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Brantley Bissette

THE TALLEY STUDENT Union can be found in North Carolina State University's "Central Campus."

This past week, news staffer and senior Brantley Bissette visited North Carolina State University in Raleigh to participate in an admitted student day, to learn more about his intended major’s department and get a better feel for what student life is like at the university.

Bissette reflected on his experience at his possible home for the next four years.

My recent visit to North Carolina State University (NCSU) was my third time on campus. At this point, I was pretty familiar with the grounds, and easily found my way to the impressive Talley Student Union for “Experience NC State” check-in. One of the school’s multiple admitted student days, I was surrounded by other prospective members of the class of 2021.

The day’s festivities included a Q&A session with a panel of current students, various general information sessions, campus tours, and meetings with departments and specific majors. Though I was one of only two students to attend the Zoology major meeting, I was thoroughly impressed by the program.

Perhaps the best feature of the school is it’s location. Just outside of downtown Raleigh, the school is situated in the heart of the “Research Triangle,” a growing region in central North Carolina that is home to hundreds of high-tech companies. The triangle also includes the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University, and NC Central, providing students with access to the resources of the nearby universities as well as an ideal job market.

Just a few minutes’ drive from downtown, the campus maintains a sense of complete seclusion from the hustle and bustle of big city life. Still, students can enjoy a view of Raleigh’s high rises from the much of the campus.

The campus itself is massive, and with good reason, as the school boasts a total enrollment just south of 34,000 students. This makes NCSU the state’s largest university. Still, a number of opportunities including Summer Start for freshman and the ability to live in “Living and Learning Villages” makes the experience much more personal.

In my opinion, the university is often outshined by neighboring Duke and UNC, and is thus overlooked by out of state students. I knew nothing about the school until I first visited last September, but have since considered it one of my “dream” schools.

I would highly recommend NCSU to anyone considering going to college out of state and to those looking for a wealth of opportunities both during college and in the years immediately following.