, 21:47
East Tennessee State University (Johnson City, TN), Appalachian State Univ. (Boone, NC), University of Tennessee (Knoxville, TN), Maryville College (Maryville, TN). Just a few
UNC Asheville. Western Carolina. Appalachian State. They all have active outdoor clubs, with equipment you can borrow. And they attract students who are looking to do outdoor stuff.
BTW--my son, the UNCA grad, is living in Lafayette now. Not much in the way of mountains... He has taken up kayaking.
Glo-Worm
02-12-2008, 21:52
I would second Marta. Boone (App State) is a great little town and I have heard great things about Asheville.
Glo-Worm
HoosierHiker
02-12-2008, 21:54
Milligan College near Johnson City, TN. Carson Newman Jefferson City, TN. Tusculum College Greeneville, TN.
hopefulhiker
02-12-2008, 22:04
I would go with UNCA, Appalachian, or Virginia Tech.. Also Brevard is a private two year school up in the hills of NC...
southernstepper
02-12-2008, 22:05
Thanks everyone! I'm going to have fun looking at all of these. Glad to hear good things about App. State, as I've looked into it and wanted an outside perspective. I'm excited to look all of these up :)
And Marta... there's not much kayaking around Lafayette, either :p
bigcranky
02-12-2008, 22:15
We're going through this right now.
Appalachian State. We were there for a visit over the weekend, and the offspring seems to have made the final decision to attend next year. Look into the Watauga College program at App -- a small "school within a school" with an interdisciplinary curriculum.
I also *really* like UNC Asheville, which is the state-supported liberal arts school in NC.
Other ideas: The University of Virginia (it pains me to recommend it, being a W&M grad, but Charlottesville is much closer to the trail.) Washington and Lee. Mary Baldwin College. Radford. Virginia Tech. Plenty of smaller colleges in northwestern NC, too.
Any idea what you want to study? Or what you want to spend? That might narrow it down a bit.
Almost There
02-12-2008, 22:15
Milligan College near Johnson City, TN. Carson Newman Jefferson City, TN. Tusculum College Greeneville, TN.
Good friend of mine played ball at Carson Newman...beautiful country, but a dry county!!! Can get kicked out for drinking beer:eek:....dang, that's unAmerican!
gldwings1
02-12-2008, 22:21
WCU GO CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!, ASU, UNCA are only NC schools near the trail. ASU is closest of those.
southernstepper
02-12-2008, 22:23
To Bigcranky - App. State and UNCA are really looking interesting right now. I've also been getting lots of mail from Washington and Lee trying to give me free information, but it seemed to me like a very political, law-oriented school which doesn't really interest me.
To answer your question and help narrow it down: money isn't really part of my concern right now (I'm still allowed to dream big!), although $30,000 and up makes me cringe a little. I'm interested in French, Linguistics, and Creative Writing primarily, and Cognitive Science and Human Development secondarily.
To Almost There... I'm not all about alcohol, but a dry college? That really is unAmerican... it's part of the experience.
Thank you to everyone!
southernstepper
02-12-2008, 22:30
One more bother... does anyone know about how far UNCA is from the trail, in mileage or driving time? According to the website, ASU is only minutes!
AT-HITMAN2005
02-12-2008, 22:30
Blacksburg is a college town, dunno what school is there though. i think.:confused:
Blacksburg is a college town, dunno what school is there though. i think.:confused:
Virginia Tech.
My cousin is an ASU grad. He loved Boone and the school. It can get really, really cold in Boone during the winter! His degree is in International Business so I doubt he would know much about your interest. However, I will shoot him an e-mail and see what he says anyway!!!!;)
warren doyle
02-12-2008, 22:45
Lees-McRae College is at 3800' elevation in Banner Elk, NC and only ten miles from the AT near the beautiful Roan Highlands, closer to the trail than ASU in Boone and ETSU in Johnson City.
There is a Wilderness Studies minor in the works and a 3-week "Discovering the Appalachians" January term course involving a road/study trip through the Appalachians from Canada to northeast Alabama.
There will also be a 3-credit interdisciplinary course on the Appalachian Trail being offered.
www.lmu.edu (http://www.lmu.edu)
Appalachian Tater
02-12-2008, 22:48
www.lmu.edu (http://www.lmu.edu)
I wouldn't exactly consider a university in L.A. to be near the A.T. and I wouldn't want to attend a Roman Catholic school. But it does have a beautiful campus and the law school is well-respected.
All three of the western NC schools are just a hop, skip, and a jump from loads of excellent hiking. The three schools are very different in character and academic requirements, so I'd recommend making your decision based on that. App State is quite large; WCU medium; UNCA relatively small. They're not easy for out-of-state students to get into, especially UNCA. (As of a couple of years ago, UNCA freshman had a slightly higher high school GPA than the freshmen admitted to Chapel Hill.) The cost is pretty attractive. My niece from Mass. could go as an out-of-state student to any NC university for about the same price as being an in-state student at UMass. WCU even has a textbook loaning program, so students don't even have to buy most of their books. (My youngest son is a senior there and has saved much $$$ by not having to buy textbooks.)
Beware, though, you'll have to invest heavily in warm clothing of a sort you've never had to wear in LA. Especially if you end up in Boone.
wilconow
02-12-2008, 22:55
Other ideas: The University of Virginia (it pains me to recommend it, being a W&M grad, but Charlottesville is much closer to the trail.) Washington and Lee. Mary Baldwin College. Radford. Virginia Tech. Plenty of smaller colleges in northwestern NC, too.
.
Mary Baldwin is a Woman's school..
A virginia school I didn't see mentioned - James Madison
Another plug for Appalachian State University in Boone, NC-- Go Mountaineers! Great school in a nice mountain town. And yes, the AT is very close. My oldest daughter attends (student athlete) and likes everything except the weather. You're a smart kid for checking into colleges now...good luck and PM me if you want specific info.
Dickinson College http://www.dickinson.edu/ is pretty close to the A.T., some of the no parking signs next to campus are in French, students often come out with the local maintaining club http://www.geocities.com/cvatclub/ , and coming from Louisiana would be a shorter drive than schools in MD (that's my excuse for posting this in view of the "not north of MD" criterion :) ).
warren doyle
02-12-2008, 23:10
It is www.lmc.edu (http://www.lmc.edu)
Cabin Fever
02-12-2008, 23:14
East Tennessee State in Johnson City is geared toward the general degrees like business and education, but it does have an excellent medical program. It is about 20 minutes from the trail at the closest point (Watauga Lake).
Appalachian State is probably a little further from the trail 30-45 minutes.
Both of these schools have active outdoor clubs that do trail maintenance with the TEHCC - the club that maintains the upper half of the trail in Tennessee.
hnryclay
02-12-2008, 23:47
Virginia Tech is a great school, what major did you have in mind? If you are looking at engineering fields, then VT is your choice. Tech is a mid to large state university, in a small town, tucked in the mountains. There are many outdoor enthusiasts at VT, however since it is larger then APPY state is might seem there are more in Boone. The outdoor club at Virginia Tech does maintain a section of the AT, and are very active in many outdoor activities, they have a webpage.
All in all I would go to VT, but I'm partial cause I went there, and now only live about 10 miles from Blacksburg. It is a really beautiful area, with the New River, and the mountains. Better then Johnson City for college IMO, but equal to Appy State depending on what your major will be, and school feel better to you. Visit as many as you can, you really cant go wrong with the mountains in Virginia, or North Carolina.
Another Small school that is a stones throw away from Damascus, and in years past has had a great outdoors club is Emory and Henry. They are private and very pricey, but a lot of my friends went to school there and really enjoyed it. There is Roanoke College as well in Salem that is about 10 miles from the trail, also a small private school, more like a New England school, great Lacrose team, preppy atmosphere.
Almost There
02-13-2008, 00:57
Washington and Lee is in Lexington, VA. and is not far at all from the trail as it passes near Buena Vista. Great little town, might wanna check it out before you say no, you'd be fairly close to Peddlar Creek, the James River, the Priest. Great area for hiking IMHO.
Brevard is now a four year school, and has been one for some time. They offer one or more "outdoors" degrees.
www.brevard.edu
Preacher Green
02-13-2008, 01:20
Warren-Wilson College (http://www.warren-wilson.edu/external_index.php) near Asheville, NC. I'm told this is a school geared toward creative writing types
Tennessee Viking
02-13-2008, 02:19
Hello Hikers,
I'm graduating high school in 2009, and am starting to consider an out of state college (18 years in Louisiana is good enough for me). What I'm looking for is a college or university in the East, preferably no further north than Maryland. Since this puts me near the AT anyway... well, wouldn't it be great if I could spend 4 years making weekend and summer trips with ease? So, are there any colleges near the southern AT (so, no Dartmouth), that are worth looking into? Any neat trail/college towns? Or even if it's an hour's drive away... I'll still be able to zip over to the trail on free days. Thanks for your help in advance!
I know of a number of large schools and smallers ones. Then other trail schools
AT Schools:
Western Carolina University - Cullowhee NC (also in reach of the MST, BMT, and Smokies)
Maryville College - Maryville, TN
Carson Newman - Jefferson City, TN (not on trail, about short drive to the Smokies)
University of Tennessee-Knoxville (a bit out of the way, but the SMHC is located in Knoxville)
Tusculum College - Tusculum/Greeneville, TN
East Tennessee State University - Johnson City TN (helps on special projects with the TEHCC)
Mars Hill College - Mars Hill, NC
Milligan College - Milligan/Johnson City, TN (great religious school)
King College - Bristol, TN
Virginia Intermont - Bristol, VA (school has been in financial trouble)
Emory & Henry - Emory, VA (a bit off trail, but within hour drive to the Mt Rogers area)
Virginia Tech - Blacksburg VA (active student maintaining club)
Liberty University - Lynchburg, VA (Jerry Falwell's school)
Appalachian State University - Boone, NC (has an active student trail building club around Boone, Pisgah Forest, AT, & MST; very active with TEHCC.)
James Madison University - Harrisonburg, VA
Shenandoah University - Winchester, VA
MST schools:
University of North Carolina, Asheville - Asheville NC (about 45 minutes south of AT, but 15 minutes to the MST
Brevard College - Brevard, NC
Cradle of Forestry - Pisgah, NC
Cumberland Trail/Great Eastern Trail
Lincoln Memorial University - Harrogate, TN (also in reach of Pine Mountain Trail)
University of Tennessee Chattanooga (southern terminus of the CT, short drive to the BMT in the Frogs. Also GA Pinhoti in reach.)
Tennessee Tech - Cookeville, TN (also in reach of Big South Fork Rec Area)
Foothills Trail/Wilderness Bridge area
Clemson University - Greenville, SC
Furman University - Greenville, SC
North Georgia College and State University is in Dahlonega. I don't know much about it other than it has been seriously expanding in the past five years. The trail is about 10 miles away as the crow flies.
Tennessee Viking
02-13-2008, 02:36
Appy State also has a internal school called Watauga College, a very popular interdisciplinary program.
Oh by the way...The Appy State Trail Club even has a AT shelter and a set of waterfalls named in their honor. Mountaineer Falls Shelter on the Elk River section
They are a bunch of gung ho trail building kids when they are not cheering for their football team over little michigan.
Does anyone know the real name for the Mountaineer Shelter mascot? Some say Appy the Bear or Mountaineer the Bear.
One more bother... does anyone know about how far UNCA is from the trail, in mileage or driving time? According to the website, ASU is only minutes!
I live near asheville,and the driving time to the AT is around an hour or so,but their ar so many other trails and opportunities,like the pisgah National forest which has over 500 miles of great stomping grounds.:)
UNC Asheville. Western Carolina. Appalachian State......Adding to Marta's excellent list with Mars Hill College, if you're looking for a liberal arts college. Hickory isn't too far away and has Lenoir Rhyne College. There's also Montreat College in Montreat, NC and Warren Wilson College in Asheville as well. :D
WCU GO CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!, ASU, UNCA are only NC schools near the trail. ASU is closest of those.Oh, if you want to know anything about Western Carolina University, talk to gldwings1. He's an alumnus of the EMC program there. I'm sure we'll tell anything you want to know, albeit in a somewhat fanatical tone. :p:D
southpaw95
02-13-2008, 07:25
Go Hokies!
earlyriser26
02-13-2008, 07:43
Furman in Greenville SC is not too far away. Excellent school. My daughter goes there. When I visit I hike....
hnryclay
02-13-2008, 08:29
VMI is in Lexington as well if you are so inclined.
I am partial to App State since I got my degree in Wildlife Biology there, Go APPS! My son attends VA Tech and has had a great time hiking the AT near there. All of the schools mentioned have something unique to offer a student (except the ones without football teams, thats unamerican). Good luck with your decision.
Ramapo College in New Jersey is a very good state school. The last ATC Biennial meeting was held there.
Castleton State College (in Vermont) is the site of the next ATC Biennial in 2009.
wilconow
02-13-2008, 10:38
There's also Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, VA.. less than 15 minutes from the route 7 crossing (roller coaster)
I am partial to App State since I got my degree in Wildlife Biology there, Go APPS! My son attends VA Tech and has had a great time hiking the AT near there. All of the schools mentioned have something unique to offer a student (except the ones without football teams, thats unamerican). Good luck with your decision.
I met three students from APP State on my last hike in the Mt. Rogers area. One young woman was a member of the band, and she talked excitedly about their big upset of the Michigan Wolverines last year. They rode buses all the way from Boone to Ann Arbor.
SouthernStepper, do you have any idea what you might be interested in studying?
Yet another recommendation for Appalachain. Go Mountaineers! Three-time football national champs! :banana They'll no doubt win big while you're there and you can help throw the goal posts in the lake!
I go to NC State but I have friends at ASU and have spent many weekends there. There's a ton to do in the outdoors just minitues from campus. I've joined my friends fishing, hiking, and just riding on the blue ridge parkway. Boone can be touristy but plenty of businesses cater to students.
Waterfall
02-13-2008, 14:12
I'm a Louisiana girl too and went to Mary Baldwin College (near Waynesboro, VA) and loved it. Was out hiking nearly every weekend. If you're interested in creative writing, you might check out Hollins, which is in SW VA--one of the best schools for that. (Don't let the "women's college" thing turn you off--I never dreamed I would want to go to a women's college but ended up really enjoying my 3.5 years there.)
Waterfall
02-13-2008, 14:13
(My 3.5 years at Mary Baldwin, not Hollins. Though I'm a creative writing person too, and would look at Hollins if I ever decide to go for my MFA.)
wilconow
02-13-2008, 14:26
(My 3.5 years at Mary Baldwin, not Hollins. Though I'm a creative writing person too, and would look at Hollins if I ever decide to go for my MFA.)
Annie Dillard went there, right?
Waterfall
02-13-2008, 14:28
Yep. And so did Rhymin' Worm.
HoosierHiker
02-13-2008, 15:32
Good friend of mine played ball at Carson Newman...beautiful country, but a dry county!!! Can get kicked out for drinking beer:eek:....dang, that's unAmerican!
I went to Milligan in the 80s. Carson Newman teams used to come to our campus and and beat us regularly. I think Carter county where Milligan was was dry too but ETSU and Washington county a few miles from Milligan wasn't.
Milligan is a small school with a beautiful campus. The Cherokee National forest was about two miles down the road and many friends spent weekends and breaks in Erwin, Roan Mountain or the Smokys.
An earlier post decribed Milligan as a religious school. That's partially true. They also have an excellent pre-med program and have made the US News and World Report magazine's list of top colleges. Its a great liberal arts college.
But that whole area has many great schools that have the added benefit of being in the middle of some beautiful country.
southpaw95
02-13-2008, 15:48
Hollins College is between Roanoke and Cloverdale in VA.
Also, east of Catawba in Salem, VA is Roanoke College.
Jack Tarlin
02-13-2008, 16:01
The University of Virginia in Charlottesville is not far from the Trail.
Also Shepherd University in Shepardstown West Virginia (very near Harpers Ferry) is a pretty cool place.
wludavid
02-13-2008, 16:53
I've also been getting lots of mail from Washington and Lee trying to give me free information, but it seemed to me like a very political, law-oriented school which doesn't really interest me.
I got my BS in physics from W&L. The student body is pretty "reminiscent of Reagan", if you know what I mean. And it does crank out a lot of politcal science majors who go on to law school. But I'm a liberal and a science person and I did fine there. There are LOTS of opportunities for outdoor pursuits, and IIRC a pretty active outing club. It has gotten expensive in the last few years. (Tuition my freshman year was about $16k; it's now above 30k. :eek:)
It has a great English department. I've heard the French program is not great, and I don't think it has a linguistics program. There is a neuroscience program. Not sure if that would fit in your cognitive science interests.
The cool thing about W&L is that you can just call up any department and tell the secretary who answers that you're a prospective student and would like to speak to a prof. When I was 17 and deciding on schools, I talked to the chair of the physics department for almost an hour one night. That he was willing to take time talking to me really helped sell me on the school.
southernstepper
02-13-2008, 18:53
Wow, guys, this response is phenomenal! It's almost overwhelming, but I'm going to keep researching these schools to try to find one that fits me perfectly. App State does seem great... but wait, I'd have to buy a coat? How does that work?
I can't thank you all enough, hopefully I'll be back here in 6 years plugging my own AT college alum.
Wow, guys, this response is phenomenal! It's almost overwhelming, but I'm going to keep researching these schools to try to find one that fits me perfectly. App State does seem great... but wait, I'd have to buy a coat? How does that work?
I can't thank you all enough, hopefully I'll be back here in 6 years plugging my own AT college alum.As a North Carolina native, you probably won't hear anything bad about Appalachian State. It's an excellent school with diverse academic departments and a ton of things to do for extracirricular activites. My cousin and her hubby both went there and are fanatical about the place. Most of their alums are. If you want to talk to someone first hand about Western Carolina, PM gldwings1. :D Wherever you choose, best wishes to you in your academic pursuits.
My son attended Va. Tech for one semester and then transfered back in-state to Appalachian State, graduating two years ago. I loved the weekends visiting with him in Boone. I definitely cast my vote for App State. Go Mountaineers!!! I think Michigan ought to have to play them in Boone next year! :)
Whitey9457
02-13-2008, 22:17
go north new england's where its at, especially for college, although i'm obviously a little biased
girlnextdoor
02-13-2008, 22:29
southernstepper ---
as a GA peach i need to throw in my old alma maters!
check out these 2 schools in north ga:
young harris college www.yhc.edu
right now yhc is a 2 year liberal arts college but by next academic year will be 4 year.
berry college www.berry.edu
where deer outnumber students! it's actually the largest campus in america (the world?) because they own mountains and whatnot all around.
both are on beautiful campuses and YHC is between blairsville and hiawassee (trail towns).
in fact, in 02 my crew stopped in to say hello to old profs and were invited to stay at one's lake house for a few days!
good luck with your decision!
gnd
southernstepper ---
in fact, in 02 my crew stopped in to say hello to old profs and were invited to stay at one's lake house for a few days!
good luck with your decision!
gnd
Girl, I was looking at a pic today outside your prof's house with you, Moonshine & Grace. Thank you Young Harris prof for letting me stay in your house.
Southernstepper, I went to Appalachian State. Congratulations and good luck Montaineers playing LSU opening game next season. ASU has 45-1 hour access to Grayson Highland and Roan Mountain (two of the gems of the south). Approx. 13,000 students.
Also, if you would prefer a smaller school and you are a complete outdoors freak (hiking, biking.....) WCU might be good for you. People either love or hate WCU because there is nothing to do there except play outside.
The ASU victory over Michigan was fantastic!! It was supposed to be one of those early season "murder bowl" games for Michigan. You know, when big shools play little schools to have an easy victory and get their fans riled up. And then David took down Goliath!! ohhh I wish I was in Boone that night. :D
girlnextdoor
02-15-2008, 13:36
my sister in law was at that game in MI, it was a crazy night!!!
redwood's brother & his wife are crazy ASU fans!!!
they love that big game in Chattanooga every year for sure!
Hotrod -- we all had a good time didn't we?!! good ole YHC!
tina.anderson
02-15-2008, 13:40
Va. Tech has a beautiful campus, excellent academics and good sports teams too. One of my friends went there and she loved it, so I would recommend it to anyone. The area offers a lot of extra-curricular activities too!
peakbagger
02-15-2008, 13:57
Dartmouth College in Hanover NH is a school to look at if you can get accepted. They recently started handing out grants instead of student loans. They have a very active outdoors club and is a short drive to either the Green Mountains or the White Mountains and the AT goes right through town. They also own a couple of townships in northern NH to play around reserved for university students and alumni.
Southernstepper,
Have you considered making next year a year of researching your future college? My guess would be that you could set aside roughly, oh - say 6 months, and check out all of the Colleges close to the AT in person. If money for transportation is a problem, just walk from school to school. :-)
I graduated from App so I will give you the negatives
Traffic is a nightmare
It's really really cold. The wind never stops blowing.
The food is not that great
Virginia Tech was voted as having the second best campus food in the country. The weather is a little milder. Blacksburg is off the beaten path so you don't have the high level of traffic. But it is bigger than App and has more academic advantages.
But in the summer, nothing compares to Boone/Blowing Rock. It is paradise.
The Weasel
02-18-2008, 16:23
University of Virginia.
TW