As soon as you open the doors to the welcome room, any “Future Volunteer” would be consumed by the feeling of home as he or she looks up and sees “Welcome to Rocky Top” above the next set of doors in orange and grey. Now, you’re probably wondering what I mean by Rocky Top. Rocky Top is how they refer to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Also, the Volunteers are the names of sports teams or any student at the university. They are referred to as the Volunteers because Tennessee is named “the Volunteer state.”

The University of Tennessee (Main Campus) is located in Knoxville, Tennessee which is a little more than an hour away from the Great Smokey Mountains and that is why it is called “Rocky Top.” It is a Public university and an urban campus with 600 acres of beautiful land. As you drive through the campus, you see constant smiling faces yelling “Go Vols!” Most of the campus buildings are redone and fairly new and there is much more currently being built.

The classes coming in over the next few years will have an amazing time because all of the work being done at the campus will be complete. They will have new dorm rooms, dining halls and even a new town around the campus with stores and many restaurants.

Phil Paspalas has a daughter at the University of Tennessee and he says, “There are so many great things to do in the town of Knoxville. There are so many stores and shops and everywhere you go, everyone shows so much spirit for the University of Tennessee.”

With the influx of students coming in, the University of Tennessee is definitely not a small school. There are about 22,000 undergraduates and 4 to 5,000 graduate students enrolled at the university. One important thing to notice is that yes, there are many students enrolled but it doesn’t feel as big as it is. There are a lot of amazing majors at the university of Tennessee including nursing, engineering and business and many more. Also, there is a relaxed and comfortable feeling as you go through the campus and its not just because of the weather.

A fun fact that you may not know is that it does snow a bit during the winter. Since the college is so close to the mountains, they receive snow like the mountains do. Also, since they are so close to the mountains, most students at the university love going outdoors and going hiking.

Another big activity at the University of Tennessee is going to the football games. Tennessee is a Division 1 school and it’s a part of the SEC.

Joe Bruer, a current freshman at the University of Tennessee says, “Football season is so much fun. Everyone is dressed in orange and screaming the Rocky Top song. You can really see the family we have on game day.”

While walking through the campus, you may be overwhelmed by the size but there are so many ways to make it smaller for yourself by joining Greek life and many other clubs on campus. The University of Tennessee is definitely worth a look. #GoVols!