UNC-Asheville-Commuters, Nontraditional Students, and Impact/ Low 4 year graduation R

[northeastmom]

<p>This was from another thread and the topic was Queens U. I moved this so that we would not hijack that thread.</p>

<p>My Q was to gadad, who suggested looking at UNC-A,</p>

<p>" How much do you know about it? How does the high % of commuters, and non-traditional students impact campus life? Why do they have such a low 4 year graduation rate?"</p>

<p>Gadad’s response:</p>

<p>

State universities below the flagship (e.g. UNC-CH) and land-grant (e.g. N.C. State) level often have obligations to serve their local region’s population, even if they have a special mission (UNC-A is the state’s public liberal arts college). So you’ll have some returning students, some part-timers, and some who are looking to go locally for a couple years, live at home to save funds, and then transfer to the flagship or the land-grant. Does it water down the campus life experience? Yes, somewhat. But Asheville, NC is a resort town in a beautiful setting with a significant “bohemian” population that enjoys the outdoor cafes, the public concerts, etc., so UNC-A has some nice student life options beyond the campus.</p>

<p>Some public liberal arts colleges like Georgia College & State University have targeted the same types of students who seek private LACs and placed into effect first-year on-campus residency requirements, which save the limited spots in each class for those who really want the full campus experience. The difference is significant in the area of campus life.

</p>

<p>Gadad, thank you so much for posting. Are there any current UNC-A students or graduates from UNC-A who could also answer my questions? Thank you. </p>

<p>I posted this on the UNC-A board, but since it seems quiet, I have now moved this to the parent board.</p>

[northeastmom]

<p>Bumping this up.</p>