All In

On the first day prospective NC State students could commit to making our campus their future home, Reeves Thompson wasted no time in saying yes – becoming one of the first members of the Class of 2015 to officially join the Wolfpack family.

One of the top students at Southwest Guilford High School (High Point, NC), Thompson will join his sister, Chandler, and stepbrother, John, at NC State, following in the footsteps of their father, David (’84).

“I just couldn’t see myself going anywhere else – I’ve been all about State my entire life,” said Thompson, who – like his sister – will study economics in NC State’s Poole College of Management.

“There are so many things they are doing to improve the program, and Chandler told me she’s jealous that I’ll be able to reap the benefits of the Poole family’s generous gift,” he said with a laugh. “It’s a great opportunity for me – as far as economics goes, I can get as solid an education here at NC State as I could at any of the Ivy League schools.

“NC State is where I want to be, and I know it’s going to give me just as many opportunities to succeed in the real world as a Harvard or Yale would.”

Thompson, who ranks in the top 3% of his graduating class at SGHS, recently took an informal tour of campus with his sister, but continues to hear from members of his new university family as well.

“I’ve gotten emails welcoming me to the Poole College of Management, and I’ve gotten invitations to both the University Honors Program and University Scholars Program, so it’s been interesting to learn about the differences in those two programs,” he said.

On the social side of things, Thompson, a lifelong NC State fan, said he’s looking forward to next semester, when he’ll attend his first football game as an official member of the university’s student body.

“My family has had season tickets my whole life and I’ve been to a countless number of games over the years, but I’ve never sat in the student section,” he said. “I can’t wait – it’s going to be such an intense experience.”

Growing up in the Wolfpack family helped make Thompson’s choice an easy one, but it’s a decision that even those with no previous ties to NC State can feel comfortable making, he said.

“It’s a big school, but there’s something for everybody,” he said. “There are so many different programs to get involved in and so many different things to do, from athletics to student government.

“Your NC State experience will evolve into whatever you want it to be,” Thompson said. “I want to make sure I make the most of my time here, and that I don’t waste a single minute of it.”