i love lees-mcrae. it is a beautiful mountain school that makes you feel like you live in a personal snow globe. this school prides itself on a strong community.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
if you don't like snow, don't come here. as i'm writing this review, it's snowing. this is a place to ski and snowboard. also, be ready for a small town feel. this is not a college city; it is small. you have to know the area you're living in before you decide to come here.
show up to classes. there shouldn't be any reason for someone to fail a class here. the professors are very interested in knowing you. the class sizes are very, very small. if you fail a class, it's because you didn't show up.
don't worry if you seemed overwhelmed that a school could be so small that everyone knows everyone. i promise that you'll get there too.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
i'm in the honors program, and i think it's decent. a lot of things could be improved on, but there's nothing on that list that should push anyone away from this school. the core curriculum makes sure you become well rounded, and if you do most of it during your freshman year, you can focus on classes for your major the rest of your time here!
Describe the dorm life at your college.
oh, the dorm life. freshmen must live in designated freshmen dorms. for girls, that is avery. for guys, those are virginia and tennessee. i can't speak for the guy's dorm life, but for the girls, avery is a good location to be. it is right outside of the cafeteria and the student center. most of the classes you need to go to are five minutes away at max. if you wanted, you could wake up ten minutes before class and walk there. you will have your drama in the dorm, but it's four floors of girls. that's just a given. the ra's are really nice, and they're willing to help out with whatever you need. all in all, the dorm life is better than most places out there.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
i am only giving this a three because of circumstances that are finally starting to balance themselves out. for the past year or so, we've switched head chefs way too many times, which has made the food a little difficult to judge. our newest cafeteria head is a sweet woman who is doing an excellent job. and, to be honest, if you can't find anything you want to eat in the cafeteria, you can head to wily's when it opens. with your meal plan, you get a declining budget of wily's money, and it comes in handy. if you're craving some chicken strips, a salad, or a milkshake, it's the best place to go. plus, they have some of the best cookies i've ever had.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
there are a ton of school events to choose from. we have a quidditch team (yes, a quidditch team) starting to get on its feet. our outdoors program leads backpacking and camping trips all over the mountains on weekends. on some school nights, we'll have movies playing in evans. the most recent movie was the immortals. there are dances (like nda's black and white ball) and fundraisers to go to. we have relay for life during spring semester. there are a ton of ski and snowboard places here, and there are plenty of trails to go walk. there's a duck pond right by campus that's a great place to hang out and relax. during fall semester, you can go to wildcat lake, too. we're about half an hour from boone, so many students go there on weekends, too.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
if you work hard and appreciate everything you're given here, it's worth every penny.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
at lees-mcrae, we have two events that have really stuck out to me. during the fall semester, we have mountain day. all classes are cancelled and we walk to wildcat lake. we dance, kayak/canoe, eat, hang out, and just relax. it's a way to get to know everyone.
spring semester, we have mountain day of service. once again, classes are cancelled, but this time we go perform community services. some groups do stuff on campus, for campus, and others go out into the community. you feel really good after mountain day of service. you feel like you've really accomplished something meaningful.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
if you're a student looking for a small school with a community atmosphere and plenty of outdoors-y stuff to do, this is the place for you.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
we have plenty of clubs to choose from:
-quidditch
-nda/apo
-more greeks
-backpacking club
-search and rescue
-lmc players
-h.i.c.s.
-dance company
-sga
-sports
-s.a.v.e.
-recycling
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
i've never had an issue on this campus. it's really safe here. the biggest concern is that sometimes bears like to wander around, but that rarely happens. besides, the school makes sure to send us emails and let us know what to do if we see a bear!
i love lees-mcrae. it is a beautiful mountain school that makes you feel like you live in a personal snow globe. this school prides itself on a strong community.
if you don't like snow, don't come here. as i'm writing this review, it's snowing. this is a place to ski and snowboard. also, be ready for a small town feel. this is not a college city; it is small. you have to know the area you're living in before you decide to come here. show up to classes. there shouldn't be any reason for someone to fail a class here. the professors are very interested in knowing you. the class sizes are very, very small. if you fail a class, it's because you didn't show up. don't worry if you seemed overwhelmed that a school could be so small that everyone knows everyone. i promise that you'll get there too.
i'm in the honors program, and i think it's decent. a lot of things could be improved on, but there's nothing on that list that should push anyone away from this school. the core curriculum makes sure you become well rounded, and if you do most of it during your freshman year, you can focus on classes for your major the rest of your time here!
oh, the dorm life. freshmen must live in designated freshmen dorms. for girls, that is avery. for guys, those are virginia and tennessee. i can't speak for the guy's dorm life, but for the girls, avery is a good location to be. it is right outside of the cafeteria and the student center. most of the classes you need to go to are five minutes away at max. if you wanted, you could wake up ten minutes before class and walk there. you will have your drama in the dorm, but it's four floors of girls. that's just a given. the ra's are really nice, and they're willing to help out with whatever you need. all in all, the dorm life is better than most places out there.
i am only giving this a three because of circumstances that are finally starting to balance themselves out. for the past year or so, we've switched head chefs way too many times, which has made the food a little difficult to judge. our newest cafeteria head is a sweet woman who is doing an excellent job. and, to be honest, if you can't find anything you want to eat in the cafeteria, you can head to wily's when it opens. with your meal plan, you get a declining budget of wily's money, and it comes in handy. if you're craving some chicken strips, a salad, or a milkshake, it's the best place to go. plus, they have some of the best cookies i've ever had.
there are a ton of school events to choose from. we have a quidditch team (yes, a quidditch team) starting to get on its feet. our outdoors program leads backpacking and camping trips all over the mountains on weekends. on some school nights, we'll have movies playing in evans. the most recent movie was the immortals. there are dances (like nda's black and white ball) and fundraisers to go to. we have relay for life during spring semester. there are a ton of ski and snowboard places here, and there are plenty of trails to go walk. there's a duck pond right by campus that's a great place to hang out and relax. during fall semester, you can go to wildcat lake, too. we're about half an hour from boone, so many students go there on weekends, too.
if you work hard and appreciate everything you're given here, it's worth every penny.
at lees-mcrae, we have two events that have really stuck out to me. during the fall semester, we have mountain day. all classes are cancelled and we walk to wildcat lake. we dance, kayak/canoe, eat, hang out, and just relax. it's a way to get to know everyone. spring semester, we have mountain day of service. once again, classes are cancelled, but this time we go perform community services. some groups do stuff on campus, for campus, and others go out into the community. you feel really good after mountain day of service. you feel like you've really accomplished something meaningful.
if you're a student looking for a small school with a community atmosphere and plenty of outdoors-y stuff to do, this is the place for you.
we have plenty of clubs to choose from: -quidditch -nda/apo -more greeks -backpacking club -search and rescue -lmc players -h.i.c.s. -dance company -sga -sports -s.a.v.e. -recycling
i've never had an issue on this campus. it's really safe here. the biggest concern is that sometimes bears like to wander around, but that rarely happens. besides, the school makes sure to send us emails and let us know what to do if we see a bear!