Welcome

Welcome to App State!

As the premier public undergraduate institution in the Southeast, Appalachian State University offers incredible preparation for life and career success. In your time here, you’ll learn to innovate and thrive and be uniquely positioned to adapt, lead and serve.

At App State, you will:

• develop as a critical and creative thinker

• learn beyond the classroom

• engage in experiences that will increase your knowledge of global issues, regions and cultures

• create lifelong friendships with faculty and fellow students

• deepen your understanding of sustainability

• connect with communities at local and global levels

• develop lifelong pride in your alma mater!

Congratulations, parents and families! This is an exciting time in your student’s life! Over the coming weeks and months, you’re likely to have many questions. We’ve tried to answer as many as possible in this book and the Office of Parent and Family Services is here to keep you informed, engaged and supported throughout your student’s time at App State.

Boone, North Carolina

Our location in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Boone, North Carolina profoundly shapes how our community lives, works and learns together. Access to diverse natural resources, unique opportunities for research and abundant cultural and recreational activities makes this a stunningly beautiful and intellectually stimulating location in which to live and learn.

Your home away from home!

Boone is a college town in the best sense — a place where people say hello on the street and a vibrant downtown is just a block from campus. Its hub, known as King Street, features speciality shops, art galleries, music venues and restaurants. The surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains attract outdoor enthusiasts year-round for hiking, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, cycling, fishing, kayaking, rock climbing and other activities. You’ll find yourself surrounded by the beauty and variety that the High Country has to offer.

• SafeWise.com’s “20 safest cities in NC”

• 50+ hiking trailheads within driving distance of campus

• 3 area ski resorts and terrain parks

• Southern Living’s “South’s Best College Towns”

• National Geographic magazine’s “Best Places to Live and Play”

Boone weather: Bring your favorite summer attire for August and September, rain boots for October and November, windproof and waterproof winter gear for December through March and always have a light jacket handy for the rest of the year. Be sure to wear layers –– the weather in Boone can change quickly!