The University of Missouri - Columbia

Date: Mar 01 2008
Major: Criminal (This Major's Salary over time)
You know, it is really funny to read through these comments from people that experience different parts of the university and draw separate conclusions about what it is about.

Columbia is one of the coolest cities/towns I've lived in. The downtown is great on a nice day. People EVERYWHERE just enjoying what there is to be enjoyed. The music scene in Columbia, which is very important to someone like myself, is TOP notch. The city puts on a great roots n' blues festival, and Wilco playing on 9th street in front of the blue note for four hours was a highlight of the early fall this year. The parks system around Columbia is amazing, with Rock Bridge and the Finger Lakes, not to mention countless other parks. Nature is nearly as important to me as good tunes :P. The MKT trail that runs through Columbia is very cool for anyone who likes to get outdoors and get some exercise. Columbia IS a GREAT town. The people of Columbia are diverse and kind and very lively. The city is bumpin' for sure.

The University is big, and most definitely focused around the amount of money they can get and can spend. 400 person lecture halls are NOT the way to learn, and I take very little away from them every time I have one. The small classes, however, are great. I've absorbed a massive amount of information here in my first year and I've thoroughly enjoyed the education I'm receiving.

The single handed thing that ruined everything Columbia and the University have to offer is the Greek system. Fraternities and sororities are lame as balls. I don't care what anyone tells you because I've seen it countless times with my own eyes: they will rob you of your individuality and personal choice. The whole thing is so elitist and negative, and it is all so fake. The greeks will tell you that you will form amazing relationships with the guys in your house blah blah blah, but the fact is that you form those relationships with or without paying money for friends and girls. Their whole mentality and prerogative is stupid, and it perpetuates a snobbish and dick head attitude throughout the whole university.

This is the best piece of advice you can have coming to MU: maintain an open mind about everything that isn't close minded in itself. Meet all different types of people and be kind to everyone you encounter. Go to a lot of music, go to a lot of parks, get out of those shantis that they call dorms as fast as you can :P, and make friendships with the people here that really care about things other than fitting in to a made up social construct that makes absolutely no sense. Stay true to yourself and the people at MU worth knowing will start appearing. There are a lot of douchebags here, but then again there are a lot of douchebags everywhere. Columbia is an awesome town and there are a lot of awesome people to enjoy it with. Peaceeeee!