Student Profile
Allison
- Class: Alum
- Major: Other Social Science
- Gender: F
- High School:
- Transfer Student: N
Big Picture
Mizzou is a huge school - every freshman class since I was a freshman has been the largest freshman class ever. You absolutely have to have an outgoing personality or you will not succeed. I would wager that people who dropped out or transferred have done so because they were lost in the crowd. Whether it relates to not being able to make friends or not getting the academic support you need - it has a lot to do with being outgoing. Mizzou is also a 100% college town. Everything revolves around the University and it's sports teams. There is a huge amount of school pride, something that made me attracted to the school in the first place. Now that I've graduated and live back in the Chicago area, I greatly enjoy Alumni Association events. Even 400 miles away, Mizzou fans pack into a bar and cheer on the Tigers.
Academic Life
The classes offered, as far as I've discovered, are pretty much the standard fare for a large state university. There is a huge range of majors and tons and tons of interesting classes. I can't imagine going there without a focus or a defined major, although I did have two different ones. Most general education courses are large lecture hall classes with TA's that run a smaller "lab" group. TA's are hit or miss. I had some that were fantastic and others that were...well...not fantastic. I was able to take two of the most popular classes on campus: Human Sexuality and Jazz, Pop and Rock. I liked Jazz, Pop and Rock, which focused on the evolution of popular music in the 20th century. The professor was amazing - he could have probably taught calculus and I'd show up for it. Human Sexuality, on the other hand, was often ruined by the sophmoric antics of my classmates, although I can't say I did a lot better with the subject matter. Basically, everyone talks up the class like it will change your life or something, but it's not like that at all.
Student Body
Most MU students are from Missouri, followed closely by Illinois and other bordering states. The J-School attracts the most geographically diverse group of students. The majority of the students are white and middle-class. There is also a significant portion of students from rural areas. I used to joke that Mizzou was very diverse - we had all kinds of white people. There are rich white people and poor white people and white people from cities and white people from the country - and well, you get the picture. I'm trying to be funny, but the truth is that the school is not very diverse, and in some circles, not particularly inclusive. There was a pretty big controversy when I was there (2000-2004) about the ratio of white to black students. There were some issues regarding equal representation in various majors, social groups and campus life. On the positive side, there is a Women's Center, an active LGBT group as well as a Black Students' Union and a Black Culture Center on campus. I'm not confident if there have been any significant changes in the diversity on campus since I was a student. Increasing the diversity at the school did not appear to be a priority of the administration at the time. Listen, major state schools like Mizzou reflect the state population they serve. The diversity at the University may very well not be related to any policy or decision of the administration. I think that any minority student considering Mizzou should evaluate seriously whether or not the school is a good fit.
The Best Things
It's a goregous campus with a great spirit
The Worst Things
It's crowded and you won't get any personal attention unless you seek it out.
