Hey guys, I’m an out of state applicant and I’m wondering if some current parents and students could tell me what the culture is like at NC State. Is it super academic? Is there a lot of drinking? Is there a problem with sexual assault that’s worse than at other schools? Is it really homogeneous with only a small fraction of the student body NOT from NC?
Thanks guys 
Any insight is welcome!
@baseball3518 It will help if you share your intended major(s) as that will affect the circles you are in.
@Trusting sure! I’m going engineering, maybe electrical, computer, or chemical. I tend to be friends with the “nerdy” people, haha.
Let me know if you decide to go NCSU! I’m currenrly pursuing engineering (the same 3 you listed actually) and it sounds like you might be my kinda crowd…
Hi! I’m an OOS sophomore at NC State. I entered through the exploratory studies program and am now a film major in the Art Studies department. My group of friends span many majors (Electrical/computer engineering double major, business-entrepreneurship, international studies, zoology, criminology). You’ll definitely find more “science-y” kids here and it is a tough school, but I wouldn’t say we are so academically hard that you can’t have a social life either. I lived in a hall style dorm last year and I think the RAs did a good job curbing underage drinking. It still happened (like in any dorm) but it isn’t obvious or distracting to studies in any way. If you are looking for more of the party lifestyle, I would recommend hall style just because you’ll find more likeminded people. Not as many people leave their doors open (as is the stereotype for hall style) but I think that is a testament to the dedication students have for their studies here. Sexual assault is probably comparable to other bigger schools in cities. It happens (like any college campus) but it definitely does not happen often. I have only heard about two or three situations this semester to give you an idea. I probably missed a few parts of your question but feel free to shoot me a message.
Well, NC has a freshman mandate of 84%, I think, so, yes, you WILL find a lot of NC students at State. The atmosphere is rather nerdy, you will find the odd party animal, especially in the frats- but it is more academic than, say, UNC. It’s not like the kids are dull and academic, it’s more like they’re really excited about geeky stuff, even those in the Humanities! You will find that there are enough in any category- partiers, academics, in-betweens- that you will not be the lone wolf, what ever you choose to be! Incidence of any kind of assault is not extraordinarily high- a few every semester, same as anywhere else.
I’m a OOS Freshman. I live in the engineering village but am not an engineering major- I see plenty of kids who don’t live in the village hanging out at and around Metcalf. I’m in Greek life, which has become a major part of my life, but I have plenty of friends who aren’t in Greek life at all. Im also a student ambassador. As an OOS kid, the first couple weeks getting to know everyone and everyone you meet saying they’re from NC is a little bit of a culture shock, but you’ll absolutely find people from where you’re from- and as you go along finding those people will be less far and few between. I would recommend a hall style dorm instead of suite, probably easier to get to know people! If you have any questions don’t hesitate to let me know(:
As another OOS engineering student, I agree that there are definitely a lot of NC residents, but you will get used to it. NC is a fairly big state and people from the western mountains are a lot different than those from the coast and big cities. Everyone is still trying to make new friends and so it is pretty easy to fit in as an OOS. Sometimes I give rides back home to other people from my state. None of the frats/sororities are on the main campus. Underage drinking definitely happens (like pretty much any college), but if you want to avoid it it is really easy to. There is definitely a focus on academics, but you still have time to do stuff you want to do. I have always felt really safe on campus. There are a lot of police call stations scattered throughout campus, and if you ever feel unsafe at night you can call a police to escort you back to your dorm. I also carry pepper spray but have never used it. Where are you from? It might be easier to understand the culture differences if you talk to someone else from your state.