San Angelo, TX: Angelo State University is a haven for those who wish to escape the big city and live beneath a starry sky. Having lived in San Angelo my whole life, I can tell you the many benefits of ASU. First, ASU is cheap. Tuition and fees are approximately $2,550 (for Texas residents) a semester. This is one of the reasons it is the most popular college in West Texas. However, you will not get a “discount education” from professors. There is a real down-home feel to the classrooms, where engaging discussions take place. Professors get to know their students because of the small classroom atmosphere. There can be as few as nine students in a class, as many as 60, but a class rarely exceeds 100. If you are shy, don’t be afraid: Professors sense when students are listeners and not talkers.

Angelo State University has a beautiful campus - certainly the greenest part of San Angelo. There are huge shade trees everywhere and small, well-marked paths lead across Johnson Street to the other half of campus. I can usually make it from one side of campus to the other in 15 minutes at a brisk walk. The University Center is a great student hub with couches and big-screen TV. There is even a mini-Starbucks and food in the snack-bar area. Couches and comfy chairs are everywhere, and the whole campus is wired for laptops.

Something I noticed immediately about ASU was the sense of individuality and uniqueness. I walk in and talk to the same group of people every Monday morning. You can make friends with someone who frequents the same building as you because the campus is small. It’s easy to chat with total strangers, but it’s also very likely you will make good friends with students in a similar field of study.

There are a lot of miscellaneous pluses to attending ASU. Classes aren’t that hard, and are certainly not unpassable. The dorm rooms aren’t junkyards, and there are plenty of relatively cheap apartments near campus. Basketball courts, tennis courts, and benches adorn the campus. The college mascot is Rosco the Ram. Sports is available to everyone: football, baseball, rugby, soccer, softball, basketball, swimming, bowling, and great intramurals. As far as academics, ASU’s physics department is ranked tenth in the nation. For a small school of about 6,000, that’s not bad. Angelo’s nursing department has also won a lot of renown. Plus, there are numerous work-study and campus opportunities if you need extra cash, and tutors abound.

All in all, Angelo State University is an excellent place to seek a higher education. There is not much more you could hope for in a college. From the people, to the place, to the courses, ASU has something for everyone. See their website: www.angelo.edu.