D19 is deciding between UTK and Auburn to study Public Relations and or Marketing. Does anyone have any input on the the programs at the schools and student life ? She has seen Auburn and liked it and going to see UTK in about 10 days.
I can’t comment on the specific programs, but I do have a daughter at each school. And I am an Auburn alum, so will freely admit to a bit of bias in that direction! D1 is a senior in the business school at UTK (but in Business Analytics, not Marketing), and my impression of the business school there is very good. D2 is a sophomore Geography major at Auburn, so no help at all as far as your daughter’s interests. However, I must say that D2 LOVES Auburn, while D1 likes UT but doesn’t love it like her sister loves Auburn. There’s just something about that Auburn spirit and friendliness! There’s also a difference in being in a downtown atmosphere in Knoxville vs. the small town feel of Auburn, which is personal preference. D1 likes being near downtown amenities in Knoxville - if you aren’t familiar with Knoxville, check out Market Square for restaurants and shops while you’re visiting, plus Gay Street has theaters, Mast General Store, and more restaurants, and the Old City has even more restaurants and nightlife. Ijams Nature Center is south across the river for easy access to hiking, canoeing, etc. But D2 honestly doesn’t feel like she’s missing out on any of that. Auburn has grown a lot since my day, and there are actually lots of good restaurants there now, Chewacla State Park for getting outdoors, and she likes the small town feel and the fact that the campus feels smaller than it really is.
@HandLMum Thank you. Our visit to Auburn was on a rainy, cold weekend so we didn’t get to really explore a lot, but I still could tell the “home” feel of the campus and students. Everyone we talked to loves it there, D19 knows quite a few people that go there. We are visiting UTK in about a week, she does not know anyone at UTK which is good and bad. We know nothing about the school (other than what is on the website)… thanks for the tips.
Following this thread because we daughter who is finishing up her junior year is about to visit both Auburn and UT. We live in VA… both are a hike but Auburn much farther away. A few people from her high school have attended Auburn but haven’t heard as many talk about UT. She loved Clemson when we visited.