University of Missouri-Columbia Top Questions

I feel like the best quality of Mizzou is that while its large, atleast for me it doesnt feel that way. The city of Columbia is definitely dependent on Mizzou along with the other close colleges- I spend some time in the library on campus or Brady depends.... Theres a fair amount of school pride, but a real big controversy kinda having to do with that are the legal woes of the basketball team

1. The campus is beautiful, we're Big 12, and the size is just right. 2. More parking and cheaper meters. 3. Just right 4. They either say, Go Tigers, or Go KU...then you know. 5. Classes, Memorial Union, Speaker Circle, and the Library. 6. VERY college town 7. They are the computer system... 8. Crime rates seem too high 9. There is a ton of school pride...GO TIGERS!! You can't walk from one class to another and not see Mizzou insignia everywhere! 10. All the secrets of Jesse (Did you know they raised bats at one point in the dome of Jesse?) 11. The treasure hunt through the Veritas group, and winning Big 12 North!! 12. Parking, security, and class availability

Best thing about Mizzou: it is exactly what I always thought that my college experience would be like, there are so many people to meet and so many different things to do. The campus is right next to a cute downtown so it is fun and easy to be living away from home. One thing that I would change: I know that I can't, but I would change the weather, it doesn't get super cold very often, but when it does it can be hard to want to walk to class. Is my school too large, too small, or just right?: When I was choosing a school it came down to Mizzou and a much smaller university in Indiana, and I wanted a larger school because there is so much to get involved in and so many people to meet. How do people react when I tell them I go to Mizzou?: Well, because I'm from Kansas and a majority of my graduating class went to KU or K-State, people don't like that I go to Mizzou just because we are rival schools, but everyone understands going out of state for the journalism school. Where do you spend most of your time on campus?: When I am not in class I am usually at Memorial Union, it's a perfect place for me to study because it is comfortable and of course it has a Starbucks (and you can even EZ charge your drinks and if you don't have EZ charge you can student charge EZ charge!)

The best thing is that there is always things to do, always people around. I love the large school after living in a small town! I love spending time at the rec center, in my room or at the library. There is tons of school pride, especially with the football team doing so well this year! I love it! One experience I will always remember is the Tiger Walk. When freshman get to walk through the columns.

the campus is beautiful Its a little big college town lots of school spirit

Bets thing about Mizzou: there is a small pocket of social justice oriented persons but it provides one with wonderful opportunities to increase their worldview and to change their perspective to be more inclusive of people different from them. If i could change something about Mizzou it would be to change "Excellence" to "Diversity" or "Social Justice" in our statement of values. This place is made for people from the dominant/privileged groups of society as are ALL institutions of higher education in this country. This school is too big for a first generation college student (my experience). If one doesn't know how to navigate a place like this you will get lost unless you're very extraverted and sociable. Otherwise you'll get pushed to the margins and will have no one to reach out to you. I spend most of my time on campus in the library, Memorial Union, and Brady Commons so i can read and eat food ALL DAY...all of the diversity offices are in Brady besides the Gaines/Oldham Black Culture Center. This is only a college town if you don't learn how to step outside that privileged bubble and get into the Columbia community. Mizzou's administration is a bureacracy that doesn't understand the experience of its students. This place is here to make money first and foremost. The most recent controversy on campus was that a queer student got hir's ass kicked for being queer (a hate crime!!). This was not brought to anyone's attention outside the peer social network of the student. There's not a huge amount of school pride. This last Fall semester was unusually high in school spirit because the football team did very well and this contributed to a hypermasculine, very homophobic climate.

Mizzou although it is a large school is very inviting. It's best feature is there are lots of clubs and interest groups to help you make new friends and get to know your fellow class mates. The one thiong I would change about mizzou is that it is not always LGBTQ friendly to students or staff. Myself and my friends have all had experiences of some sort of hate due to heterosexism while at MU. I spend a lot of time in ASRC and my dorm, Hudson. This is a very college oriented town and everyone has a lot of school spirit. The biggest controversy on campus recently was taking away the favorite pre-football game drinking spot of the greek students.

Best thing: the bells and whistles. You are definitely well taken care of at this University. The Bookstore is pretty amazing. I love their perfume selection and mini Clinique counter. One thing I'd change: The legal "barring" age. My freshman year experience would've been that much better. The size is just right for me. I love the big university setting. Very collegiate and the school spirit gives me goosebumps sometimes. I don't go to Mizzou anymore but I would def. visit. People were impressed when I told them I went to Mizzou. Not gonna lie- I felt unique because very few people from my high school and surrounding high schools went there. Where I spent most of my time: my dorm room and my neighbors dorm rooms and class. I rarely missed: got to get my money's worth, right? We designated nights for tv shows, ddr, etc.. We always were together shower parties, talking, drinking, meals etc.. College town, most definitely. Administration: The financial aid office or bursar's office or whatever it's called is pretty ridiculous. I think aliens work there. Or just a bunch of idiots. Make sure you keep up with them if you're on financial aid or they will hunt you down. Everything else I remember to be just fine. Biggest recent controversy: Speaker's Circle. There are always controversy's going down over there. You'll just have to see it to understand it. School pride: oh yeah. Apparently Mizzou invented homecoming. Unusual: the students. I know it's college and you meet "all kinds," but I've met some real morons. Be careful what you say to people unless you are naturally outspoken or something. Memorable experience: Seeing the Wailer's front row at the Blue Note AND getting in for FREE because they thought I was a reporter. Yes, I fooled those suckers. Frequent student complaints: You will hear complaining every day and you will complain no matter what college you go to.

Mizzou is a really great state school. It's got a lot of pride points including a really great Journalism School, Business School, and Political Science program. I go to school here for journalism, so by and large people respect our program for its innovation and overall quality. When I say I go to Mizzou for journalism, there is immediate respect. I've gotten call-backs for internship interviews solely for the line on my resume that says University of Missouri Journalism School. It's a rather large school. That's certainly something you have to be prepared for when you come here. There is a lot of bureaucracy, but they are trying to stream-line it. You will spend a lot of time in front of a computer figuring out your 4-year plan. There aren't a lot of people who have the time to hold you hand and help you figure out your life. A lot of what you do here will be completely self-motivated and you have got to learn the system, otherwise you will be left in the dust. Campus life centers around Brady Commons. There's food and lots of tables, and they're completely redoing it this year so it's going to be bigger and nicer by the time I graduate (2009). It will be an even better place to hang around. If you want to study, then don't go to the library. It's loud and usually crowded unless you find a place in the stacks, and even then it kind of smells. The building is neat though and sometimes you just can't seem to focus in your room. The best place to study, by far, is in the Medical Library at the Med School. Most of the people there are PhD students, so they don't mess around. You won't have to listen to some kid's horrible music because his iPod headphones are cranked up too loud. Mizzou has a huge number of alum, because it's such a big school. Football weekends can be a big mess on campus because there are so many people from out of state coming in just for the game. Tailgating is a well-respected past-time and if you have a big car and/or a bar-be-que pit, you are expected to have a tail gate. Our teams are doing really well this year, football was nationally ranked and basketball is always at least noteworthy, so school pride is at an all time high. Because Mizzou is in a pretty small town, there are no other sports teams (aside from high school) so the town gets behind Mizzou, also. Black and gold is everywhere, and you learn to love it even if you hate sports. It's contagious. The town is also pretty neat. If you like small-ish farm communities, then you'll be fine with most of Columbia. There is a section of downtown that feels very metropolitan and sophisticated. There's an independent movie theatre, lots of coffee shops, and little boutiques. Columbia is a very artsy town, there are at least 5 galleries and plenty of local art displayed along Broadway. The most frequent complaints is certainly about the large and poorly coordinated bureaucracy that runs the school. Your adviser will probably change 4 times, you will be told something different by all 4 people, and Fod-forbid if you double major or have more than one minor, because then you will two or three different advisers all at once who all disagree with one another. Usually you can find the right information on your own, but who has time for that anyway?

When I came to Mizzou, I thought everyone was going to know each other. I was quite wrong though; there are SO many out-of-staters, especially in the journalism school. I've met people who were born in Russia and people who live in Miami and people who live half an hour away from campus. It's really diverse. I was always worried the town would be small and boring, but it's really not. Columbia is amazing; downtown (known as "The District") is home to tons of really unique, locally owned shops, restaurants, galleries, bars, clubs, coffee shops and venues. I was really worried that I'd miss a lot of concerts by living in Columbia, but I've seen so many more. Since I'm right in between STL and KC, it's only and hour-two hours drive to either city to see whoever is playing. Even at that, plenty of bands stop at the Blue Note of Mojo's in Columbia or play the District's outdoor summer series on ninth street. So far I've had two big problems with Mizzou since I've been here. When one of my friends, a PA in one of the dorms on campus, was seriously depressed and cutting herself, it took me weeks to finally get her to go to the free counseling center on campus. When she finally went it in mid-November the center was full until half way through the following semester...unless she thought it was an emergency. Of course she didn't think it was an emergency, went home and considered killing herself. It was an awful time, but thankfully she had people to talk to, one of whom was her boss and residence hall coordinator. The dorms are the best place to find people to talk to; all the PAs and CAs hired and trained to work in the dorms are students going through the same thing and also trained to handle crises like that. Another problem I've had has been with my transcript. Since the university is quite large, there are departments upon departments with plenty of red tape to pass through. When I tried to sign up for my classes this semester, I was locked out of the system because I didn't have a graduation plan. The thing about my major, though, is that I'm pre-journalism right now, which means I'm not in the journalism department, but I can't file a plan with any other department. After calling ALL over campus, I finally talked to my adviser who helped me figure everything out. The thing I'll always remember is one of my very first days on campus. I ran through the columns, a Mizzou tradition upon entering the school, towards Jesse Hall in the mud with probably half of the freshman class. We ran to the other side where alumni handed us the famous Tiger Stripe ice cream. I then walked back to my dorm with a whole bunch of new friends...completely covered in mud. I absolutely cannot wait until I can put on my cap and gown and run away from Jesse Hall through the columns on graduation.