Justin Bowling

Review of Appalachian State

Going to Appalachian State University was the wors...

Going to Appalachian State University was the worst decision I have ever made. I feel that I have wasted so much money and time there. I cannot speak for other majors, but I studied Recreation Management. This major needs work. Of the things I did learn, I cannot think of any real world application for most of them. I was required to take class after class of topics that had nothing to do with why I wanted to go to ASU. I know that college is sometimes about taking classes that will rarely or never be used in the future, but the classes I have found useless were most of the ones in my core curriculum. I feel like college should be about learning things you want to learn and having these classes add value to your future career. I may have taken one or two courses that I actually had a desire to take and have felt value from since. For a career focused in recreation or the outdoors, I would have been better off going to a number of other outdoor leadership institutions such as NOLS or the AMGA and I would have gained valuable knowledge and experience, two things I gained very little of at ASU. Perhaps I could have gone to a different college entirely. I have more debt than I will ever be able to pay off, only for the "accomplishment" of having a degree in Recreation Management. I would much rather have experience and knowledge than a piece of paper and tens of thousands of dollars in debt. My college loans have left my credit in such poor status that I cannot get a loan or purchase anything on credit. Upon applying for jobs, I am told I do not have enough experience. I am well aware that experience is often acquired outside of the classroom, but for all of the time and money I invested in college, I should have gained ample experience from the classes themselves. The jobs I have found that I am qualified for are all jobs that do not require a degree. In this field of work experience is always more important than a degree. For anyone interested in this major I would suggest instead going out and gaining as many outdoor certifications as you can and become part of an outdoor organization like the ones I mentioned above. You will go so much further in a career in recreation and you will save money as well. Of all of the graduates I know personally from Appalachian, many are now working outside of their field of study doing something they do not love, making very little money.

On a positive note, I did like the teachers in the Recreation program for the most part. They were pleasant and had passion for their teaching. I just gained very little applicable knowledge from the content they were teaching.

As far as the student culture goes, there are also lots of drunks and potheads; more so than other universities I have seen. I was once in a class where the discussion fell upon how to cheat their way through a drug test. I soon realized I was the only one in this class of thirty that didn't have to worry about finding a way to cheat in order to pass a drug test.

Overall, going to Appalachian was an enormous mistake on my part; a decision I regret daily.