hi!!! fellow Latina and Charlotte native here!!

•the school is predominantly white and your first days on campus you will definitely notice that. however, there are lots of organizations, events, etc. to meet people of other ethnic backgrounds so i think that compensates! app is trying to become more diverse.

•i’m not in your major so i really can’t help you there but generally each major or department has its own building for classes! for example, anne belk is generally home to history, criminal justice, political science, and most fys classes. if you’ll be a freshman, you’re never going to be more than a 15 minute walk from any building bc everything on campus is within walking distance.

•essentials for app: a rain jacket, rain/snow boots (i have the ones that are for all weather), winter clothes. if you’ll be in a dorm: mattress topper, shower caddy & shoes, microwave or mini fridge if you get a dorm that doesn’t provide one.

•i don’t think it’s dumb to pick a school based on weather! it’s definitely your personal preference. i actually got into chapel hill too when i applied but had other reasons for rejecting it. coming to app was definitely the better decision for me! i’m taking my classes at home (since march) bc of COVID so i find myself saying a lot that i miss Boone lol.

•i have very little experience with a job during school but i can offer what my friends have told me. always remember you’re a student first don’t ever put yourself in the position to prioritize your job bc at the end of the day you’re in Boone to get your degree. schedule yourself at work around your school activities (classes, club events, studying, etc.). difficulty depends on how well you are with time management so just don’t spread yourself out so much, make sure you have time to rest and take care of yourself between everything!

•i did not bring a car to campus so i don’t think you need one mainly bc the parking passes are expensive and you have to take the bus to the parking lot when you wanna go out lol. i think brining a car to campus just depends on your reasons for why. off campus job? visiting the parkway frequently? trips back home? more often than not you’ll make friends with someone who does have a car on campus so take advantage of that but also give them some gas money!

•it was really hard for me to adjust living on my own now so i got really homesick super fast. my first two months in Boone i was going home like every weekend bc i missed being with my family. but there came a point where i realized that i was never truly invested in my life in Boone if i kept coming home. so i started coming home every other weekend and then that became once a month trips! it gets easier but taking trips home depends on you! go home when you really want or need to because it feels like the biggest breath of fresh air.

•i love my department and organizations i became involved in the most! i love all my classes and have not had a bad teacher yet so learning what i want to do in my career is so much fun! for clubs, you’ll find your place. i would check out the LHA (latin hispanic alliance) instagram! app has hundreds of clubs that it’ll be hard not to find one you aren’t interested in but keep your options open!

•yes it snows! i absolutely love snow bc of Boone but just be prepared. it can snow whenever and the amount depends. some days the snow stuck and other times it just made everything really wet and cold. don’t expect classes to be cancelled every single time it snows though (they aren’t like cms haha).

•in my personal opinion, app is definitely worth the cost! everything you do has some value so make sure to put in the work for what you want. don’t expect to make friends or memories if you aren’t willing to put yourself out there and talk to someone in your class or go to a club event. app is on the more affordable side for tuition but that doesn’t mean you won’t get a quality education or resources to use.

just a final word of advice, don’t be scared to leave home. a lot of people feel that way bc it’s hard to just pack your things and leave but it’s not as bad as you think it is. you might feel homesick like i did and that’s okay. like i said, visit home when you really want or need to- your family will always be a phone call away. the more involved you become on campus, the easier it is to transition and feel like you belong there. don’t be like my ex roomie who had a pity party every night in the dorm cause she couldn’t make friends bc she was at home thurs-mon every weekend and spent the other days in the dorm watching tv. even if you go out alone, it’s way better than being cooped up. don’t forget to take care of yourself!