Describing a school campus : Describe how your school looks to someone who’s never seen it.

Campus Life

College Students Answered:

Describe how your school looks to someone who’s never seen it.
Makena Sage

Bryant is regularly ranked among the most beautiful campuses in the country. The 400-acre campus is both convenient and remote. The area directly around the school is quiet and residential, but we are only 20 minutes from Providence, 45 minutes from Boston, and 4 hours from NYC. The single entrance to campus is a long winding road lined by the lush foliage that is typical of the area. After a short drive you arrive at the main campus area, which centers around a large pond with a geyser-like fountain that shoots water 20 feet (or so) into the air. The pond is complete with weeping willows and plenty of benches for relaxing or doing homework when the weather allows. All of the main campus buildings surround the pond. The first one you see when you drive up is the Interfaith Center – the newest building on campus – which holds regular religious services and spiritual events for students from diverse backgrounds. Next to that is the Bryant Center, which contains meeting rooms, student PO boxes, the Center for Student Involvement, the Commuter Connection, the Intercultural Center, the Hochberg Women’s Center, the bookstore, and a number of food options, including Dunkin’ Donuts, Subway, the Scoop (a store/ice cream place), and South (which has burgers, sandwiches, salads, etc.). Across the pond from the BC is the Unistructure, a sprawling building topped by a large dome that lets sunlight into the center (known as the Rotunda). The building houses nearly all of the classrooms and faculty & administrative offices on campus, as well as Salmanson (the cafeteria), Janikies (the theater), another cafe, etc. The great thing about all of this being in one building is that once you walk from your dorm to class, you may not have to go outside for the rest of the day (which is amazing when temps are hovering around 10 degrees). And the many windows let plenty of light. To one side of the Unistructure is the Koffler Communications Center, which houses the highly-acclaimed school radio station, WJMF (which is broadcast throughout the state), as well as the recording studio (a number of student-produced shows broadcast on the school’s TV station) and a number of other offices. To the other side of the Unistructure is the Chace Wellness Center, which contains all of the indoor athletic facilities on campus, including the student gym, athlete gym, pools, basketball and racquetball courts, dance/exercise room, and much more. That pretty much just leaves the library and student housing. The library is beautiful, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over campus and the pond and plenty of study rooms and comfy nooks. The library also has a cafe and a large, circular, elegant even room that is used for a number of events and banquets. Student housing is only about a 3-10 minute walk from all of the major buildings on campus, depending on which hall you live in. Freshmen live in dorms or suites in Halls 14, 15 and 16. Sophomores and juniors live in suite-style housing in a number of dorms that are known collectively as “the village.” And seniors live in the townhouses, apartment-style housing that is in its own area of campus. The most beautiful part about campus – apart from the pond – is the landscaping and foliage. In the spring, everything blooms, from cherry blossoms on the trees to the tulips and other flowers that are planted all over campus. Summer is lush and green, and fall is an incredible wash of color, with even the bushes all over campus turning a bright pink/red. Like anywhere in the northeast, winter is white and a bit dreary, but the many windows in the buildings and the Holiday decorations in December make it a little easier to get through. All in all, it’s a stunning campus.

Thomas Hervey

My school is a fine mix of old and new, and I mean everything is like this. Although the whole school is relatively new, the main academic row area consists of mostly the original buildings. Old brick and pretty boring floor plans, the original buildings (Academic IV, Student Union, Sondheim, Math/Psych, Biology, Chemistry, Fine Arts) were designed by the same architect who built a lot of the CCBC buildings at the time. Our school also has a lot of additions (library, Patapsco hall addition, RAC gym, etc.) making older buildings not only larger and more functional but more aesthetically pleasing. Then we get to the new buildings, especially on the northern/eastern half of our school, almost all of the buildings are pretty new and new looking. Within 6-7 years, there have been 8+ major building complexes. That is a lot for a school with only 12,000 students! So when you get to campus, if your coming from the I-95 area, our grandest entrance will bring you past our silo, sign and bwTech research park, right up to the administration area. From here you can look straight down the main academic row. From here you can go either direction around the circle to get to the other side of campus and the residential halls. Center road cuts into the heart of campus without going right through it. If you get out here, you’ll see pretty much the big open area that makes our campus unique. On the contrary from the cozy enclosed feeling you get while walking down academic row (because the buildings are tall, there are overhead walkways, larger trees and an overall confined feeling), Erickson field and the open space infront of the Commons building makes campus feel big and lively. You can see people everywhere from in front of the library all the way down poplar ave (the second part of center road) to the bottom of Patapsco hall. The quad (behind the commons) is like a smaller campus green. It is nicely tucked away like a pocket and is home to many events and hangouts, especially on warm afternoons. The library at night quite honestly looks like a fortress. I’ts pretty sweet. Giant orange lights projected on the dome & bastions gives an epic feel. During the day, our school si bright, very bright. Because a lot of sections don’t have older larger trees, there is less shade (except in academic row). You wouldn’t think of it, but it is quite an odd thing. To get the best feeling, go to UMBC’s website and look at a campus map. Then look at some photos on Google or some other search engine. Search for things like “UMBC academic row, UMBC commons, UMBC dorms, UMBC Quad and UMBC library.”

Ifeoluwa Oresanwo

The landscape of the Morgan campus is a very stunning one. The roads are lined with Morgan bill boards, streets lights, and security light positioned at strategic locations. There are lots of trees and flowers on the Morgan campus therefore just about anywhere one goes; one could get a breathtaking view of the campus. The third floor of the glass-like Richardson library gives an amazing view of campus; one beholds the sitting area in front of Soper library, the bridge which connects the North and south campus, the array beautiful trees along the lawns, the intersection between the Hillen and East Cold Spring roads, the pendulum clock just below the wind vane in Holmes hall, the green trees during summer which turn into various shades of purple, red, and white during winter. For people who really do appreciate the serenity of nature, just looking out of the window at night from the top most floors of Blount Towers, Harper Tubman building, Rawlings Hall, University Student Center or any other hall on campus; it is easy to behold one of the most tranquil scenes in nature. A night during my freshman year, I decided to explore my university by walking to strategic places on campus and while standing on the bridge that connects the University Student Center and the garage, I beheld a very magnificent view and I mesmerized by the beauty and serenity of nature my Alma mater provided. That was indeed one of the experiences I will cherish even after graduation from Morgan.

Casey Sarles

Number one, the brick. There is a TON of brick on campus! Almost all the buildings are completely brick, the sidewalks and pathways are brick, and of course, the brickyard in front of the library. It adds a special character the campus. I find it very pretty, it also makes the green of the grass and the trees really pop when everything is in full bloom. The Court of Carolina, Harris Field, and various other grassy areas are scattered throughout the campus. Second, the campus is huge, but surprisingly, after you’ve been here for a little while and found your way around, it actually doesn’t seem very large at all. It’s rather hilly and beautiful for walks and runs around campus. A few streets run through campus, none are incredibly busy. The busiest is Dan Allen that separates a few dorms from main campus. There is a times stop light there. The Bell Tower is at the far corner of campus, but State is known for its Bell Tower. The free expression tunnel runs under the train tracks that run through the center of campus splitting North campus from Central campus. In the free expression tunnel students can paint to their hearts fill whatever they desire. Overall it is a beautiful campus, a lot of brick, not a ton of open space, but if you want open space, there are many places you can go to. I love it here especially in the Spring and Fall when everything is in bloom, or changing colors!

Michaela Hager

Green. Seriously, there are quads and lawns everywhere with green grass. Kids play frisbee, sit to do homework, eat lunch outside (during the nice weather seasons), some bring instruments and play music. There are trees all over campus (on the website, there’s even a tree map on campus, we have a number of rare or very old trees). In the fall, it looks like the whole campus is on fire, it’s really gorgeous. t’s a beautiful campus, all year ’round. There are a wide variety of buildings on campus, in many styles. There are some new buildings have solar panels hung up the sides of them, and old buildings made of carved grey stone. The first building built on campus (Deady Hall) is still standing, and there are still classes in it. There’s an outdoor amphitheater next to the student union that almost always has something going on in it: radio stations playing music, concerts, political protests, speeches, visiting ‘important people’, you name it. There are food carts scattered around the edges of campus, and once a term for a week, there’s a huge street fair that goes all the way down the street in the middle of campus (13th). Campus is pretty much always bustling with students, day and night.

Haris Fazlic

Mizzou has a classic campus. It consists of two portions, red campus and white campus. Red campus is around Jesse Hall and the Quad area. Its nomenclature is derived form the large red-brick buildings that surround the green quad. White campus, the northeast bloc of campus, is entirely made up of white brick buildings from decades ago. It leads to the center of campus where Memorial Union is located, which is a massive stone tower and building dedicated to fallen World War I heroes. Lowry Mall is also very beautiful. The brick-paved walkway, which leads to Ellis Library, a very grand structure itself, concludes at Jesse Hall. Jesse Hall is the focal point of campus. It is the oldest structure on campus and faces the majestic columns, and the Francis Quad. North of Jesse is the Reynolds Journalism Institute, where I take the majority of my Journalism classes. The structures are extremely modernized inside, but appear as classic red campus buildings from the outside, blending two of Mizzou’s major values: modernity and tradition.

Joan Tran

As you are walking down Boyer Avenue from downtown Walla Walla on a beautiful, warm, and sunny afternoon, you may encounter many, many students sitting in the water fountain, lazing in the luscious, green grass, or playing Frisbee golf. You will encounter, on your left, the rock climbing center, Memorial Building with its trademark clock tower, and Maxey Hall. If you walk decide further into this part of campus, you will run into the library with its windows overlooking Ankeny Field, students playing soccer, ultimate Frisbee, tennis, or just lounging on the grass. You will also see other academic buildings and dormitories. But If you continue walking down Boyer Avenue, you will eventually run into interest houses, each unique and decorated with its own thematic decor. There are many trees, and they are very beautiful in the autumn. There is a geothermic little stream, that is equally beautiful. What else is there to say? Just come and see it!

Sarah Theriot

LSU is a large campus located near the Mississippi River and about 5 minutes from downtown Baton Rouge. The campus is fairly spread out with a central location of the Student Union. Across from the Union is the Parade Grounds where you’ll find people laying out and studying, practicing sports, or tailgating. To the left of the Union is the Quad where most students’ classes will be. On the other side of the Quad is Tiger Stadium. South Stadium Drive passes in front of the stadium and circles through LSU campus. In front of the Parade Grounds is “Fraternity Lane” where many of the fraternity houses are located; it eventually leads to Sorority Row and the campus lakes. Residence Halls are located on each side of campus. The Pentagon, business dorms, and athletic housing are located near Tiger Stadium and the Horseshoe, Ag dorms, Freshman Dorms, All Girl dorms and campus apartments are located near the campus lakes.

Chloe Kuntz-Phillips

New Mexico State University is located in the Southern-most part of New Mexico, right next to El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. This means it is a dry climate and there are TONS of palm trees. Most of the campus buildings are centered around the International Mall, where students walk from the northern part of campus straight to the southern part of campus. The buildings are fairly spread out, and there are lots of grassy areas to spread out. It is a really nice campus to just walk around on, and it is so beautiful in the Fall. The many trees of campus turn a beautiful, bright yellow and make the walk to class one of the best parts of being a student. The buildings are mostly stuccoed on the outside, and are not very memorable. I would not describe them as beautiful, but they are really nice on the inside. Campus is beautiful, and really easy to walk around and enjoy the nice weather.

Seth Hoffman

There are deer. Cats that roam the campus late at night. And lots of trees. But don’t worry you’re not in the middle of nowhere. Some of the dorms look like prisons but others look really nice. All the buildings are dedicated so some big donation giver so they look like architectural fascinations. The Javits Lecture Center doesn’t have one 90 degree angle in the whole building. The Simon Center for Geometry and Physics is entirely made of glass. Nobel Halls are colored orange, blue and white and stand as the tallest dorms on campus as six stories. Lavelle Stadium is always shining brightly as the biggest football stadium on Long Island. Despite these nice sites, there is a lot of construction going on around campus that seems like it will never end–and probably never will as projects start and finish continuously leading to more great additions to the atmosphere.