LSU: paradox university

Introduction
I'm from York, Pennsylvania. I chose LSU because it was cheap; I got a very substantial scholarship, making tuition much cheaper than Penn St. or any of the private schools I was considering.The biggest piece of advice I could offer is to know that LSU has some great qualities, yet is terribly, terribly lacking in some very fundamental ways. I wouldn't recommend going there unless you have a place to stay off campus: I'll explain why in "Social Life/Campus Life"

Campus Life and Social Life
The weekends at LSU, despite the school's reputation as a party/drinking school, are surprisingly tame. A decent significant number of students go home frequently or live off campus.
In addition, Residential Life doesn't give a damn about students. I don't care what they tell you at Spring Invitational. The dormatories are dilapidated and/or tiny, with asbestos-filled pipes. My basement room flooded twice during my first semester, and that's in the honors dorm. Dining Halls (only two for over 30,000 students) are not open on weekends or breaks, and only stay open until 7 p.m. (and as we all know, all college students go to bed at 7 sharp). The newly-built dining hall is no better than the other one. I often feel like the constant construction at LSU exists only to keep fees high and distract the students from the University's real problems. As an out-of-state student with no car, I get the distinct notion that LSU residential life really doesn't care about our living conditions, just about luring new recruits. Advertisement
Academics
I've been satisfied with most of my professors. I have some that are great, some that are eccentric, and some that take their jobs way too seriously, but for the most part they've been a helpful, intelligent bunch. Workloads are sometimes overwhelming, but I wouldn't expect any less from college. Middleton Library is an excellent resource. Even if your professor sucks, they have books on everything. I'm in the school of mass communication. They seem very on top of things. French (my minor) has been somewhat lackluster. I'm trying to study abroad in France and I'm being given a real run-around in the application process. The school of music (a hobby) seems good enough, though I don't think there are enough ensembles for the size of the student body.

Student Body
The students I've mostly nice, hospitable, and polite. Being from the north, I'm not used to people greeting/shaking hands so much; I was pleasantly surprised by that. I think people outside the honors college generally tend towards stupidity, but I guess that's what happens when your admission standards are so low that anyone with a pulse could get in. Parties are there if you want to find them. If you're that desperate to get your drink on you can go to a frat house. I'm in Tigerband, the marching band. I've met a lot of cool people through that. It's a great organization, and there are lots of other clubs offered.

In Closing...
Despite Residential Life's "The student's exist to serve us" attitude, I do not regret coming to LSU. Part of my education has been living in another culture and seeing New Orleans and being far from home and all that. I'm getting a good education and have the opportunity to surround myself with some people that are more intellectual than the kids in my high school. I've worked my way around most of the gripes (stealing sandwiches from the dining hall). I have mixed feelings. I recommend coming down for yourself. Check out some other schools too and weigh your options. Take a tour on your own (ask a student you know, not one of those robot-drone LSU ambassadors) and soak it up with an open mind.