Flagstaff, AZ: As my prospective roommate and I drove down the highway surrounded by pine trees, the snow-peaked mountains were calling my name. Borrow-ing my mom's Ford Explorer sure made the trip smoother, but I was a lot more excited about the scenery and my future after high school.

Flagstaff is a sweet little town with some of the friendliest people and is home to a very special college. With 12,000 students, NAU is the smallest of Arizona's state universities. The 700-acre campus is located in the Coconino National Forest about 140 miles north of Phoenix. NAU students enjoy a four-season climate with a variety of fun activities including skiing, hiking, rock climbing, moonlight cross-country skiing, star-gazing at the Lowell Observatory and train watching.

Northern Arizona University not only has a beautiful campus, but spacious facilities as well. The library is a book-lover's dream with more than 1.3 million volumes, and the Olympic-size pool is awesome. Looming over the university is the magnificent 15,300 seat skydome where many of the varsity athletic contests take place.

Offering 84 undergraduate majors, smaller classes, and professional faculty, NAU boasts academic achievement. To make incoming students feel ready for the college experience, a freshman connection program is offered. This year-long program enables freshmen to become involved in various activities and study sessions to acclimate them to college life.

As we pulled out of the conveniently located parking lot, I rolled down my car window and took a breath of fresh air. "So, this is it," I thought, and for the first time since all the pre-college stress began, I smiled. f




Reviewed in 1998