More on UNM…
They have the only Flamenco dance major in the country, and students come from all over the world to study there. Their photography program is ranked #5, and their video game development department is also a top 10 program. Albuquerque is a top film location, second only to Los Angeles and New York City, and film students get to work on films like Independence Day, Thor and others.
The students seemed quiet, relaxed and super friendly. One of our tour guides was a math and education major in the Honors College, and the other was a dance major.
Several of the faculty and staff we spoke with heavily stressed graduating without debt, especially in the theater department. One of them had been accepted to RISD and turned it down for UNM due to cost. She is now debt free and financially stable vs friends of hers who went to Pratt and RISD who are six digits in debt. Because the theater dept. has no grad program, there are internship, leadership and work-study / employment opportunities for undergrads that wouldn’t typically be available. The costumes and set for a current production were designed and constructed mostly by students, and the department often gets calls from theaters in ABQ and Santa Fe for students who can work in a variety of paid theater tech capacities.
UNM trivia: the best wifi signal is at the duck pond, which is a large, lovely pond surrounded by trees and inhabited by ducks and koi. It also happens to be right next to a very strong router, so the duck pond is a favorite place for students to relax, chill out, and study. The tour guide said that in warmer months, it’s not unusual to see hammocks strung from the trees.
For those into skiing, snowboarding and hiking, there’s a place on campus to rent that kind of gear at a fraction of what you’d pay elsewhere.
Students get free access to the city bus system and significant discounts on longer-distance public transit. Example: a student can hop public transit to Santa Fe for $10 RT.
There were places on the UNM campus where it would be easy to convince yourself that you were in a mountain retreat somewhere in the Southwest, instead of being in the middle of the state’s largest metropolitan area.
Re: UNM and that comfortable feeling - UNM feels like a Goldilocks school for us. It’s far enough from home to be “away”, but it’s still only a (long) day’s drive. It’s similar enough to California climate, culture and geography to feel a little familiar and a little homey, but different enough to feel like a new adventure in a new place. ABQ is a bigger city than S has ever been in, but not so big that it was intimidating or off-putting to him like Dallas was.
If anyone is planning to visit UNM, be aware that they will take you on a tour of the university, and then refer you to the housing office for a second tour. Any appointments you’d like to make with specific departments you have to make yourself. They don’t set it all up for you like UTD, OU, etc.
For us here in SoCal, Amtrak is $60 one way for an overnight trip. Leave around 7 pm, wake up in SoCal. Driving is 10 hours, and RT flights are around $120.