Would love to hear from anyone who has toured the UT Knoxville campus. What is the vibe on campus? What is Knoxville like? Dorms? We are in the Northeast and S24 is interested. Not sure he will get a chance to visit prior to applying. If he did apply and get accepted he would then visit the schools. Thanks.
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Itās pretty exciting right now.
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Do the virtual tour.
UTK is downtown. You can read online review of the campus and then the vibe. There is homelessness like In any city. I go for work and if I go downtown, itās there but Iāve never been bothered.
They are strong in supply chain if thatās an interest.
Not sure where you are in the NE bit itās surprisingly not that far if you can sneak in a weekend even if after getting accepted.
In the meantime take a virtual tour and info session.
If you donāt have one, get a Princeton review account and read student reviews on niche . Com.
We live in middle Tn and itās anecdotal but I hear/know of more kids going to Bama (itās equidistant but cheaper for top kids, even OOS) and thereās definitely more Bama flags than UTK in the area.
That said, itās a fine school, similar to most other flagships whether it be Rutgers or PSU or UConn, etc. And while historically itās campus has been rated one of the most unattractive (you can find many a review online) there is a ton of building happening. And every person sees things differently - hence itās best if you can make it a point to get there as your student might love itā¦hopefully will since itās his top choice. .
Good luck,
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@coastal2024 we toured UTK in 2018ā¦by accident, kind of. We were on a driving college tour, when we looked at the map, turns out UTK was smack between Vanderbilt and Clemson, so we added a day and a tour.
Hands down, of the schools we toured (Stanford, Baylor, USC, Pepperdine, Texas A&M, Miss State, Clemson, Vandy, Tennessee and Auburn), Tennessee had THE BEST campus tour! We were blown away! We absolutely fell in love with the entire campus! My student applied/was accepted. She was invited to attend an Honors weekend, rsvpād immediately, but spots were full. Tennessee ended up as her 2nd choice (primarily based on honors program and scholarship $).
She is now a Senior in college, applying to law schoolā¦and Tennessee is back on the map! 
Business school has many internship & collaboration opportunities in NYC and Nashville, major corporations.
I HIGHLY recommend an in person tour. It sold us!
New dorms, many new buildings, football stadium overlooking the river, lots of school spirit, and we thought the campus was pretty! Hard to understand how it is ranked as āuglyā
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Thatās why you need to visit. There are many lists - and some schools are on nicest and ugliest. NYU was just on nicest - although most donāt think it even has a campus. itās also on this list attached.
Some of the top colleges in the country are on this list - so to be associated with some of these fine schools like CMU and Brandeis and similar schools like Rutgers, itās all good for UTK.
All kidding aside - itās great to love a school from afar for sports or otherwise, but everyone feels differently about different places - and one personās beauty is another personās ehhhh - and vice versa.
Certainly no reason to go visit now, but hopefully heās got a back up school too that he knows heāll like - in case when you finally get to UTK, if it doesnāt feel right.
Hopefully it will tho and your son will be saying Rocky Top for many years to come.
Good luck to him.
Top 50 Ugliest College Campuses & Universities in The USA | Complex
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We toured right after things started opening up after the Covid shutdown (Fall of 2020?). Anyway, I agree - best college tour we went on. Weāre not swayed by things like free food or tours via golf cart that some colleges offer- what was great about the UTK tour was the enthusiasm of the tour guides. They somehow, without the cringey corniness of some college tour guides, conveyed their love for the university and being a Vol. We thought the campus was the cleanest we had ever seen, and on a brilliant sunny day - looked beautiful (I also call bs on UTK being on the āmost unattractiveā list!) Loved that it was walkable to a bunch of things on āthe stripā in Knox.
My daughter ultimately chose another university, but her boyfriend chose UTK and loves it. My daughter is there about once a month visiting. She does remark on the amount of homeless (but to compare, there were a lot of homeless near the campus in Chapel Hill, where my older daughter went to college). They love being able to walk to restaurants & bars. Definitely try to plan a visit!
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@CollegeNerd67 yepā¦agree 
! Hands down, best college tour! Enthusiasm, true love of all things Vols, knowledgeable, spirited and just FUN! Every school should model their campus tour after UTK.
We thought it was a beautiful campus, too!
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Just remember - tours are marketing. Theyāre important in that - yes, itās going to create that āexcitementā for you - but you have to be there day after day. If the school is right for you itās awesome - but do a deeper dive - to ensure itās right for you outside of the tour. Stop kids and talk. Eat in the dining hall. Walk the surrounding town. See if you can set up an academic meeting, etc.
@tsbna44 agree about the āmarketingā, but 1st impressions are everything.
Ultimately my student chose another school, based on business honors acceptance, but UTK came in a strong 2nd (and it wasnāt even on our radar until we toured).
Loved it so much, sheās now applying to law school, and UTK is top of the list. We have followed several pages on social media the last couple years, and still really like the school.
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We toured the UT Knoxville campus. We were impressed by the tour guides too. If you care about the campus vibe, you need to tour it. I agree with other comments. Definitely try to plan a visit. UT has spent approximately $1 billion in the last several years on new construction and renovations.
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Law is not my area (yet) - but everything I read says pedigree does matter. I imagine it depends on the area of law.
I know a student at U Miami Law (ranked in 70s) who chose it over Vandy. But it was full pay vs Miami was free tuition.
Nothing wrong with UTK - and everyone has their desires. But you may look into that - or perhaps already have (pedigree). For undergrad in most cases itās (imho) less impactful than most think when you get to life. Perhaps in law itās a definite factor ?
Good luck.
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@tsbna44 thanks! Her dad is an attorney, has lawyer teams & buddies in many states. Heās definitely going to have some say & input!
A lot does depend on what type of law they want to pursue, and what state they want to practice in. Some states have a reciprocal Bar Exam, but not that many.
Sheās applied, now we wait for replies!
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I was really just getting at - donāt choose a school just because if the tour. Obviously that impacts most. But I worry. Some are just better at it than others but a tour is an hour, not four years.
Hope she loves UTK or wherever she ends up !!!
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My son is a freshman at UT and Iāve visited campus a few times this fall. Some of my observations/experiences:
As others have mentioned, UTās tour (Spring 22) was top notch - the best of all campuses we visited. The informative and enjoyable tour process was a springboard to enrollment.
My son enrolled a bit late, so he ended up in a high rise dorm near the law school a bit further out than most freshman, but still an easy walk to the hub of the main campus. The views from his room are spectacular (city, mountains). He tells me that he frequents the Cumberland avenue area that has a high density of restaurants and bars that cater to students. He also joined a fraternity, so thereās never a shortage of social activities. All walkable from the dorms.
As an SEC school, thereās a lot of āgo big orangeā school spirit on campus, but the football teamās recent success has created a special buzz across the entire UT community. My son wasnāt a big football fan entering college - all that changed a bit after carrying goal posts from the stadium to the river. FB is part of the institutional culture at UT.
When I visit, we usually walk several blocks from campus to the downtown Market Square area for a nice meal. Thereās an impressive selection of restaurants and bars for āadultsā but older college kids go there, as well. Live music on weekends. Youāll also see a fair number of homeless wandering the streets in this area which serves to support the āScruffy Cityā description, which is on the mark, imo. Thereās some beautiful old architecture in Knoxville, which I tend to appreciate.
The campus is an interesting mix of old and new buildings. Construction all around. Oh, itās pretty hilly too.
The roads suck. I find them narrow, not well paved, and the traffic patterns seem a bit hap-hazard and not what Iām accustomed to in the NE or mid Atlantic. Youāll see above ground utility lines in many areas.
Weāre still exploring Knoxville, but my son and his friends absolutely love UT. Itās an urban campus, which surprises some folks. Thereās a fair amount of green space and a river on the edge of campus, itās not too dense, and you can see mountains in the distance - all of which serves to soften and contrast the urban setting. Itās a big state U with massive school spirit located in a scruffy city. I understand that the class of 26 is the largest ever at UT, and out of state applications are surging.
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As a concerned parent, anyone have thoughts on the homeless problem in Knoxville? Someone we know locally said there were more and more each year, but hadnāt heard of any problems with the students. Obviously any city might have similar issues. Thanks
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Homeless definitely have a presence in the downtown area - a nuisance that can create an unsettling atmosphere, particularly for folks who have never dealt with surly panhandlers. That said, law enforcement seems attentive in the high-traffic areas and I am unaware of any issues on campus.
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