North Carolina State University - Raleigh

(For engineers)
If you have the opportunity in high school, take AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism, AP Calculus AB/BC, AP Chemistry, AND EVERY HUMANITIES CLASS KNOWN TO MANKIND.

These are the "irritating weedout classes" that have limited effect on your major but are required to graduate. Use high school AP's as a tool to benefit your overall curriculum. It will give you an easier courseload over your four years and a higher GPA. DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE OF THINKING IT WILL BE BETTER TO TAKE THESE CLASSES IN COLLEGE TO LEARN THEM BETTER. Most of the times you dont remember or use any of the information in these classes past basic concepts and they tank your GPA. In the grand scheme of things, YOUR GPA IS THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IN COLLEGE. It doesnt matter if you did a triple major double minor if your GPA is a 2.0. It is not difficult to get a 4.0 at NC State if you plan correctly and dont overextend yourself. Utilize this as an opportunity for success!

1st Year Male -- Class 2015

University Resource Use/ spending: A+, Campus Aesthetics: C-

I came from out of state, as the only person from my high school to go to State, so I knew that with 90% of people from North Carolina I'd have to take a little time to get adjusted. This school has just about everyone: snobs, jocks, preps, stoners, horny frat boys, dumb sorority sluts, skaters, whatever. You will meet other people like you, it just might take a little while.

As I said before, almost everyone is from North Carolina, so at first a lot of people are going to hang with their high school friends. That's normal for a little while, I guess, but some of the kids I met were pretty unwilling to branch out. It's easy to feel like an outcast if you're from out of state, but you have to just be friendly and meet people. I have a nice group of friends from all over now. Greek life isn't huge-I've never been a fan of it but if you're into that stuff then it's here for you. It's not imperative to join a frat if you want to party, but I've been to a few frat parties and they were fun.

It's not a beautiful campus, I can tell you that much. Brick, brick, and more brick. That's about it here. Luckily I love the city of Raleigh so if you get a chance to go into the city and explore then I recommend it. It's kind of an overgrown small town-it lacks the cosmopolitan air of say, Charlotte, but it's got more to do than Durham or Chapel Hill.

The food on campus here is meh. Not good, not bad. You'll probably get sick of it. Hillsborough Street has a few good places and Western Boulevard has all the fast-food options if you need a change of pace.

A lot of people condemn the idea of being "just a number" but the lectures I've had thus far have all been good. The professors do care about each student despite huge class sizes and if you want to meet with them or get some extra help then you'll certainly be able to.Going to games is fun, and there are always buses so you can still get there even if you can't get a ride

1st Year Female -- Class 2014

Surrounding City: A+, Individual Value: C

I love this school. I grew up dying to go to PennState, then when I applied for colleges, applied to here, Virginia Tech, RIT, Perdue, and PennState. I got in to all, and visited them... and found I loved NCSU instantly. The campus is pretty, there is a lot available, you can actually approach teachers and faculty. Even the maintenance people are nice, they always smile and nod. This school has been worth it, even while paying for out of state. For engineering the best thing to do, is go straight to the co-op program. There's a building right on campus that specializes in it, and helps you get one. Its not very well advertised, but they do a very good job, and are with you all the way. The career fairs here are one of the largest in the nation, so you have a lot of opportunities, and the school has a very good reputation with a lot of companies, so that will help.However, as others have mentioned, it is more of an engineering school. There are some other specialties, but technology and engineering is NCSU's forte, so if you're considering a humanity it might not be the best (unless you're undecided, there are plenty of classes for you to test different classes in until you decide.)

3rd Year Female -- Class 2012

Education Quality: A+, Individual Value: B+