Austin

One of the major stereotypes about WVU is that all people care about is partying. While there is a great deal of drinking and partying going on, that is not what most people are here for. I would venture to say the majority of people at WVU are here to learn, not drink.

I like it here, quite simple. It has a large student population which means a lot of people to meet. One thing I would change is the transportation system here, which leaves much to be desired. While WVU is a large school, when you enter into your major requirement classes, the class sizes are much smaller. WVU probably has the most school pride of any school period. Once a Mountaineer, always a Mountaineer.

The greatest advice I can give about the academics is to choose your professors carefully, if you can. People wake up at 6 in the morning to wait for the class signups to open. Who your professor is makes all the difference in how much you will learn, and what grade you will get in the class. Almost all the teachers are available after class time during the office hours. If they are not available they are willing to make an appointment to meet with you.

The students at WVU are very diverse. There are the typical west virginian, redneck, uneducated hillbilly, but there are a lot of very smart and educated people here. No matter what type of person you are, I can guarantee there are plenty of other people like you. That is one of the advantages of going to such as large school. There are rich people, as well poorer people.

Fraternities and Sororities are a huge part of campus and campus activities. The marching band is also very important. Besides all the obvious sports teams, there are club sports. I am a part of the tennis club, and get the chance to play twice a week if I want. There are constantly activities going on around campus. There is always something to do.

Transportation, i.e. the PRT and Bus system. It is by far the worst thing about living on campus. The PRT breaks down often and the buses are not reliable most of the time. Students can bring cars to campus but parking is expensive/difficult to find. Combine that with miles of traffic and it makes a horrible time getting to classes some days.

Greek life is huge here at WVU. They play a role in almost everything that goes on at the university. If your looking to join the Greeks, we have a lot of chapters on campus. This includes both the type of houses you see in the movies, as well as a few business chapters to help you find jobs and make connections while your at WVU, and after you graduate.

The library is the best place on campus to get work done. It is one of the nicest libraries you can find. It is always very quiet, have lots of desktops you can use, and you can even rent a laptop if you want. There are many books you can use for research, and you can even reserve rooms for group projects. There is a small cafe in case you get hungry, and plenty of librarians to help you with anything you need.

We are the only University in the US that has 2 colleges ranked top 100 nationally, sports teams ranked top 25, and a lively social atmosphere. Its a great mix of academics, and having fun.

The professors at WVU are one of the strongest parts of academics at WVU. They are always available to help students, they have plenty of office hours, and they have appointments in case you can't make their office hours. WVU has recently begun a strong push to hire the best professors they can to come to the university, and it has begun to show.