Montana State University

Date: Oct 29 2013
Major: Economics (This Major's Salary over time)
I really, really tried hard to enjoy it here. But I simply can't.

The only people who truly enjoy being here are those who love the outdoors, and put them far above academics.

As a state school, the majority of students are obviously from in-state. This means most people do not move far from their highschool social groups. People are generally stuck up and difficult to approach. There is a huge lack of respect around campus and in the dorms. Litter is very, very common, and though this is by no means the faculties fault, it is still very tiring to look at. Out of state students are much easier to befriend, but they are quite the rarity.

As far as academics are concerned: they're simply a joke. This entire school runs on a cookie-cutter system. You're given information to digest and regurgitate. There is no room for creativity or independent thought. The majority of professors are not fit to teach their classes - especially in the required seminar classes, where the professors quite literally read from the syllabus throughout the entire semester. Those professor who truly are knowledgeable field are stuck teaching 100 level classes, and are very ignorant, especially in the chemistry department. I have had only one professor this semester who is competent with office hours - but by and large any help you need will have to be in the help centers of campus, or through tutors which you may hire for free. These services are great, in my opinion, although some tutors in the math learning center are literally unable to help with Calc I, and yet they will waste your time pretending they can. Most of the help centers are flooding, and some require appointments far in advance. But once more, your grades are based ENTIRELY on regurgitation of information - and being so distant from your professors results in nearly no chance of empathy.

The town is great - if you're over 21. There are numerous events throughout the year downtown, open to all ages, but they are mostly family events, not something a college student will really enjoy. And, as stated earlier, there is great skiing and other outdoor options. The bar life, however, is apparently very good, and live music can be found somewhere almost every night. I would love to live here, but learning here is a different story.

Student groups on campus are pretty pathetic. There are a few that have a lot of members and are very activity, but anything involving special interests such as politics, are pretty sparce. I've tried getting involved with multiple clubs, and every meeting was composed of ~5 people or less, all who were die-hards for their group and left you no opportunity to advance. However, people who are active on campus do tend to be much friendly, but it still leaves much to be desired if you want to gain leadership skills.

The university does a poor job staying in contact with students. It feels like there is never anything going on, and one must rely on flyers dangling from bathroom stalls if they're looking for something to attend.

If you love to party, you're not in luck. Most of the fraternities are very friendly on campus, but due to recent legal issues, a couple are on probation and people as a whole are starting to avoid them. House parties tend to be better, but get broken up almost instantaneously. The majority of students seem to stick to their rooms with a case of beer, and cause drunken havoc in the dorms.

As a whole, I am not happy here, and my only enjoyment is found when I can take a break from schoolwork and learn something on my own that is actually useful (I spend more time watching free lectures online than I do in my actual lectures). Going to class always seems like a chore and a waste of time, and you are given no credit for having proper concepts on exams: it's all or nothing.

My only enjoyable academic experience has been found in my labs, and I believe I was lucky to be assigned really relaxed TAs - I've heard horror stories from other students in different lab sections.

I was originally a mechanical engineering major, but as my professor said on the first day of class

I'm not going to teach you anything, I'm just gonna introduce you to stuff

, I decided it was a waste of time and switched to Economics, with a minor in computer science. The CS department is not bad - they do try to get you involved in the field from day one, and professors are always pushing students to compete in contests and so forth. As far as economics go, it is heavily agriculture-focuses, and broadly Keynesian in nature, which may or may not be a good thing depending on your political preferences.

Anyway, although this is very unorganized, I repeat: do NOT come here if you are seeking academic fulfillment. The only appealing factor is the cost, and only if you're an in-state student. Otherwise, GO ELSEWHERE.

I am transferring next fall to the University of Wisconsin - Madison.