Academics
Offering “small class sizes,” “local art culture,” and “environmental sustainability,” UNC Asheville is “the only public liberal arts school” in North Carolina. Professors are “some of the best in their respective fields” and “have time to invest interest in your individual advancement—not only in the course, but in your life…may come to you with job, internship or volunteer opportunities.” Students praise the fruitful relationships with faculty and opportunities for hands-on research. Says one firstyear student, “I…am able to be a research assistant to a teacher who is working on a cloud computing model for ALS research, an amazing opportunity that I only would get at UNC Asheville.” Students also have opportunities to learn through experiences like the campus “bee garden,” field trips (e.g., “climbing up Roan Mountain for Earth History”; “visiting a Cherokee Indian reservation and the Katua mound, a sacred Native American site, with an indigenous studies class”; and “hiking through Asheville for an honors history honors course.”) There is actually a space designated the “Outdoor Classroom,” “where any class can go—not just environmental classes.” UNC Asheville offers an emphasis on service-learning courses, as well, which does “a lot of work in schools and through afterschool programs,” or helping “prepare actual tax returns for low-income families in the area.” One student says “because western North Carolina has such rich history, biodiversity, and social issues, it attracts wonderful and passionate intellectuals, and as a result, UNC Asheville has an exceptional team of professors.” Others describe faculty as “incredibly passionate about their subjects,” and invested in student learning in “holistic, intersectional ways.”
Student Body
“My peers are inquisitive, mindful, compassionate, and hungry for justice,” says one student. “They go to extremes to live sustainably and waste-free, on and off campus.” Parties usually mean “student bands performing in a basement” with many “intellectual conversations” going on upstairs and “vegetarian potluck dishes spread around the house.” Students at UNC Asheville also truly “care about the environment,” and are generally “compassionate,” “open-minded,” and “accepting.” There is a large LGBTQ population within a culture that has all students regularly asking for others’ preferred pronouns. Communicating one’s political beliefs is “basically chill” in that “everyone can voice their opinions…and people don’t try to…force an argument.” The campus gardens “grow healthy organic food and also offer a place for students to experiment with metal art and design.”
Campus Life
UNC Asheville students feel that they are truly cared for from the day they step on campus: “The university’s intense focus on physical and mental health,” says one student, “make[s] it harder to burnout during one’s [otherwise] stressful first year.” The school’s proximity to the city of Asheville “makes it easy for students to get offcampus jobs and explore the downtown scene safely,” especially as “the bus system goes through campus.” The “town and the mountains make living here an exceptional experience,” says another student. Another praises the “vibrancy of Asheville” as a music student, where it “was crucial” to be “in a rich music and art scene.” Downtown Asheville offers plenty of dining options as well as “farmers markets and food co-ops,” “thrift stores,” and other shops. With only 3,800 students, the campus is “small” but there is a big “range of activities and clubs.” Most are “required to do service projects, which help students engage with and help out the community.” The botanical gardens are also on campus, which provide both job and research opportunities for budding botanists and environmental science majors, and rest and relaxation for casual strollers. Nice days bring students out to the Quad to study or catch some sun, and the “Free Store,” run by the Student Environmental Center “offers an alternative to our throw-away culture.” UNC Asheville’s “student-led, student-run, and student-funded programming board,” Asheville Campus Entertainment (ACE), plans events ranging from open mic nights to DIY activities.
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