Start New Discussion Title: Post:

College Prowler

Academics

If you ever mess up, there is one important thing to remember—most professors are like motorcycle cops. They have heard every excuse in the book, and they are usually on to any lame excuse you might make. I missed an exam in a class taught by one of the toughest instructors in the department who clearly stated in the syllabus, ‘no exam make-ups.’ I overslept on exam day and woke up hours after it was over. I contacted the instructor, explained honestly what happened, and he allowed me to take the missed exam that day. It may not always work out this way, but a good rule of thumb in this situation is to always be honest and show respect.

Athletics

Football is awesome. We have the second biggest football stadium in the country, and I am sure that if you are interested in watching sports, UT is 10 times better than any other school you could choose. The Lady Vols (women’s basketball) are always one of the top two or three teams in the country with a powerhouse team, and we have numerous NCAA and Southeastern Conference indoor titles and an NCAA Mideast Regional title outdoors. In men’s sports, we have great baseball and tennis teams, as well. I could keep going! Intramural sports are popular—it is just something to do, though. It isn’t anything that you hear about much.

Campus Dining

The food is yummy—there are tons of fast-food places to eat and campus food is decent. There are four all-you-can-eat cafeterias, three of which are usually the same. The other one, the Varsity Inn, is in the dorm where the football players live, and the food there is excellent. You have to have a special meal plan or use a different form of payment to eat there, though—it’s not included with the regular meal plans. There are also two pay-as-you-go places. One includes places like Pizza Hut, Chick-fil-A, a sub shop, a burger bar, and salads. The other, Smokey’s, is a lot like the other cafeteria food, but better. If you can stand to eat fast food everyday, eat at the All-American Grill or at Smokey’s—the food is far better there.

Campus Housing

Hess has a reputation for being a bit loud, but it is close to the library. When you have studying to do, you can be in the library in a few minutes. Everyone in Hess seems to know everyone, and a lot of people really enjoy living there if they can weather the occasional craziness.

Campus Strictness

The main thing campus police hate is attitude. Think about it—they have a tough job, sometimes dealing with thousands of rude college students. They don’t go out and spoil fun for the hell of it—it is their job. If, in any event, you do have an encounter with law enforcement, show them proper respect or they can make life hard for you very quickly. Most officers have an uncanny ability to remember names and faces of particularly offensive subjects, so the second time around will be doubly harsh.

Computers

The computer network is great. Everyone on campus is hooked up with T1 connections. UT has a lot of computer labs, so you can usually find one with a free computer, but I recommend bringing your own.

Diversity

Knoxville is in eastern Tennessee, which is much more predominantly white than middle and western Tennessee, but I think the campus is still about 15 percent African American. There are a lot of smaller ethnic groups represented, too.

Drug Scene

At UT, like any college campus, there is some drug use. People will not try to shove it in your face and will not put a lot of pressure on you to do it. People who do drugs are somewhat discreet about it—they slip away, do their thing, and come back. If it isn’t something you want to do, you aren’t the only one, and they won’t force the issue.

Facilities

My biggest complaint with the older buildings is air conditioning. There is no rhyme or reason as to when UT turns heating on and off. During an unusually warm spring semester day, the heat will be blowing at full blast while it’s 70 degrees outside. The recently-finished Alumni Memorial Building has a reputation for being frigidly cold year-round. You will be very uncomfortable in either situation, so dress accordingly.

Greek Life

Greek life encompasses 10 percent of the campus. To those 10 percent that live and breathe it, they are a fairly tight-knit group that generally stays within its own ranks. Greek life throws most of the parties and does a majority of the philanthropic work around campus. They attempt to dominate, but this campus does not care.

Guys & Girls

You have your hot ones, and you have your not so hot ones, but they are all pretty good. Some girls are rather intimidating at first, but most are just afraid of what the other girls they see are thinking about them, and sometimes, guys act the same way.

Local Atmosphere

I highly recommend UT. Knoxville is a medium-sized town, and despite what some may say, there’s plenty to do. We have more restaurants per capita than any other city, and the nightlife is very diverse. You couldn’t pick a school with more spirit than UT.

Nightlife

The parties are fun if you know people at them. House parties are okay, but I prefer parties at smaller apartments or frat houses. The bars and clubs are pretty lame most of the time, unless you hit them on good nights. I guess the most popular ones are Bar Knoxville and New Amsterdam on the strip.

Off-Campus Dining

The restaurants around campus are great. There is a good variety within walking distance. Most of the restaurants on the strip are good. The Sunspot is amazing, especially on wine night! Moe's is always a good choice.

Off-Campus Housing

It is very convenient, but one of the only down falls is that the off-campus housing is usually a 12-month lease. If you are planning to go home for the summer or just not stay in Knoxville, it is hard to find someone to sublease. Since parking is nearly impossible, it is much better to live in the Fort area instead of living where you have to drive to campus.

Overall Experience

I thought it would be real different, too different from what I am used to at home in Long Island, New York, but I actually found it to be very nice. I love the mountains and the beautiful Tennessee scenery. In the South, there are definitely the accents, and everything is a little more slow paced.

Parking

Parking is the only slightly negative thing about UT. I’ll give it to you straight—they sell more non-commuter tags than there are spaces. Just the same, I was never stranded without a space to park. There will always be a garage, even if it’s a mile away. If you’re way out there, you can take Blinky (University van service) back to your dorm. They also give out parking tickets like candy if you don’t park where you’re supposed to park. It’s very clear where to park and where not to, so just follow the rules and you won’t get 12 tickets like my roommate and I did! Don’t worry too much—each ticket is $12, and you can sometimes argue your way out of one.

Safety & Security

For the most part, it is safe as long as you use your head. Don’t go out at night alone, avoid certain areas like Tom Black track after dark, and use good sense. There is at least one rape every semester, and sometimes more, though I have never heard of them catching a rapist. That doesn’t mean that they don’t, it just means I that have never heard about it. There are security phones all over campus, so if you get in trouble, you can find one of the blue-light phones and automatically call the UTPD. UT provides shuttle vans for students at night so that no one has to walk from the library to their dorm in the dark. Most pathways are well lit, and you must be escorted by a dorm resident in order to get in the dorm’s door. All dorm residents have keys to the dorm they live in and the access doors remained locked at all times.

Transportation

Transportation is really good in UT. Parking is horrible, so you definitely need to take advantage of the buses. Knoxville Area Transportation (KAT) offers services late at night, too.

Weather

The weather has been horrible this year. It will be 80 degrees one day and 30 degrees the next. It’s not always like that, though. Generally, the summers are in the high 70s and mid-80s. The spring and fall temperatures hang around 60 degrees and winter temperatures don’t often go below 30 degrees. We don’t normally get a lot of snow, and when we do get any snow, the whole town shuts down. UT never closes, regardless of whether we have three inches or 30 feet of snow. Your teachers may cancel class, though, and they will probably tell you what their weather policies are at the beginning of the semester.