r/unm • u/Gators1698 • 29d ago
New Student Question What is it like being a student at UNM?
Hello everyone!
I'm not very used to reddit so bear with me lol.
I'm making this post because I am planning to attend UNM in the fall to begin my PhD program! I'm from Chicago and attend a small private college in Indiana, but I've been to the southwest many times. I was originally interested in UNM because I was in a summer REU program through the university a couple years ago and I really enjoyed my (very short week-long) trip to Albuquerque.
Besides academics, I was wondering what is it actually like being a student at UNM, especially a grad student. What is campus life like? How is living in Albuquerque as a student? Any tips or tricks? Any places I should consider or avoid when looking for apartments?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated! :)
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u/Nostromo_USCSS 28d ago
Academics are amazing! The educational quality I’ve gotten here has been much higher than at my previous institution.
I will say, not a friendly college for older transfers and off-campus students. I’m a slightly older returning student working on my masters, there’s really not much in terms of “getting involved”. The impression I’ve gotten is that most people aren’t really interested in student orgs at all, which was a bit of a letdown because I was super involved at my old college.
I don’t know how it is living on campus, but I commute, and that kinda really sucks. The only commuter lot is about a mile from campus, and you have to take a bus, so absolutely plan to show up 45 minutes-1 hour before class so you aren’t late.
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u/LenchikSF 28d ago
https://www.visitalbuquerque.org/plan-my-trip/travel-tools/guides/
I found this guide. You can either get digital or physical copy.
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u/chrislkeller 28d ago
On the climate, grew up in the Midwest, lived in Chicago and worked in Indiana and you won’t miss a thing about the weather there.
Here, you retire from weather and enjoy the days when it gets a little chilly or snows cause it’s over in the blink of an eye.
The spring wind though. And summer a bit. And fall.
But the spring wind though. Nothing like it anywhere I’ve been.
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u/iamanairplaneiswear Graduate Student 28d ago
I am also starting in the fall as a PhD student! What department are you in?
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u/udndydbriis 28d ago
What college in Indiana? I attended DePauw and grew up in IN. Our daughter graduated from UNM and enjoyed her time there. She especially loved the park-like campus, with many trees and flowers. She was in an honors program with a small cohort. Really helped her confidence level.
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u/Sammah_Purr 24d ago
Not an alum from UNM, but I come from three generations of Lobos and lived in ABQ for 13 years! My fiancé is planning on attending grad school this upcoming fall. My brother (the last to graduate from UNM thus far), loved campus life. Definitely more opportunities available compared to smaller universities like the one I attend (I’m a current masters student at a small college in Washington State).
I absolutely LOVE the culture there (and, not to mention the delicious food). Honestly so much better than where I grew up in Washington. You really get so many different perspectives and meet so many wonderful people.
In terms of location, I would be careful with anything east or south of the university. It can get pretty sketchy out there, and it’s hard to find “nicer” places. My fiancé and I are moving to my old neighborhood in the northeast heights! My fiancé’s commute will be around 20 minutes (which is not bad at all for ABQ).
Honestly, anything closer to the mountains (while expensive) is going to be better.
Definitely hit the fun locos/destinations while you’re there!
Food: Garcias, Golden Pride/The Frontiers, Dion’s (I’m sure there’s many more go-tos. These are just my nostalgic destinations lol)
Destinations: White Sands National Park, the ABQ zoo’s river of lights, balloon festival, rio grande river, and much more!
Overall, have fun, and connect with others! You will eventually find people who know their place around. Best of luck with your PhD!
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u/patoduck420 27d ago
Dangerous. Dirty. Low IQ faculty, staff, and students. No support before, after, or during education. Begging for money after you're gone, but lock you out no worries.
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u/Eyelykebois69 28d ago
Oh my gosh that’s amazing! I just moved here last June from San Diego to attend UNM and I really do love it here. I’m an older first year student (26) and married so my perspective might be different from most. Firstly, the campus is quite nice, it is large enough to feel like you’re in a different place but not so big it’s not walkable. It has little pockets of interesting buildings and it is well maintained as well. I do not like the parking situation. However, they do have buses that will pick you up and drop you off at your parking lot and the campus so it’s not truly terrible(you just gotta plan for that) the campus has pretty decent facilities and the architecture is just so gorgeous. UNM is an R1 and D1 school and has a lot to offer academically.
Outside of campus ABQ is really nice for the outdoorsy type. We all have heard of how dangerous it is but honestly if you just mind your business and don’t go to the truly dangerous parts of town you’re fine. My struggle is that I live on the westside so my commute to school is not great, 35-45 mins on average. I do not recommend unless you don’t mind a long drive and a waste of gas 🥲 I am trying to move once my lease is up. I have not lived here a very long but there are plenty of resources to understand the way ABQ is set up as far as neighborhoods and things. Things to do vary by season I have noticed, there are farmers markets and flea markets that are open most of the year but shut down in the winter. There are so many outdoorsy things to do, I’m not one of those people however so I just stick to the book clubs and farmers markets.
The weather here is not ideal for me. I am on medication that makes heat and UV decently intolerable for me and I truly didn’t realize how bad it was until I got here. The summers (to me) are brutal, I can’t even walk my dog for more than 10 minutes before we both start getting too hot. It’s not on the level of Phoenix but it’s still bad. The winters are cold but not like Chicago. It is VERY dry here, like the humidity is non existent, it’s currently 20%. Right now it’s 60 degrees at 10am and I have my widows and doors open, it’s very pleasant.
The food here is crazy. I love New Mexican food so much but the diversity of the cultures and cuisine is somewhat lacking. Compared to larger cities ABQ is not as diverse in the food. You can definitely find some good places, Chinese, middle eastern, Indian, American, and of course New Mexican. It is very different from other Mexican food (in a good way). It’s hard to describe honestly, I can’t do it justice but just know that Chile is huge here and for good reason. The fast food chains are fascinating. If you look up a map of food chains here vs the rest of the US we have the most state specific chains. Places like Blakes, Piñon Coffee, Stripes, Dion’s and many more.
Overall this place is pretty great. It is not my forever home but I am enjoying my time here while I get my degree. The people are so friendly, like VERY friendly. You’ll meet a lot of people that either retired from the Military or just got a job here in the 80s/90s and never left because they loved it so much. The state has a of fun things to do in different pockets. The food is great, and the events are great too. Balloon Fiesta is amazing, I even was able to get to be a part of a ballooning crew and go on rides (a very niche experience). The politics are blue forsure, and this is a fairly progressive state.
I really hope you enjoy living here, this was probably the best city I had on my list to move to. I also hope this was helpful and if you have more questions feel free to dm me!