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I'm not a religious person, and I am considering Appalachian State University for my MBA degree, and I know the South is much more religious than the rest of the country. Would I still fit in with the people, culture, and lifestyle in North Carolina? I'm coming from western Pennsylvania and have lived in Seattle and really liked it there.
Basically I'm wondering if I would be at a disadvantage for networking, meeting new people, and perhaps finding employment in the state if I'm not religious?
Has anyone out there gone to App State and had a good experience who wasn't religious? Is there a small town / good ol' boy mentality? I'm not trying to be ignorant, just seeking personal experiences.
I'm very open-minded and don't have problems meeting new people, but I just wondered if not being religious will have an effect on going to grad school there. I've also considered going to school in Pittsburgh, but App State has the program I'm interested in.
The university community at ASU is quite diverse in its attitudes and not overtly religious. The Town of Boone is more accepting of a wide range of attitudes - is reflective more of a "Town and Gown" environment - than the surrounding rural areas. The rural areas out from Boone tend to be more conservative. However, the people with whom you'll be most in contact while in an MBA program are going to be accepting of a wide range of religious (or non) views.
I grew up in a Southern Baptist family elsewhere in NC, lived and worked in Boone for 10 years (late '80's to late '90's), and never attended church in Boone. I never felt excluded nor discriminated against in the business community or otherwise.
I see it pretty much as a non-issue, as long as you don't wear it on your sleeve.
I love App, went to school there and highly recommend it for the experience of living in that part of the country, However, if you plan on living in a different part of the country after graduation, like Seattle or Pittsburgh, tragically, I have found that the name Appalachian State does not travel.
Simply put, people in other parts of the country generally haven't heard of App State (Michigan football fans have however) and the name tends to play to people's stereotypes. What I am saying has nothing to do with the experience and education available in Boone. It has everything to do with people's perceptions and a lack of name recognition. A beautiful fall day on the Parkway or out at Lost Cove can go a long way in making up for that small possible negative though.
Yeah App's pretty religious and conservative overall for a medium size public univeristy. It's because until a couple decades ago it was primarily a teacher college mainly serving the mountain region and the education department's still one of the largest (and by far the most well-funded) part of the school. You won't have fire and brimstone hollered at you every day but if you were part of a church your social calendar would fill up a lot quicker. If you're doing the MBA program you're going to have to deal with that stuff a lot more than if you were studying english or biology.
[quote=memorytheatre;17073485]I love App, went to school there and highly recommend it for the experience of living in that part of the country, However, if you plan on living in a different part of the country after graduation, like Seattle or Pittsburgh, tragically, I have found that the name Appalachian State does not travel.
Seeing as how this thread is from 2010, I'm not sure if this will be answered here, but what about within the state of NC? I am considering speech language pathology at Appalachian State and I'm figuring that I will end up staying in NC, if not in Boone then some other part of the state. Is it a respectable name throughout the North Carolina and the surrounding states?
The whole state (along with the rest of the South except for central Florida and South of there) is highly religious. You cannot drive 2 blocks without seeing "John 3:16" signs on the power poles, or some other nonsense religious slogan like "believe".
I dont know how/why the power companies put up with that nonsense.
At any rate, if you are not religious, you will feel left out to some degree. All they have in this part of the world is god.
most NC natives tend to be live and let live so unless you rub it in their faces, most people would not care about your religious beliefs or nonbelief. Your business.
Invitations to join them at church are usually sincerely and well meant. People usually say grace before a meal silently. So if you want to integrate with the local culture, it is a good time to try it. But if not, all should be well too.
The whole state (along with the rest of the South except for central Florida and South of there) is highly religious. You cannot drive 2 blocks without seeing "John 3:16" signs on the power poles, or some other nonsense religious slogan like "believe".
I dont know how/why the power companies put up with that nonsense.
At any rate, if you are not religious, you will feel left out to some degree. All they have in this part of the world is god.
What was your inspiration when you made that up?
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