The academic side was wonderful.  Great buildings, wonderful approachable professors.  Other than the 101 classes they all knew you by name and encouraged me to achieve.  I still keep in contact with two of my professors 5 years after graduating.  class size is quite small...once you reach your 300 level classes for your major it's about 15 - 1 student to teacher.  The course work was fine, but it was not hard to ace the classes.  I am from Virginia and attended private school, to be brutally honest competing with Mississippi public school kids was easy.  There is an apathy amongst many about doing well in school.  Many of the “society sort” had jobs lined up after graduation no matter their marks.  This attitude all but vanished once I reached the serious junior/senior level classes.

The Greek System is annoying.  Many of them are nice once you get them away from group thought.  I'd say the upperclassmen had dispensed with the bulls*** and it was the “newly” initiated that acted like jerks.  It was not so bad once you made your friends and lived off campus.

The dorm life is terrible.  Once you become a sophomore you will defnately want to live off campus.  The cost of living in Oxford is low in my opinion.

Freshman year was awful but after surviving it I learned to love it.

It's an SEC school, the games are fun, but the athletes get away with near murder, be aware females.  1% is reported of what really goes on.

Lot's of drugs and date rape...shame too...but you only risk that if you follow that crowd.  If you play it smart the campus is real safe.

Too much group thought.  I'm a conservative but would agree that my liberal friends would have a hard time with their viewpoints.  This is changing though.  Anti-outsider mentality is vanishing.  Race relations have improved although blacks and whites self segregate more than in Virginia.  I found racism from both groups but more subtle not overt as was the case 40 years ago.

The Confederate thing is an issue, but I support it's historic display.  Funny is going there changed my mind, learned much about the Civil Rights movement (great school for that subject you might be surprised) and learned that those symbols should ONLY be used appropriately and not waved in someone's face.  I think it's changed greatly though.  Black enrollment increased from 3% - 12% in my four years there.  This is a positive sign of the change.

I'd say if more folks put down the beer occassionaly and picked up a book the place would be all right.  In 10 years I think many of my issues will be resolved.

If you have good principles and can think for yourself...freshman year real hard for this..you'll do fine.  If you fit the model of the Greek system you for one won't get what I'm saying and love it blindly...for others, knowing what to expect ahead of time will help you greatly.