5 Reasons Why I Chose To Go To NAU

Choosing the college for you is a little bit more complicated than just distance and financial aid. Making such a huge decision requires a lot of deliberation. While we all have our reasons for choosing Northern Arizona University, these are mine. Below are 5 reasons why I chose to go to NAU!

1. Downtown Flagstaff

Downtown Flagstaff is probably one of the trendiest little areas I’ve ever been to. After checking it out, I was sold on living in this city. From shows at the Orpheum, to the Old Town Shops, and the various cafes, it’s a great place to walk around with friends. It’s a great place to people watch, and there’s often live music playing in Heritage Square. Whenever I have nothing to do, I like to go exploring the city streets. I always see something interesting. Last week, it was a drunk woman throwing her shoes at her boyfriend. But hey, sometimes, you have to take the bad with the good!

2. My Friend, Breana

Let me just say, after my NAU tour, I was convinced I would never go to this school. It was snowing during Spring Break, we only got to tour the oldest buildings, and I had to sit in on an hour long lecture. Like, they seriously had me watch a lecture on the tour! As if I wouldn’t be spending hours listening to professors droning on in the future! I packed my bags and continued on in my college search.

However, a few months later, my friend Breana convinced me to visit her for a few days. While I was at NAU, I stayed in her dorm and looked at the places where students really spend their time, and I loved it! I still have her to thank for changing my mind. Sometimes an insider’s perspective is what you really need before making a decision.

3. The Lumberjack Scholarship

I came to NAU with a sizable handful of scholarships, but the Lumberjack is the MVP of them all. It covers my entire tuition every year provided I maintain a 3.0 GPA. I didn’t have to apply or compete for it; It was given to me automatically as I had graduated high school with a GPA of higher than 3.5, had no grade lower than a B, and had taken the required core classes. This scholarship played a major part in my decision, as it does for many NAU students.

4. Sweaters, Leggings, And Boots

So a lot of my final college decision came down to ASU and NAU. This reason may seem a bit shallow, but I did contemplate it. At ASU, it’s constantly hot. The beautiful ASU girls walk around in short shorts to show off constantly tan, long legs. At five-foot-one and pasty white, I felt a little uncomfortable on the ASU campus.

NAU offers a different type of uniform; leggings, Uggs, flannels, cardigans, and beanies. This was something I could get behind. My self confidence is a major part of my life, and NAU gives me a better attitude towards myself.

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5. Independence From My Old Friends

Most of the people at my high school ended up choosing ASU. My best friends, the boy I liked, my speech and debate and theater friends…I seriously considered attending just to be closer to them. After a bit, I realized how wrong this way of thinking was.

College is about branching out and making new connections. To strand myself in the desert, in a huge city, to spend my time with the same five people I’d known for years, was crazy. While I miss them, I know choosing NAU was the right thing to do. I’ve been loving it here ever since.