New Mexico Highlands University: A Nice Place to Visit, But…

New Mexico Highlands University

A brief visit to New Mexico Highlands University, in Las Vegas, NM, was actually my second visit to the campus. I walked around the campus back in 1990 when I was doing some research on the United World Colleges—one of which is located just outside of Las Vegas.

Parts of the campus are quite attractive. The new science building looks great, and the library is inviting. I admit, however, to a somewhat jarring moment when I stepped onto the lawn and realized it was plastic turf no wonder it looked so green in this very dry part of the country. The academic buildings seemed inviting enough. But it was a group of dormitories that struck me most negatively.

They look almost like old motels, with long outdoor corridors leading to a series of identical doorways. Their cinder block construction was all too evident, and while I’m sure the rooms are clean and as spacious as any other dorm room on any other campus. The impression was not one that would likely encourage a 17 year-old prospective student to want to live there.

The town of Las Vegas, on the other hand, has some fun, frontier-like aspects to it. It’s not a booming metropolis, by any means. But it has some character for those who seek an authentic southwestern experience.

All in all, I enjoyed my visit. But I might recommend that a student consider off-campus housing options.

Mark Montgomery
Great College Advice

Northern Arizona University–an attractive campus in the woods

I took a spin around the campus of Northern Arizona University a few days ago. Until this trip, I wasn’t very familiar with the geography of Arizona, and Flagstaff was not at all what I expected. Nestled up against the mountains at an elevation of 7000 feet or so, I felt as though I were in the mountains of Colorado.
The campus is relatively lush–compared to the desert we crossed to get to Flagstaff. Tall, stately pines make it feel more like Oregon or even New England. The architecture is mostly modern, with the exception of a central quad around Old Main, the oldest building on campus. Despite its modernity, the campus is very attractive and architecturally relatively coherent (compared to many other state universities). There are some green zones, too, and one edge of the campus is bordered by a cemetery (seemed like a great place to go for a run!).Northern Arizona Univesrity Campus
My visit took place in a torrential downpour during the monsoon season of the Southwestern US. And I didn’t have an umbrella. So I wasn’t able to spend as much time poking around as I would have liked. But Northern Arizona University left a very favorable impression on me as an attractive place to go to college.
Mark Montgomery
College Counselor

Arizona State University in the Summer


I spent an afternoon recently exploring the Arizona State University Campus in Tempe, Arizona. I found the campus to be surprisingly compact, given the size of its student body (over 51,000 students). It’s a huge place.
Would somebody please explain why I chose to visit in the summer?
First of all, like most college campuses in the summer time, ASU’s campus was relatively deserted.
Plus, it’s in the desert.
It’s HOT in Phoenix in the summer. So if you plan to attend ASU, enjoy the mild winters walking around in your flip flops, and find somewhere else to hang for the summer.