Hello all! It's me again, Lexi! I hope all of you have had a good week! This week, the article that I have for you is the 4 reasons why to love the University of Tennessee at Martin, otherwise known as UTM or UT Martin. Being a freshman, I vividly remember having to go through the process of choosing the school that I would want attend the following fall while being a senior in high school. I had many to consider, but UT Martin was always one of my top schools. I remember when I got my acceptance letter from UTM, and I remember being most excited about that one. I remember the tour of campus and how daunting it seemed at the time, and I remember officially choosing UT Martin as my school of choice. But why the University of Tennessee at Martin? Here's what I believe is why:

One of the number one reasons why I wanted to come to UT Martin is because the faculty/people that exists on this campus. When I first found out about UTM and visited here, I was so surprised by how welcoming and nice everyone is. Being college students and professors, I would have thought back then that they wouldn't have time to notice the young girl absorbing in all that she was seeing. But they did. On top of that, the faculty here are always more than willing to help with anything you need. Their main purpose is to help you so you can then take the knowledge that you've gained at UTM and apply it to the job you may get. They ultimately want to see you succeed.

2. The Campus

The second I came onto this campus, I knew I loved it from the first sight. Did you know that every tree that exists in Tennessee is planted somewhere on our campus? That always astounded me (sorry to the people who have seasonal allergies). And then there's the quad area, where almost (if not all) of the different class buildings are located so that moving from class to class or from building to building isn't as daunting as it may seem at first. UT Martin also has recently updated the lighting on campus, so that walking from your major's building to your dorm isn't scary in the middle of the night. Plus, our campus is very safe for little Martin, Tennessee. The last thing I can say about the campus itself is how clean the campus is and how much they push for recycling. I don't think I've come across a time where the campus hasn't been clean, thanks to the workers who do that for us, and when walking around campus, you can always find a recycling bin to put your plastic/can/paper in. I would bet to say that every building has at least one recycling bin right outside their main doors, and not to mention the new solar powered tree/flowers between the Paul Meek Library and the University Center! (It's pretty cool to look at if you haven't noticed it already).

3. The Cafeteria

I can't complain about the Cafeteria food here, it's a major upgrade from my high school's food! At UT Martin, there's a pretty big selection of food there for whatever meal you need. There's the Ignite Grill, Daily Dish, Magellan's, Basic Kneads (the pun, I love it), Bella Trattoria, and Fresh from the Fields inside the cafeteria, which is all sponsored by Sodexo! And if you can't find anything you want there, you can always go to On the Fly, or the food court, or the simply-to-go station, and grab food there! You'll never go hungry on this campus, I can promise that.

4. The Extracurricular Activities

There's so much at UT Martin that's going on that's just for fun after a long day of classes. Got an 8 AM? Go shake it off by playing the human vs. zombies game (which has been going on all this week, which has been pretty awesome). Plus, we have all of our amazing sports teams, from the football team to the equestrian team to anything else you can think off. We also have some amazing Greek Life on campus too! There's no way I could even think of naming all the different sororities and/or fraternities out there. They're all different, but they all have at least one thing in common... the love for this school.

So whether you're here at UT Martin, or are a student still struggling to figure out where he/she wants to go, just know that there's always a place to call home here in little Martin, Tennessee at UTM.

IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE A SKYHAWK