Academics
The University of Tennessee at Martin is an "affordable" regional school with "smaller" classes, a significant selection of online courses, and "a down-home atmosphere." UTM is "very strong in science and agriculture majors." Nursing and education are notable as well. Also, graduate and professional school acceptance rates for students are high, particularly in health-related fields. The faculty runs the gamut. Most profs "teach with a passion" and are "concerned with your success." "I have only had a couple terrible professors," recalls a mechanical engineering major. "For the most part, the professors at UTM are excellent," adds a biology major. "They are extremely knowledgeable and explain material well. However, there are some that I would most certainly advise future students to avoid." Administrators generally come in for praise. "If they do not have an answer," says a business major, "somebody will find it for you or point you in the right direction so you do not run in circles or waste your time." The biggest academic complaint involves the registration process. "The website tends to crash a lot since thousands of students are battling over the classes they need."
Student Body
UT Martin is "very welcoming to students from any background and nationality" including "clusters of minority groups," numerous nontraditional students, and a respectable smattering of international students. Decent contingents of students come from both Nashville and Memphis as well. Indeed, "to say that everyone fits in one demographic is pushing it." Nevertheless, the undergrads hail overwhelmingly from the state of Tennessee, and a high percentage chooses UTM because it is "close to home." "Most of the students who attend this school are from surrounding smaller towns." A typical student here comes from a decidedly "middle-class" background and is an "average small-town person." Students describe themselves as "busy," "hardworking," "upbeat, friendly," and "not highly political." People are "pretty country" around here as well. "It's a very rural school with a great agriculture program, so a lot of kids look like they are involved in agriculture," explains a senior. "Jeans, cowboy boots, and t-shirts are seen a lot."
Campus Life
The "tiny," "rural," "safe," hamlet of Martin, Tennessee, is "a very friendly place to live" but it isn't much else. "Students do not have many options when it comes to off-campus activities." "The campus does a good job of trying to entertain the students" by offering "movie nights and special guest speakers" but, ultimately, "Martin is what you make it." "You have to be super-involved on campus to enjoy the college experience here." Most students are. "The library is always filled with students studying." The excellent recreation center is a "beautiful place to work out," and it gets a lot of use. Intramurals are also big. There are some 120 clubs and organizations. Greek life is "prominent" on this campus, and fraternities and sororities are "extremely active." Religious groups are also pretty popular. "Wednesday nights are the party nights," reports a senior. "People usually go to a frat party and then go to a local bar after the party ends or gets boring." "It is hard to find entertainment during the weekends," not least because of the large number of students who go home. Many students do stick around for the weekend festivities, though.
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