Being a student at the University of Michigan, it may come as quite a shock that I would want to take the time to sit down and praise a school that nationally humiliated my own. However, I feel like it has been long enough since the shocking and terrible loss (3 weeks), Michigan has improved itself since then enough to warrant the game as a fluke, and they deserve the praise for the ridiculous upset that they set in motion. I am of course referring the Appalachian State vs. Michigan football game that occurred on September 1st, 2007 in which Appalachian State stunned the college football world and beat Michigan 34-32. I figure that they must be doing something right, so I wanted to delve into their school a little more. But enough of the background and more Appalachian State. The College Answers proudly presents, A Tribute to Appalachian State.

Appalachian State is located in lovely Boone, North Carolina. They are the sixth largest academic institution in the University of North Carolina system. Appalachian State has a lot of different nicknames associated with them. They can be referred to as AppState, ASU, or even App. The University was established in 1899 with the motto, "To be, rather than to seem," which was translated from a latin phrase. Appalachian State has 998 faculty for the 13,447 undergraduates, and has an alumni base of over 89,000 people. There are definitely a lot of people walking around who are and were a part of this academic institution.

Appalachian State has a beautiful campus located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of northwestern North Carolina. Appalachian State has the highest elevation (3,333 feet) of any University in the United States, east of the Mississippi River. The heart of campus is considered to be Sanford Mall, which is an open grass area between the student union, dining halls, library. There sounds like there is a lot of fun to be had in this area. You can often times find amateur sports being played, people reading on the benches, and this area is also an open forum for free speech. River street is a central street to the campus of Appalachian State, and technically divides the campus into an east and west area.



The main area for study on campus is the Carol Grotnes Belk Library & Information Commons, which is commonly referred to as Belk Library. It is newly constructed and opened up in 2005 and now has wireless capabilities as well as study tables on every floor which can accommodate group study. This is also a great area for conferences and viewing rooms. The library has a host of different collections including the university's archive and the W.L Eury Appalachian Collection for regional studies. The Turchin Center for Visual Arts also deserves some praise, as it is the largest visual arts center in northwestern North Carolina. It has a number of rotating exhibits.

Getting in to Appalachian State is no easy task either. The average GPA for incoming freshman in 2006 was 3.73 and the average SAT score was 1131 or an ACT of 21. Appalachian State University provides a number of different areas of concentration depending on your interests. There is the College of Arts and Sciences, in which you will find Economics, Chemistry, and History. The Watauga college is also within the College of Arts and Sciences at Appalachian State. It is a residential college that takes an interdisciplinary approach at fulfilling ASU's core requirements of English and History. The program last for two years. Appalachian State also has the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the Mariam Cannon Hayes School of Music, the Reich College of Education, the Walker College of Business, and the Cratis D. Williams Graduate School.

Appalachian State also has a terrific athletics program. Their school colors are black and gold and have 18 varsity teams and 19 club sports programs. They are called the Appalachian State Mountaineers and their mascot is a fellow named Yosef. The origin of the name Yosef comes from mountain talk for "yourself", the idea being that if you are a fan, friend or alumnus and have a heart of black and gold, you are Yosef. They compete in the NCAA Division I Southern Conference, and their football team is in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision (which was formally I-AA). Appalachian State's primary football rival is Western Carolina University, in which they compete each year for the Old Mountain Jug. They also are considered rivals with Furman University and Georgia Southern University. The Football Stadium, Kidd Brewer Stadium, is called "The Rock." The Holmes Center is the home court arena for Appalachian States basketball team. Women's sports include: basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, track and field, soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball.



An Appalachian Summer Festival, hosted by the university, has been named one of the "Top 20 Events in the Southeast" by the Southeast Tourism Society. The Princeton Review includes Appalachian State in their 2008 edition of "America's Best Value Colleges." The university has been ranked among the top 15 Southern Master's Universities in U.S. News and World Report's America's Best Colleges Guide since its initial publication. In 2001, Appalachian State was recognized by TIME Magazine as a College of the Year.

There is a great deal to praise about Appalachian State. They are doing a lot of good for their students and for their surrounding community. They consistently recruit well academically and athletically. The opportunities available on campus encourage success. Although it was very surprising when their football team beat Michigan, after digging a little deeper its clear that Appalachian State is in fact Hot! Hot! Hot! Be smart. Be aware. Be the solution.

This post was originally written by The College Answers
University of Michigan · Organizational Studies · 26 Sep 2007