Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Tennessee
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 03-31-2011, 07:16 PM
 
17 posts, read 29,153 times
Reputation: 11

Advertisements

I am planning on going on exchange to another state in the US. I am from Oregon and am looking at schools in Tennessee. What is your opinion on the schools I have to choose from:

East Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
University of Tennessee at Martin
University of Tennessee Knoxville

How is Tennessee as a whole? Are they very accepting people and welcoming? What are the areas that the colleges are in like and geared to what kinds of people?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-31-2011, 10:16 PM
 
Location: Franklin, TN
6,662 posts, read 13,275,658 times
Reputation: 7612
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjohnson92 View Post
I am planning on going on exchange to another state in the US. I am from Oregon and am looking at schools in Tennessee. What is your opinion on the schools I have to choose from:

East Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
University of Tennessee at Martin
University of Tennessee Knoxville

How is Tennessee as a whole? Are they very accepting people and welcoming? What are the areas that the colleges are in like and geared to what kinds of people?
I think you will find a lot of Tennesseans to be welcoming. I graduated from UT Knoxville, so my only real experience is there. I think you would be just fine there. In fact, I knew a handful of people from Oregon who went to UT...they seemed to like it (although I know a couple of them were homesick at times...it's definitely a different climate and culture).

It would help to know what your area of study would be, as well as your interests.

A quick rundown of the different colleges/locations:

ETSU - total enrollment of around 15,000...Johnson City is the biggest city of the Tri Cities region...city population of 64,000 - statistical area of over 500,000. Beautiful country, foothills, mountains and lakes not far from the city.

TSU - total enrollment of around 10,000...Nashville is the second largest city at 600,000, and with the states largest metro area at 1.6 million. TSU is a historically black college, and has struggled at times to keep up with some of the other state universities (incoming test scores and GPAs are stagnant compared to most of the other schools), and the area around TSU is generally a pretty rough area. I would hesitate to suggest this university to give you a good feel for the Tennessee environment, mainly due to its lower academic standing. However, Nashville would offer the best "city" environment of the universities you listed.

UT Chattanooga - total enrollment around 12,000. Chattanooga is a nice mid sized city located between Nashville and Atlanta. With a city population of about 170,000 and a metro of 550,000, it is the 4th largest city in the state. Chattanooga has a very nice natural setting, with large hills and ridges rising through the city, and the Tennessee River winding through town.

UT Martin - total enrollment around 8,000. Of the places listed, this one is by far the smallest. This West Tennessee town has a population of about 10,000 and is pretty far from any sizable city. The setting outside of the town is primarily rural, and the university is known for its agriculture school.

UT Knoxville - total enrollment around 27,000. UT is the flagship school of the public university system. It is not only the best academic school of the public universities, but also the largest overall. The university is located near downtown Knoxville, Tennessee's 3rd largest city with a population of about 180,000 and a metro of 700,000, and a combined statistical area of over 1 million. In my opinion, it would offer you the best of what the Tennessee university system has to offer.


Other schools to possibly check out: University of Memphis, Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU, in Murfreesboro, not far from Nashville).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-31-2011, 10:37 PM
 
17 posts, read 29,153 times
Reputation: 11
I am in a pre-professional program, and since I will only be going for a term the only required class that I have left in my pre-reqs is Anatomy & Physiology. I plan on having a pretty light course load during my time here, because I got the majority of my heavy work out of the way. I just want to focus on meeting new people and seeing a part of the country I have never been to before. I am a good student, but am not really doing this exchange for a great educational experience, I just want to have new experiences and try things that are culturally different from Oregon. However, I would like to note I am not a "partier" but love meeting new people and sports/being active. Hope this helps a little bit with your answer And thanks for replying! I appreciate the opinion of people from the area because I can only gather so much from reading about places online. with accounts from people actually from the area, it helps me understand SO much more!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-31-2011, 11:47 PM
 
Location: Franklin, TN
6,662 posts, read 13,275,658 times
Reputation: 7612
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjohnson92 View Post
I am in a pre-professional program, and since I will only be going for a term the only required class that I have left in my pre-reqs is Anatomy & Physiology. I plan on having a pretty light course load during my time here, because I got the majority of my heavy work out of the way. I just want to focus on meeting new people and seeing a part of the country I have never been to before. I am a good student, but am not really doing this exchange for a great educational experience, I just want to have new experiences and try things that are culturally different from Oregon. However, I would like to note I am not a "partier" but love meeting new people and sports/being active. Hope this helps a little bit with your answer And thanks for replying! I appreciate the opinion of people from the area because I can only gather so much from reading about places online. with accounts from people actually from the area, it helps me understand SO much more!
Well IMHO, if you're outdoorsy, then the 3 East Tennessee choices (UTK, UTC, and ETSU) would provide the best area for recreational activities. If you enjoy hiking, rock climbing, kayaking, or any outdoorsy sports, those would all be excellent choices. Like I said, I can only speak from my experience at UTK...UTK is quite a party school, but it has a very diverse scene as far as what it offers. Since it is quite a bit bigger than the other schools you mentioned, there are many different kinds of student groups to help your needs. If you're a friendly and outgoing person, you should do fine meeting people and making friends.

Btw, are you a student at U of O or another school in Oregon?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-01-2011, 06:13 AM
 
13,337 posts, read 39,754,828 times
Reputation: 10766
Don't forget Tennessee Tech in Cookeville. Among Tennessee's public universities, U.T. in Knoxville has the highest ACT scores among entering freshmen, and Tennessee Tech has the 2nd highest. TTU has 13,000 students in a town of 30,000 and has a beautiful campus. Cookeville is an hour from Nashville (which has the cheapest air fares in the state, by far), and it's surrounded by lakes, waterfalls, gorges, and is in a town that's noted for being very welcoming of others. In fact, according to the latest Census figures, over half of Cookeville's population wasn't born there.

Some pics of the university and the surrounding area:


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/...423c71c22d.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3154/...794474d446.jpg


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3127/...698c2304cd.jpg


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/...9e4f55e527.jpg


http://farm1.static.flickr.com/124/3...18fd7c203e.jpg


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1148/...34643a3f95.jpg


http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1085/...bef389cd8b.jpg


http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/...330f05e6_z.jpg
__________________


IMPORTANT READING:
Terms of Service

---
its - possession
it's - contraction of it is
your - possession
you're - contraction of you are
their - possession
they're - contraction of they are
there - referring to a place
loose - opposite of tight
lose - opposite of win
who's - contraction of who is
whose - possession
alot - NOT A WORD
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-01-2011, 06:25 AM
 
Location: Franklin, TN
6,662 posts, read 13,275,658 times
Reputation: 7612
Quote:
Originally Posted by JMT View Post
Don't forget Tennessee Tech in Cookeville. Among Tennessee's public universities, U.T. in Knoxville has the highest ACT scores among entering freshmen, and Tennessee Tech has the 2nd highest. TTU has 13,000 students in a town of 30,000 and has a beautiful campus. Cookeville is an hour from Nashville (which has the cheapest air fares in the state, by far), and it's surrounded by lakes, waterfalls, gorges, and is in a town that's noted for being very welcoming of others. In fact, according to the latest Census figures, over half of Cookeville's population wasn't born there.
Ah, yes...forgot about TTU.

Definitely a school to look into.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-01-2011, 07:45 AM
 
5,064 posts, read 5,704,247 times
Reputation: 4768
I would mark UT Martin and TSU off your list. UT Martin is in a very rural part of the state. It is a 2-3 hours from any major cities (Memphis, Nashville). Carrot Top, the comedian, once made a joke about visiting UTM. He said he got to the Memphis airport and started out on a 6 lane road, then a 4 lane road, then a 2 lane road, and then it was just a guy in the middle of a corn field ringing a cowbell saying, "Over here, over here" and than Boom: This big college. It may not be quite that bad, but that's not far from the truth either.
Also, UTM primarily draws from small towns in West Tennessee, so a lot of people already know each other, and I think it would be harder to break into the social scene. And by social scene, I mean mostly frat parties. The town only has 2 very small bars.

I would mark off TSU because it struggles to stay accedited. And that might affect your transcript if they lost it. Also the safety issues that nashvols mentioned.

My first choices would be UT Knoxville and UT Chatt. You will get more diversity of backgrounds at UT Knoxville, but IMO, a better location at UTC. Chattanooga is about 2 hours from Atlanta, Nashville, Smoky Mountain National Park (maybe a bit further here), and it has a lot of natural beauty.

Tennessee Tech is a great location also, but you didn't mention it being one of your choices.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-01-2011, 04:18 PM
 
17 posts, read 29,153 times
Reputation: 11
THank you so much everyone for your input, it is much appreciated. The only Tennessee school that I have to choose from after looking at the opennings, is University of Tennessee at Knoxville. If I decide to go there I will defintely consider what everyone said any addittional info about Knoxville would be great as well!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-01-2011, 09:00 PM
 
Location: Franklin, TN
6,662 posts, read 13,275,658 times
Reputation: 7612
Quote:
Originally Posted by mjohnson92 View Post
THank you so much everyone for your input, it is much appreciated. The only Tennessee school that I have to choose from after looking at the opennings, is University of Tennessee at Knoxville. If I decide to go there I will defintely consider what everyone said any addittional info about Knoxville would be great as well!
I know a little bit about the Knoxville area, and would be very glad to answer any questions...but I would suggest you look at past threads about students considering UTK as a college choice, and perhaps start a thread in the Knoxville forum to get more diverse opinions about the city in general. You might find the perspective of transplants who are not originally from the area useful in making a decision about whether the culture and daily life would be something that would fit what you are looking for.

Good luck on your college search, and I hope you will find a place that will help grow your educational experience. Feel free to DM (direct message) me if you have any specific questions about life at UT.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-07-2011, 11:22 PM
 
Location: Hometown of Jason Witten
5,985 posts, read 4,360,591 times
Reputation: 1922
If you're coming here to study I recommend UT-Martin. If you're coming to party it's UT-Knoxville.

But seriously, it's too bad TN Tech isn't on your list.

Last edited by Ridgerunner; 04-07-2011 at 11:42 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Tennessee
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top