The University of Missouri - Columbia

Date: May 01 2013
Major: Journalism (This Major's Salary over time)
I'm writing this as I'm about to finish my freshman year, and as much time as I spent on these sites during my college search I figure it's only fitting I write one. I settled on Mizzou half out of exhaustion, and because I didn't get into my number one school - Georgetown. Also, I was directly admitted in the J school - which if you don't know is the best. Even after a year, I would honestly say the j school lives up to the hype. A lot of requirements are built to weed people out and it works. If you don't really have a passion for journalism, you will find out and want to change majors upon entering lower level pre j classes.

However, the rest of my classes have been a joke-specifically general education requirements. For example, I'm horrible at math but I've been my stat class once this semester show up for the tests and have yet to score below an A on one. Gen Ed classes will be big, but I've found professors are reachable if you make the effort. But you have to make the effort! Overall, I really don't think I'd go to Mizzou if I wasnt in the journalism school.

As far as the student body, you'll find a lot of KC, STL kids looking to enjoy another four year extension of high school. It's what you'd expect from a state school. Random weekends a lot of people will just go home for no reason. But if you are out of state you aren't screwed - you will make friends if you put yourself out there. I made a lot of friends in my residence hall. I also rushed and am in a sorority and I met some friends that way, though I wouldn't recommend the greek system for anybody who is looking to enjoy large amounts of free time-greek life will consume a decent chunk of that. As a chick, you don't need to go greek to party greek but as a guy you do. Frat houses are really stingy about letting any guy who isn't in their house into a party. If you want to party away from greek life, make some friends with older friends from KC and STL, make other friends in general, or befriend the athletes. They throw decent parties. I don't have a fake, btw, and I get along just fine, though I have friends who frequent the bars as freshman.

Also, Mizzou in the SEC now. This DOESNT mean were a sports crazed school-were not. Tailgating is fun, and our basketball arena is sweet but coming from Iowa and living around U of I, I'm telling you - Mizzou is NOT a huge sports school. People could care less about the games half the time. In football, people will leave if were getting beat terrible - like the Alabama game where nobody came back after it was rain delayed. In basketball, if we play anyone were supposed to beat expect a less than full stadium. The only game I attended where I felt real, excited crowd energy was during the Florida game, which was nuts! But in general, there is not some crazy tiger spirit power that connect every single person on campus, no matter how hard anybody wants to act like it.