Western Carolina University strives to provide a comfortable and intellectually stimulating environment for students. In spite of that, there are some things you will want to avoid. Avoiding these things will help your experience at Western Carolina University to go smoothly.
1.) Using your car on campus. I realize that many people will need to bring their cars to campus, but if you can avoid it, please do so. There are thousands of people on campus, but few places to park. I don’t mean to single out Western Carolina University, because parking is going to be an issue on any college campus, just by virtue of the fact that you have so many people congregated in one area. Walking everywhere on campus and hitching rides with friends or loved ones might strike you as unappealing, but it’s a reasonable alternative that will spare you many headaches. Plus, you’ll be getting some good exercise with all that walking.
2.) That professor that everyone hates. I’m not referring to any specific professor, of course, but you should use extreme caution when signing up for your classes each semester. Make sure that you check websites that provide reviews of professors to see what other students are saying about them. From my experience, the vast majority of professors at Western Carolina University are excellent. However, if you are taking a course that is important to your career path, you need to ensure that have a really good professor for that course. One bad professor can really throw a wrench in your career plans, as well as your GPA.
3.) Large crowds. If you’re like me, along with many other people, you get claustrophobic in large groups of strangers. This is why you should avoid the busiest times on campus if possible. It’s best to avoid the lunch crowd if you can. Between about 11:30 AM and 1:00 PM, many people leave their classes and head off for lunch. During this time, the entire campus seems to be overrun with students. If this makes you uncomfortable, it’s best to either get lunch early or late. As another alternative, you could always grab something quickly and then take it to the library.
4.) University Center Lawn Solicitors. These can range from screaming street preachers to groups demanding that you donate money, but one thing is for sure; you’ll want to avoid most of them. Luckily, the extensive network of sidewalks allows you to circumvent these people with relative ease. Unless you just have to cross the University Center lawn while those people are out there, don’t. Trust me, this will save you many a headache. If you do get cornered by one of these people, it’s best to just politely explain that you’re late for a class and you don’t have time to talk. Sometimes those people can be flat-out mean. If that happens, just walk away. Don’t worry about appearing rude; you are under no obligation to them.
5.) Going out at night. Don’t travel at night any more than you have to. There are a couple reasons for this. The campus has a relatively poor lighting system. Western Carolina University officials are currently working to rectify the situation, but I’m not sure how much progress they’ve made yet. If you must go out at night, carry a flashlight to help guide you through the dark patches on campus.
In addition to the poor lighting situation, there’s the more obvious issue of running into inebriated students with hostile intentions. You should be particularly careful if you are a female student, and it wouldn’t hurt to carry a bottle of pepper spray. Now, I don’t want you to get the impression that Western Carolina is dangerous at night, because campus police keep it secure. At the same time, I won’t tell you that incidents never happen either, because they do.
Andrew McClure graduated from Western Carolina University in 2014 with a degree in English, a concentration in professional writing, and a minor in biology. He enjoys reading, writing, and studying alongside his two dogs, Pepper and Little Ann.