University of Missouri-Columbia Top Questions

In my opinion, Mizzou is an amazing school. I really love everything about it. Some people think it's too big, but really you just have to know how to adapt to it. If your in a class with 350 other people, you have to make yourself known to the professor by either raising your hand and getting involved in the discussion, or going to his office during office hours to introduce yourself. When people ask what school I go to, they are usually impressed when I answer with Mizzou. In Missouri, this is a very prestigious university and it is very well thought of. Another aspect of it's fame is it's dedication to sports. I would say that Mizzou football is more popular in Missouri than the St. Louis Rams. And since St. Louis doesn't have a professional basketball team, the Mizzou basketball team also gets a lot of attention. There is a HUGE, and I mean huge, sense of school pride. I promise you that if you are walking on campus, you will see at least ten people wearing some kind of Mizzou apparel; That is the absolute minimum. Students at this school are so proud to be a part of the Mizzou family. Another thing I really love about Mizzou is how much the administration puts into giving the best to it's students. When you walk around campus, it's really beautiful. There is always some kind of new project going on whether it's renovations or a whole new building. The campus is also within walking distance to downtown Columbia, which is really nice when you want to go out to eat or go shopping. It also adds to the "college town" experience. When you walk around the Mizzou campus, it is so big that you feel like you are walking through a small town and you sometimes forget that you are on campus. The dining facilities are also very impressive. They already have so much variety, but my only suggestion would be even more variety. This is because when you have a dining plan and you have to eat there three times a day, it's so easy to get tired of the food quickly. I really don't hear a lot of complaints about this university unless it's about specific professors or specific classes. Lastly, one thing that I will never forget about Mizzou is the welcome back barbecue. I met some of my best friends here. It was a huge party right in the street in the middle of campus with dancing and food and games and so much more! This is when I really got excited that I was a part of Mizzou and I will NEVER forget this night!

I honestly can't think of anything I'd change about Mizzou, besides the fact that my college education has an expiration date of 4 years. I love it here, I really do. Being from the suburbs of Chicago, I came with absolutely no friends. Throughout my years here I have managed to find not just friend, but a family. I wish I could put into words the way I feel when I walk through the Quad on a Football Friday. The leaves have all changed and the campus is full of life in preparation for the weekend's big game. The electricity in the air is something you can only relate to by experience, and writing about it now makes me smile. Mizzou IS college. This is the place where school spirit and pride live amongst a diverse, yet enthusiastic student population.

I honestly can't think of anything I'd change about Mizzou, besides the fact that my college education has an expiration date of 4 years. I love it here, I really do. Being from the suburbs of Chicago, I came with absolutely no friends. Throughout my years here I have managed to find not just friend, but a family. I wish I could put into words the way I feel when I walk through the Quad on a Football Friday. The leaves have all changed and the campus is full of life in preparation for the weekend's big game. The electricity in the air is something you can only relate to by experience, and writing about it now makes me smile. Mizzou IS college. This is the place where school spirit and pride live amongst a diverse, yet enthusiastic student population.

Mizzou is an incredible institution. There is no single glorifying attribute to the school, but rather several, unique aspects that make it the top choice for many Missouri high school seniors, and students around the world. Firstly, the school is very large. There are over 30,000 students currently enrolled. I love the size; there are always new people to meet and befriend. Many prospective college students worry about the school being too big or too anonymous: Mizzou is not like that. While it is natural to see new people often, it is very easy to make friends within the residence halls, in classes, in study areas, and around campus. People in this region of Missouri are very welcoming. Along with being welcoming, people here are also very proud of the Tigers. This is Tiger Country and no one will let you forget it. School pride is in heavy abundance. Black and gold are flown through every inch of Columbia. Mizzou students, parents, staff and even local Columbia residents are all Tiger fans, and are very proud of it. Columbia is a relatively large town. It is not a city, however. The downtown area consists of several blocks that meld mid-20th century architecture with modern tastes, exhibited through the many unique and beautiful shops along Broadway St. Columbia is definitely a college town; the stores, services, and restaurants are primarily appropriated for college students. The outskirts of the town and the residential areas even cater to college students. I love going to Mizzou. When I tell people I'm a Tiger, they either ask about the Journalism program or reduced football ticket prices. I'm generally more eager to talk about the J-School (even though I do get in incredible discount on football tickets.) Mizzou's Journalism school is the oldest in the world, and is known as being the top Journalism school in the country. Famous for "The Missouri Method," a method of instruction that blends real-world experience with classroom learning, the J-School is very popular. I am actually a journalism student and can say with great pride that I attend Mizzou's J-School, (and love it.) While at the school, I noticed several things the tour guides don't tell you. The first was the food. Several of my other classmates complain that dining hall food at their colleges is horrid. I can't say that for Mizzou. Mizzou's food is incredible. The dining halls provide a vast array of food, including several specialty places, like Sabai (Asian fusion) and Baja (Mexican.) On a strict diet? Mizzou dining halls are stocked with very healthy options, and each one has a full salad bar. Plaza 900 has a soup bar next to the deli. The second thing about Mizzou is the sheer number of student services. On-campus there is a wellness resource center, for weight management, smoking help, mental and emotional aid services and for general sickness. There is also a women's center (not to be confused with the gender studies department), a multicultural center, (not to be confused with the international center, which acclimates international students to college life,) a writing resource center, a financial aid center, and a student success center, which helps students plan for life beyond college. It is very clear that the administration cares about the individual student. The services provided at Mizzou are endless. Another great part of Mizzou life is the recreational complex, nicknamed "MizzouRec," or "the Rec." On an ESPN survey of US college rec centers, Mizzou's was voted #1, and for good reason. It is enormous: dozens of basketball courts, hundreds of square feet of workout space, full of machines, treadmills, bikes, ellipticals, and free weights. There are 3 separate weight-lifting rooms, a cardio room, a rock-climbing wall, a martial arts studio, racquetball courts, volleyball courts, a track (my domain) a dance studio, and fully equipped locker rooms. The rec is for many, Mizzou's crowning achievement. Besides the food, the student aid, and the rec, the thing I love most is in the middle of campus. There is a large stone tower, known as Memorial Union, dedicated to the lost soldiers of WWII that sits nestled between Lowry Mall, Ellis Library and Water Hall. It is beautiful, stunning even. Inside is a Starbucks, a Wheatstone bistro and several dozen meeting rooms. I spend much time there: endless supply of coffee, warm, well-lit study space, towering windows showing off a beautiful view of the tower and a small chapel. It's my favorite place to be on campus. It's not frighteningly quiet like the library, and it has public computers. I love it. The final aspect to life at Mizzou that makes it an incredible school is the scenery. Columbia is beautiful; there are many forests to trek, run and bike through, there are winding country roads for lengthy car rides, there are horse farms for riding. It teems with natural, mid-Western beauty. Mizzou's campus is also incredible. Jesse Hall can be seen from most spots on campus. Lowry Mall is a pathway of old brick in the center of campus, shadowed by glistening Memorial Union. All the buildings are either of white stone, making them look quite majestic, or of red brick, mostly around the Quad, which look classic and stunning. The Reynolds Journalism Institute and the Trulaske College of Business look more modern, but are breathtaking inside. Mizzou may not be the school for everyone, but if anything, the campus can be truly appreciated.

Mizzou is definitely a place that holds many traditions. As a Tiger, we take pride in our development of the first Homecoming. We just celebrated our Centennial Anniversary, and it was one of the coolest experiences! We love our athletic programs and each student develops a bond with the campus, the traditions and the and their peers. As a member of Greek Life, I have really enjoyed participating in activities that take place each semester. We are offered opportunities to be involved with the school's traditions in many ways. We have hands-on experience in Homecoming and we even have our own large-scale event in the spring, Greek Week. There are so many ways to get involved at Mizzou, and everyone finds their niche.

I love Mizzou! Sure, there are a couple things that I don't like so much but that's to be expected. Overall, the University of Missouri is a great school; and I wouldn't change my decision to attend Mizzou for anything. The campus is pretty big but reasonable; I can get just about anywhere I need to go in ten minutes. There is an unlimited amount of things to do; One can, honestly, never get bored. There is an activity for everyone. Heard that before? Well, here it's true. If you somehow manage to not find something you like, you can make your own. Sounds unbelievable, but it happens all the time. The food is absolutely delicious, and you can get it just about anytime you want. Down town Columbia is a ten minute walk from campus, so the fun truly never ends. My favorite part is the school pride. Everywhere you look, it's a sea of black and gold. Game days are a must and everyone gets super excited. Everyone that attends Mizzou loves it.

My overall opinion of my school is that it is an awesome place to attend college. This is because it is a well recognized university and also has a very fun an active student body. The best thing about my school is how we rally around our team. My school's overall morale is much noticeably higher during football and basketball season. The campus becomes lively and upbeat following successful games. Sometimes I wish my school was a little smaller, student body wise, or a little larger physical space wise. I do not have a problem with the number of students that attend my university. The problem is the congestion created by the masses. Issues arise such as, no where to park, too many people at the gym, too many people at the library, crowding ect. When I tell people where I go to school they are usually either impressed or jealous. They always assume I am having a great time there and many people make numerous trips here throughout the school years for visits and sports games. Most of my time spent on campus is in class at the business school. This town is a college town. Over holidays and breaks the town is barren and awkward compared to what it is like when the students are here. One thing I will always remember is when my school's football team beat the number 1 team in the country and the students ran onto the field and took down the goal posts. The most frequent student complaints are about studying for finals and bad nights out at bars.

The best thing about the University of Missouri is that, despite the large volume of students, it feels like we all have something in common. There is so much Mizzou pride, even among students who are not interested in sports, that it just makes the overall mood on campus light and positive. It's fun to live in a college town where most of the local businesses are willing to give discounts to students. When I tell people where I attend school, I never have to do any explaining beyond "I go to Mizzou." From there, people automatically understand that I am getting a well-rounded education at a respectable college that is known for its school spirit. From an administrative standpoint, I think the University of Missouri does a great job of keeping track of its large volume of students. There is a system for everything, and when glitches happen, there is someone there to help you smooth it out. The most common complaints from students come during registration time--classes tend to fill up fairly quickly. However, the advisers are very helpful in helping students obtain a spot in the classes they need to take. To sum it all up, Mizzou is a large school, but it's easy to find a comfortable and familiar niche. Having so many students, mistakes with the administrative systems are bound to happen, but they are easily corrected. Overall, I think the university runs very smoothly.

I absolutely love Mizzou. The campus is beautiful, the professors are very knowledgeable and well educated and the social aspect is unlike anything else. As a student, if there were one thing I could change it would be the cost! But it's literally the price we pay for a great education. Some could argue that Mizzou is too large, since they don't put a cap on enrollment, but I think it is perfect. Students come from all over the world and it's a very diverse group of people that all bring something to the table! Columbia is definitely a college town, with towns of things to do on the weekends and local events that are open to students! One of my favorite things about Mizzou is tradition. We celebrated the 100th homecoming this year and it was absolutely incredible! Once a tiger, always a tiger- the town was packed with alumni of all generations! Another awesome tradition is "7 things to do before you graduate," but you have to be a Tiger before I can tell you what they are!

I was very happy to go to Mizzou, even if I have never been a rah rah super spirit kind of person. If you live in Columbia as a young person, people seem to expect that you’re a Mizzou student, and you almost get preferential treatment in some ways (as long as you don’t drive erratically). On game days, you can’t escape the Black and Gold spirit. I’m not a football fan, but I still went to a few games and had a blast because of the energy of the fans and the great tailgating food. More importantly for me, the school had a lot of diverse classes that matched my interests, and my major allowed me to take classes outside of my focus field. For example, I was a photojournalism major, but I spent a lot of time in the art, french, and sociology departments, taking drawing, french literature, and sociology classes that may or may not have contributed to my major. This is very important because you can take one class that is so interesting to you that it changes what you want to do in the long run, even if it was never part of your declared major. My best experiences at Mizzou were possible because they had programs to travel and study abroad. Through Alternative Spring Break, I was able to travel to Florida for a service project for only $200, doing things I was proud of instead of a typical drunkfest spring break. And I still saw beautiful sights and met beautiful people. Further, the international center is incredible. I organized my study abroad trip in Lyon, France through them, which was probably the best experience of my life. They are so helpful and legitimately concerned for your safety and education. There are programs to many countries, not just the popular Western European ones, and I wish I would have had time and money to study abroad more than once. Many Mizzou students study abroad, and it is because Mizzou as a school puts a lot of value on international relations that their incredible programs are possible.