Transportation

At NC State, you are eligible for a parking pass beginning your freshman year. Registration for parking permits takes place at the same time as class registration. With such a limited number of parking spaces on NCSU’s campus, it is important to remember that Campus Transportation takes many things into consideration when assigning permits. These include things like seniority (identification of the student as a freshmen, sophomore, junior, or senior), demographics of the student’s residence on campus, and whether or not the student is an off-campus commuter. With all these things considered, there are still many freshman who are awarded a parking permit their first year. These permits may be close to the student’s residence hall or more commonly, they may be in a storage lot. In addition to on-campus parking, NCSU offers Wolfline buses which run every day that classes are in session and serve all three campuses of NCSU, two park and ride lots, and all official NCSU housing. You can typically expect Wolfline buses to arrive at their designated stops every 15 minutes and they can get you to almost anywhere you would like to go on campus! The Wolfline also doubles as the Werewolf for night-time transportation and as the Red Terror Transit on game-day so that you can get to the stadium on time! In addition to car and/or Wolfline travel, many students choose to ride their motorcycles, bikes, or even skateboards to and around campus. I’ve found that NCSU is welcoming of almost any transportation you may consider as long as long as there is somewhere for you to park!
Posted by: Ashton Ayers

Living Off Campus

I highly recommend living on campus for at least your first year. The campus living experience will allow you to make connections with people around you and makes it easier to participate in student organizations to help establish yourself at State. I moved off campus after my first year at State. There are tons of apartments that cater to the university students in the Raleigh area. Many offer by-the-bed leases, which only holds you responsible for your room in an apartment in the event that your roommate(s) end their lease or fail to pay their rent. Most apartments range from 1-4 bedrooms, with costs generally decreasing per person with more roommates. Some locations offer roommate matching programs, and amenities such as swimming pools, exercise equipment, etc. Definitely visit an apartment complex and check around on the Internet for student housing options to find the right place for you.

Things to consider with living off campus: buying a parking permit for campus, bus routes nearby to get you to campus, food costs vs. meal plan, length of a lease and your plans for summer vacation. Always read the details of a lease and keep your parents involved, as they will probably be serving as a co-signor for your apartment or townhouse.

Posted by Justin Jornigan

Coming from a Small Town

I come from a very rural hometown in central NC with only a few thousand people. I was very worried that NC State was going to be completely overwhelming and too large to actually know anyone or for the faculty to know me.
After the first week of classes, I had at least one professor in the Animal Science department know my name. It was not what I had expected and it just kept getting better. I soon found out that there were over 30,000 students on campus, but it wasn’t as large and easy to get lost in as I had originally thought. I began to meet people whom I had multiple classes with. It felt like a little piece of home in a large research institution. It was great to realize that everyone can find a niche on campus and have a home away from home!
Posted by: Holly Ramey

Leaving a small town and coming to NC State can be very daunting. I was worried that I would never be able to find my way around such a large campus, not to mention a large city such as Raleigh. Fortunately, everyone here at NC State was very helpful. Upperclassmen and faculty are more than willing to help you figure out where your classes are, what room they are located in, and how best to get from your dorm to class. Entering a university where there are 32,000 students can feel like you’ll get lost in the crowds. However, CALS truly has a small school feel. You’ll find that you share a lot of the same classes as other CALS students, especially in your first two years as you complete your general education requirements. As you get to know these students, you’ll begin to form your own little “home” on campus you feel comfortable in.
Posted by: Lauren Hysong

Out of State Students

Coming to North Carolina from New Jersey was quite an adjustment for me. Here are a few things that I found NC to be different:
- BBQ is not hamburgers and hot dogs; it is a pig.
- They love their grease here so be careful indulging if you are not used to fried food
- There is no hurry in the south; Northeast drivers have to slow down
- People here are incredibly nice!

Getting around is easy too even if you do not bring a car. There are numerous cab companies and easy access to Raleigh buses. NC State pays for NCSU students to use the Raleigh transit buses for free. Also, there is a train station a few miles East of campus and RDU Airport is about a 15 minute drive west.

Posted by: Beth Migliaccio