<p>Hello, I’m a student from Ireland currently in the process of applying for study abroad during school year 2013/2014, however having a problem choosing where I should go. I have limited my options to:</p>
<p>University North Carolina Charlotte
Appalachian State
Grand Valley State</p>
<p>I have researched online etc. but all colleges have such mixed reviews its hard to know which to go with. Any info/advice on any of the above would be very helpful. Thankss</p>
<p>Will you be here for the whole year, or just part of the year? If it is part of the year, which semester?</p>
<p>Do you want to travel in the US before, after, or during your studies? If so, which part(s) of the country would you like to visit?</p>
<p>Do you have a preference for a particular type of weather? [National</a> and Local Weather Forecast, Hurricane, Radar and Report](<a href=“http://www.weather.com%5DNational”>http://www.weather.com) can help you there.</p>
<p>Yeap, there for the entire academic year, may stay a while after to travel, but would also like to do a bit of travelling around during studies as well. In relation to where I would like to travel…anywhere LOL Just want to experience something different!
As for weather preference, it would be nice to have some warmer weather even if its only for a little while, as we never get that in Ireland. However I am also keen skier so I guess snow in winter would be nice. Is that specific enough LOL</p>
<p>At the moment im drawn towards UNCC and Grand valley state, however I have heard that grand valley is a bit isolated and UNCC is a boring campus! Im not a big time partier but would like a bit of a social scene and expereince real college life as university here is very different 
Scared to make a wrong choice and not fully enjoy my year!</p>
<p>If you are considering GVSU, will you have a car? It’s a nice campus, but it is isolated. It is 16 miles from campus to Grand Rapids.</p>
<p>Why aren’t you considering schools close to bigger cities? BTW - The last Irish kid I knew doing sturdy abroad went to Edinburg… Now THAT is a nice campus - with all the amenities! We’d love to have you here in the states - I just wish you would have posted earlier in your search.</p>
<p>Added in edit: Why don’t you post the entire list of schools on your initial list? You might get more feedback.</p>
<p>Slante anayway!</p>
<p>I truly know nothing about any of these institutions. The closest I’ve come is the airport in Charlotte where I changed planes once. Two regular posters who are in Michigan and certainly would have some information about GVSU are kelsmom and romanigypsyeyes. As soon as you have enough posts to send a Personal Message (just click on the username and follow the directions) you could get in touch with them.</p>
<p>Have you asked people at your university who have participated in this program before about their experiences? Can your own study abroad office put you in touch with people who are at those universities right now? That might be a good way to go.</p>
<p>I live in North Carolina, so I can tell you a lot about UNCC and App State. I don’t know anything about Grand Valley, but Michigan is COLD!! Why did you narrow your choices to these three?</p>
<p>I have narrowed to these three as after a bit of google they were the only I think I would consider from the options I had. Options were very limited anyway:
University of Missouri - Kansas City
Appalachian State
UNCC
Grand Valley State
Baldwin Wallace
State University of New York - Platz
California State UNiversity - we couldn’t choose which campus though!
Wentworth Institute Of technology</p>
<p>They have much much more choice for those doing study abroad within Europe - 200+ Universities, but I really want to experience student life in US! :O</p>
<p>Liz3J5 - At the moment I am probably more attracted to UNCC due to location and the campus seems very nice, whereas App state seems a bit out of the way and if I want to travel it would be easier if I were close to Charlotte, true? </p>
<p>On the other hand there is just something about Grand Valley state… from what I have read and seen on internet it seems like it has a very friendly student body and a one community atmosphere. </p>
<p>EKKKK</p>
<p>Put me down for knowing GVSU - My oldest son has a MA from there. Beautiful new campus, SOME OF THE NEWEST, CLEANEST DORMS i have ever seen, surrounded by woods, fields and farms. Lots and lots of farms and fields.</p>
<p>BUT… go to Google Earth and look to see how far the cities are from the unis you listed. UNLESS YOU HAVE A CAR, I can’t recommend GVSU. 16 miles is a long walk, although since you are Irish, I expect you will not have trouble convincing people to drive you into the city whenever you want 
Although convincing the Sasenach to leave is not working all that well…</p>
<p>If you will not have a car - You should only be looking at schools that are surrounded by cities, or nearby cities. Save the Irish for when you really need it. Good luck with whatever you decide. PM me if you need more about GVSU.</p>
<p>I know that UNC Charlotte has a very sizeable population of international students (represented by over 100 countries). It is also a very ethnically diverse (whereas App State is not). So it seems that you could be introduced to many different cultures that you wouldn’t learn about at the other schools.</p>
<p>If you will not have a car while staying in the US, it would also seem optimal to be near a larger city like Charlotte if you want to get around the country. </p>
<p>Between UNCC and App State, App students have a reputation for being more studious than UNCC students (who are reputed to be heavily into partying). So if you are looking for a more serious collegiate atmosphere, Appalachian State might be the better choice.</p>
<p>Also, the town of Boone has many shops and restaurants within walking distance of App’s campus. ASU also has a pretty decent bus system to take students around the town. Boone is also about two hours away from Charlotte by car, so it isn’t as if you’d be a million miles (or kilometers, in your case) from nowhere at Appalachian State.</p>
<p>What is your major? I would take another look at CSU, San Diego. It is a large campus, diverse, lots of school spirit. Many students will have cars and there is public transportation. You can travel to LA, San Francisco, Mexico, and the weather is great. Just an FYI, legal drinking age is 21 in the US.</p>
<p>Haha, looks like I will have to play my Irish card well:D Thanks for all the info, the only thing thats putting me off GVSU is the location, if it weren’t for that I think I would choose it now, UNCC may be the more sensible option then :S Still have a few days to finalise.</p>
<p>ECmotherx2: In relation to my current studies, my degree is in International Business and sitting on around a 3.8 GPA. I would have been very interested in CSU if we had been able to select our campus, however this was allocated by CSu and I was afraid I would be on a small campus in the middle of nowhere!</p>
<p>Keep in mind GVSU is 12 miles from the 2nd largest city in Michigan, Grand Rapids. There is a free bus that goes from Grand Rapids to Allendale every 7 minutes. Also, a lot of international students live in downtown Grand Rapids not Allendale. Furthermore, GVSU is closer to a decent sized city than all those other schools mentioned except for UNC Charlotte and UMKC which I think are both commuter schools (or I would guess that they are). Grand Valley is not a commuter school at all. Also some of the Cal State schools are close to big cities as well. Also, GVSU and App State have a lot of similarities though App State is a little more scenic. I think App State and GVSU are the best options for you, and GVSU is a lot closer to a city than App State out in Boone. As for GVSU being surrounded by fields and farms that is false. It is mostly surrounded by woods on one side, and apartments and restaurants on the other side. Most of the “fields and farms” are right off Lake Michigan Drive driving into GVSU (not that many) but not right next to the campus more like a mile or 2 away.</p>