Myths About UT/CASNR . . .

(don't be scared they are not true!!!)

• UT isn't safe.
• You should definitely decide on a major before you start UT.
• Cafeteria food is gross and unhealthy.
• If you don't like to party, don't go to UT.
• No one graduates in four years.
• My kid won't be able to find a job after graduation.
• All CASNR students come from farms.
• Residence halls are just a place to sleep.
• We cannot afford UT.
• Freshman classes are large and impersonal.
• UT is huge. It will be hard to make friends and find like-minded people.
• State schools get their funding cut so much that my child's education will suffer.
• Going to a state school lessens my child's change of getting into a professional school (i.e., vet, med and pharmacy school).

 

Dispel Those Myths . . .With the Facts!

Myth: UT isn't safe.
Fact: We enjoy one of the lowest crime rates of major universities. We have over 100 Emergency Blue Phones located throughout campus and in every garage on every level. The call boxes are activated by pushing one of two buttons- a large red button that connects directly to the E-911 dispatcher, or a smaller black button that contacts the Knoxville Area Transit (KAT) dispatcher in order to request a shuttle ride. In addition to the KAT shuttle rides, there are also Late Night Shuttles that will escort students around campus from 6:00 pm- 7:00 am. Students can also attend a crime prevention program, sponsored by the UT Police Department in which officers explain how students can protect themselves and their property.

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Myth: You should definitely decide on a major before you start UT.
Fact: UT is an extraordinary place for a freshman or transfer student to explore interests before declaring a major. You have many options. Exploring lets you discover avenues and interests you might otherwise never have known you had. Your choices can make a great deal of difference in your life. The advisers at UT are here to help you to explore majors, minors, and careers, and ultimately to make a decision about a major. When making any decision, the first step is to gather information. You can take an introductory course to the major. The first two years of course work at the university are mainly general education requirements, required by the university for all majors. Basically, the first two years of course work will work within any major and thus you have plenty of time to make up your mind!

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Myth: Cafeteria food is gross and unhealthy.
Fact: There are 12 different places to eat across UT. Some of the places are cafeteria style and others are fast food oriented. The dining facilities at UT specifically have great food. The food in the cafeterias includes salad bars, pasta bars, and fruit bars as well. The Ag campus even has a cafeteria.

Mabel's Café has served the Agriculture campus for more than 50 years. Mabel's Café is located in McCord Hall, on the Agriculture campus. It was named after Mabel Davenport, who worked in this location for more than 50 years. The staff at Mabel's continues the tradition of serving delicious, hot food to the agriculture students and staff of the University of Tennessee.

Furthermore, the menu is different everyday and the food is home cooked meats, vegetables, and breads. There is also a salad bar and baked potato bar. So, as a student, you have many choices between hot and healthy foods on campus.

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Myth: If you don't like to party then don't go to UT.
Fact: Yes, we have been ranked as a party school in the past, but that is not what UT is about. We have over 40 clubs and organizations on the Ag Campus and over 300 clubs and organizations at the university as a whole. UT promotes social interaction and development through these clubs and organizations all of which are alcohol free. UT is a dry campus and while some students do choose to party there are always dry campus events occurring. There are religious organizations and clubs, as well as, service organizations which promote service learning and community service activities. We want students to get inVOLved on campus and do well in classes. If you can’t find other activities on campus besides drinking then you probably aren’t looking very hard!

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Myth: No one graduates in four years.
Fact: Most majors, including all CASNR majors, are designed for students to graduate in 4 years. The average number of hours required to graduate is 124. That is only 15 to16 hours or 5 classes a semester, no different than many high school course loads. Going above the 16 hour mark with an additional class here and there makes it very possible to graduate in 4 years and even less in some cases. Additionally, since the first two years of course work are general education requirements you can mostly likely graduate in 4 years even if you don’t decide on a major before starting UT.

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Myth: My kid won't be able to find a job after graduation.
Fact: This is the biggest myth of them all. The University of Tennessee has one of the best Career Service/Job Placement Services in the nation. CASNR also focuses on job placement for its students with an annual job fair each fall that is designed host companies that recruit CASNR students. In addition to the job fair CASNR also employees its own Director of Career Services, who works with students to find full/part time employment and internships. The Career Services Director also host resume writing workshops and mock interview sessions on campus for CASNR students. The profile for our graduates consists of 48% of our graduates going on to graduate school or professional school (med, vet, pharmacy, dental), 48% going directly into the work force and only 4% returning to production operations such as family farms and businesses.

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Myth: All CASNR students come from farms.
Fact: Our students come from farm and non-farm backgrounds and from rural and urban areas. Our students have in common their love for the outdoors, their concern for out natural resources and environment and then drive to succeed on a growing field/ Students from very diverse backgrounds make CASNR their home away from home. The classes here are very hands on, and students are given the chance early in their academic careers to experience things they have never been exposed to previously.

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Myth: Residence Halls are just a place to sleep.
Fact: Residence halls are an important rite of passage for incoming students. Not only are they a place to sleep, but a hub for social activities. Each residence assistant (RA) is responsible for organizing activities for the residents on their floor, in order to engage the students, and help them get to know each other, as well as, UT better. These are also times to learn about exciting things going on throughout campus, as well as safety procedures both in the dorms, and around campus. Each dorm has a kitchen, as well as study rooms and cable TV areas. Some dorms (Morrill) even have a living area on each floor, and their own dining hall. Beginning fall semster 2007, the Agriculture and Natural Resources Learning Community will be one of five such groups available in Morrill Hall. These communities have classes together, and do extra activities together on and off campus. There is an application process and a small fee to live in one of these communities.

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Myth: We cannot afford UT.
Fact: There are opportunities for scholarships each year such as the Returning and Transfer Student Scholarships. This application is due February 1 each year. UT offers over 4,000 awards from over 1400 scholarship account. UT awards over $18,000,000 in scholarships annually, with 4 year, one year, and renewable scholarships available. The best way to be awarded scholarship money as a CASNR student is to get involved on campus. Entering freshmen should submit a scholarship application with their admissions application packet on or before November 1, each year, to be considered for all competitive university and CASNR's Arch E. McClanahan Scholarship. For general university, college and departmental scholarships, applications are due by the February 1 deadline. The scholarship application located in the freshmen application packet is the only application required to be eligible for any of the aforementioned scholarships.

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Myth: Freshman classes are large and impersonal.
Fact: While most of the freshmen science classes do have large lectures, normally most students do not have a problem listening in a lecture hall and taking notes. All large sciences classes are further broken down into discussion groups and lab groups. Discussion and lab groups are capped at no more than 25 students. Discussion groups are scheduled class meetings where students in a particular larger class can meet in a smaller group with no more than 25 students and a teaching assistant to have their questions and homework problems answered. A student’s lab group will be with the same group he or she has discussion group with, thus study groups are formed and a large class is made to feel much smaller. The lab groups are also no more than 25 students and each group has the same TA for discussion and lab which helps make sure the student gets to know his or her instructor better. Forming a good relationship with your TA in larger freshman classes will help ensure your success in the class. Math and English classes are capped at 25 students to help ensure freshmen have a smaller learning environment in these classes. The overall student/faculty ratio: 18:1 and 71% of undergraduate classes have fewer than 30 students. CASNR classes are, of course much smaller than main campus classes.

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Myth: UT is huge. It will be hard to make friends and find like minded people.
Fact: With over 300 on-campus clubs, societies, and organizations, there’s something for every interest—culture, academics, leadership, sports, volunteerism— you name it! And if you don’t find what you want, you can create your own! You can choose from religious organizations, community service organizations, intramural sports, political clubs and clubs to meet your interests as well!

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Myth: State schools get their funding cut so much that my child's education will suffer.
Fact: Thanks to CASNR’s generous and loyal donors' support, enrichment funds are available to help faculty members provide great learning opportunities. Our donors' support makes it possible to retain our top-notch faculty members. This means the majority of your student’s classes will be taught by faculty members. CASNR not only supports faculty members with donor support, we also support student leadership endeavors including traveling to make paper presentations, attending leadership conferences and professional society meetings and student organization trips. Your students are supported and developed academically, personally and professionally by CASNR!

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Myth: Going to a state school lessens my child's chance of getting into professional school (i.e. vet, med and pharmacy school).
Fact: CASNR graduates have a high success rate of entry to The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. The vet school does not offer a certain number of spots for CASNR students each year (i.e. quota). Our students earn their way to the UT vet school by doing research, maintaining high grades, volunteering and working at the vet school and becoming student leaders on campus.

CASNR also places students in the top medical and professional schools across the nation including UT Medical and Dental School, Vanderbilt School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins and Duke to name a few! Our Food Science, Biosystems Engineering, Animal Science and Wildlife Health programs prepare students for medical and professional school by proving them with a highly science-based curriculum and excellent academic advising. UT has produced two Nobel laureates, seven Rhodes Scholars, six Pulitzer Prize winners, and 10 astronauts. UT is also ranked among the top 50 public universities in the nation and is the state’s only public Carnegie Doctoral/ Research- Extensive University.

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