Why go blue? Aggies reflect on their decision to attend Utah State

Utah State University is notorious for its student body’s enthusiasm and school spirit.

But where some members of that student body call home and why they are here is not so well-known.

Many students have a variety of reasons and experiences that prompted them to come to Utah State.

“I went to nationals for gymnastics and I met the coach here,” said Kailey Morrissey, an exercise science sophomore and New York native. “And I didn’t have a school yet at that point, so she talked to me for a while.”

After hearing what USU was like, she was intrigued by the idea of coming to school here. The school, from the words of the Utah State gymnastics coach, appeared to be promising.

“In July my dad was like, ‘You should just fly out to Utah State because it’s really cheap and check it out,'” Morrissey said. “So I did, and I really loved it. So I came here, and I applied at the end of July, registered for classes in August and now I’m here.”

For those like freshmen Kelsie Boswell, a native of Nibley, Utah, growing up near Utah State provided her with a different perspective of Utah State.

“I like that everyone’s nice, and willing to help you,” she said. “Like you can go and ask anybody anything. And you can start conversations with people pretty easily too. They are all really social.”

Although some people from Nibley want to get out of Cache Valley, Boswell remained firm in her decision to attend Utah State.

“I’ve been down on other college campuses and they are just not the same,” she said.

She said the size of Utah State is perfect in terms of getting involved, being social and still maintaining that college campus feel. She has been able to meet many different people at her time at Utah State, including Daxi Zhang, a first-year graduate student in the aerospace engineering program.

Zhang came to Utah State from China in 2011, but ended up staying for reasons other than education.

“I like the weather,” Zhang said. “During the winter, I like skis. I like that it’s quiet here, so you can enjoy a lot of time in nature. It’s a great way just to enjoy life.”

The director of admissions, Katie Nielsen, said multiple factors come into play when it come to students deciding on Utah State.

“Academics, involvement and location give students a true college experience at Utah State,” Nielsen said. “We are ranked in the top 3 percent of Carnegie research institutions. We have the largest residential campus in Utah with 84 percent of our students living away from home, giving a great student life.”

— nadia8searle@gmail.com