Commuters, Nontraditional Students, and Impact/ Low 4 year graduation Rate Concerns

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of North Carolina - Asheville
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<p>This was from another thread and the topic was Queens U. I moved this so that we would not hijack that thread.</p>

<p>My Q was to gadad, who suggested looking at UNC-A,</p>

<p>" How much do you know about it? How does the high % of commuters, and non-traditional students impact campus life? Why do they have such a low 4 year graduation rate?"</p>

<p>Gadad's response:</p>

<p>
[quote]
State universities below the flagship (e.g. UNC-CH) and land-grant (e.g. N.C. State) level often have obligations to serve their local region's population, even if they have a special mission (UNC-A is the state's public liberal arts college). So you'll have some returning students, some part-timers, and some who are looking to go locally for a couple years, live at home to save funds, and then transfer to the flagship or the land-grant. Does it water down the campus life experience? Yes, somewhat. But Asheville, NC is a resort town in a beautiful setting with a significant "bohemian" population that enjoys the outdoor cafes, the public concerts, etc., so UNC-A has some nice student life options beyond the campus.</p>

<p>Some public liberal arts colleges like Georgia College & State University have targeted the same types of students who seek private LACs and placed into effect first-year on-campus residency requirements, which save the limited spots in each class for those who really want the full campus experience. The difference is significant in the area of campus life.

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</p>

<p>Gadad, thank you so much for posting. Are there any current UNC-A students or graduates from UNC-A who could also answer my questions? Thank you.</p>

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<p>My D is heading to UNC Asheville this fall. She specifically wants to go to a smaller, LAC school. That is not necessarily true of some applicants and that probably has some impact on the transfer rate.</p>

<p>Some people just apply to a number of in-state schools with no real thought as to whether the school is a LAC or not. They just want to go to college in-state because it’s more affordable.</p>

<p>In NC, the great “give away” is always the student that applies to UNC Chapel Hill, NC State, and Asheville. There is no way that applicant specifically wants to go to a LAC because the first two are not LACs. They’re just trying to get in somewhere.</p>

<p>I’ve visited the campus and have friends kids who go there and the environment at UNCA and the town of Asheville is terrific for students who want to be at a LAC.</p>

<p>I suggest that also you head out to some of the big box books stores like Barnes & Noble, Borders, etc. and take a peak at the college guide books in addition to getting some input from a few of us posting here at collegeconfidential.com. UNCA get pretty high marks across the board, often equal to LACs that cost $50,000+ a year.</p>

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<p>Yes, my son is looking for a small LAC as well. It is reassuring to know that you have friends with kids who go there, and your D is enrolling! It has been a while since I read the guidebooks, so time to revisit them with respect to UNC-A.</p>

<p>My concerns are the low grad rate, and the number of commuters and nontraditional students. Even with those concerns it seems like a hidden gem, and at a good price, even for OOS students. I do know that area is a very nice place to spend 4 years. We have relatives that live about 2.5 hours away and they told us that Asheville is fun.</p>

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<p>About “commuters”: This question was raised at Admitted Students Day. The vast majority of students who do not live on campus (and freshman are required to do so), live within a mile or two of campus in apartments or houses. They are not living at their parents’ homes and “commuting” to school. They are full-time students who have moved out of the dorms and into other living situations. This was my experience as a college student, too. Most people only lived in the dorms for two years and then moved on to communal houses, apartments, etc. We never saw ourselves as commuters. I guess it may depend on how expensive rent is in an area versus the costs of a dorm/meal plan. </p>

<p>I’m concerned about the graduation rate, too, and I wonder what that statistic refers to–the student who starts and finishes at the same school within a certain time period? My s was talking tonight about all his friends who had finished their freshman year and who were changing schools – some because of finances, some because they did not like the school. Did they choose unwisely in the first place (bad fit)? Did they change their major and wanted a school that offered a better program? Want to move closer (or further) from home?</p>

<p>I guess all we can do is due diligence and than hope for the best!</p>

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<p>stillnadine, Thank you. About the graduation rate, I was told it is because they have a lot of part time students. Many students commute and go part time. I was told that 1/3 live in off campus housing, 1/3 commute from their family home, and 1/3 live on campus. Is this accurate? </p>

<p>Is living off campus doable without having a car?</p>

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<p>Asheville/UNCA has very good public transportation and freshman are not allowed cars, anyway. Although the campus is “contained,” it is less than a mile from stores/restaurants/drug stores/etc. Asheville is not really a big-box type of area but those kinds of stores are within a few miles, too. None of the students we met on the panels used cars, although one set of twins keep one in garage in town because they lived out west (Nevada??) and needed a car to visit relatives. </p>

<p>I think UNCA is trying very hard to create a cohesive learning environment and want to keep the students on campus and focused. I guess I’m not that worried about “commuters.” As a public university, I would guess they would get more non-traditional students than a private LAC. I did notice that while the freshman class is about 600, the total undergrad population is about 3200 so they must get a lot of transfers. (otherwise, shouldn’t the school size be about 2400???) It would be interesting to know the graduation rate for those who start as freshman. </p>

<p>We’ve spent four full days on campus now, once last spring, once in the summer, again in the fall and finally last month. All the students we saw… in the dining hall. in classrooms, on the quad, in the student union, etc… look just like the students we had seen at most of the other colleges we visited (a bit more nerdy/hippy/quirky than preppy/conventional perhaps). </p>

<p>Asheville is an expense place to live, in that there are not a lot of well-paying “business type” jobs. It’s arty and I think many “consultants,” pre-retirement and retired folks live there, plus artists, musicians, etc. People may have been working on their degree for years (took my h 17 years, as a former musician, to complete his BA) and some may be working on a second degree. And maybe some just are sophs, juniors and seniors who moved back home after freshman year. </p>

<p>So here’s what I’m seeing as a down-side: not a lot of internship possiblities nearby like one would find in a larger city. </p>

<p>My s starts in the fall and I’m guessing we will discover answers to many of your/my questions then. He chose UNCA over College of Charleston (and few other schools) even though CofC, instate, was a lot cheaper (a lot) and also a public LAC. UNCA is a more serious school (in his mind). The Open Houses and tours focused on academics and the students he met, while fun and openminded, came across as good students. CofC was a big disappointment to him… the focus seemed to be on parties, special events and your social life. So I can’t say that I’m all that worried if a third of the school is made up of commuters, as long as they, too are, most interested in getting an education. </p>

<p>Hope this ramble helps!</p>

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<p>Stillnadine, sorry it took so long to get back. I didn’t see your post til now.</p>