If you've gone to good 'ol Lees-McRae College at some point in your life time, not only are you one of the lucky few, but theres a pretty good chance you've had to answer at least one of these questions. It's the small price to pay for choosing a school that is truly one of a kind.
1. "Where is it?"
Maybe native North Carolinians have it a little bit easier, but when I go home its the back and fourth of "Do you know where Banner Elk is?", "How about Boone?", "No, it's not in Charlotte". Lees-McRae is located in the small town of Banner Elk North Carolina, nestled nicely in the Blue Ridge Mountains. At this point I'm best saying "about 1 hour 1/2 from Asheville"
2. "Does is really look like that?"
Yeah
It
Does
3. "Do you like having a small school?"
Lees-McRae is home to a whooping 900 residential students give or take, so you run into the same faces a lot. Do you get tired of seeing the same people in the cafe day after day after day? Yes. But the weird thing is, by the time your four years here end you start liking being able to say hi to five different people on your way to class and knowing every single person in your major. You hate to love it.
4. "You can have a pet in your room?"
Oh yeah, we're one of 12 schools in the nation that allow non-service animals the ability to live with us in our dorms. My hallway alone usually has 3-4 dogs running up and down it at all times. Cats, rabbits, hamsters, snakes, virtually anything under 40 pounds is allowed to live with you and even that rule is usually bent. Students and faculty are encouraged to bring their pets to class, creating a unique atmosphere you can't get anywhere else.
5. "Wait, even in class????"
Yes, in fact, its a little weird when there isn't a dog sitting in class with you. One time, this kid came to lecture with his pet snake wrapped around his hand the whole time. Lees-McRae is big on animals; maybe because we have a big Wildlife Biology program, maybe because we're such an outdoorsy school, but either way, pets and humans go hand in hand here.
6. "What is #MountainDay?"
Mountain Day is a tradition at Lees-McRae that happens twice a year, all classes are canceled in honor of our pride of being located in the mountains of western North Carolina. (Fun fact: at 4,000 feet above sea level, we're the highest elevated campus on the eastern sea boarder) In the fall (Mountain Day of Fun), students are encouraged to use their day off to enjoy the beauty of our mountain campus while in the spring (Mountain Day of Service) we're encouraged to have join activities that go to preserving it.
7. "WTF is a Woolley Worm?"
It is literally a fuzzy red and black worm that pop up in Banner Elk in the early fall. The reason people get so worked up about them is still unknown. Locals put on this festival the first weekend of October in their honor and the quaint little town suddenly go nuts and every Lees-McRae student's Instagram is flooded with Woolley Worm Festival pics
Lees-McRae can be best summarized by our school motto: in montibus, ex montibus, pro montibus
Translation: In the mountains, of the mountains, for the mountains
