Heather

Middle Tennessee State is a very diverse campus. We are the largest undergraduate university in Tennessee with over 25,000 students each with their own personalities and interests. There is no way to categorize them all. At the same time, you will not get lost in a sea of faces. There are many clubs and groups to join that are associated with your major or other interests outside of the classroom. Most teachers will learn your name, and the class sizes are fairly small for the most part, so although it will seem a little overwhelming at first, you are sure to find your place at MTSU.

The best thing about this school is that despite the extremely large number of students, most of my teachers have learned my name, I am good friends with everyone in my major, and I feel safe on campus because someone I know is always close by.

There are several construction projects going on right now, but they should be wrapping up soon. Otherwise, the campus is beautiful. There are plenty of park-like areas with shade trees and picnic tables to get away for a little while.

Murfreesboro is a big town with small town feel. There is plenty to see and do, and I feel very safe wandering around town by myself or with my friends.

The most frequent student complaints involve homework in some form or another. However, as far as the school itself goes, the only thing I personally find frustrating is the scholarship system. I received the presidential scholarship based on my high school GPA and my ACT scores, both of which I worked hard to obtain. I now have to work 75 hours per semester at the library, doing 5 hours a week. Any hours missed, including those when the library is closed, have to be made up during the week of my final exams. I feel like I am having to earn this scholarship twice.

To end on a positive note, there is plenty of school spirit. My sister is in the Band of Blue, so I go to most of the football games. We have tailgating and pep rallies before every home game, and students get in free with a student ID. There are often people giving away free stuff on campus the week before a home game as well, particularly during homecoming and student appreciation week. There was one semester during my sophomore year that I got 5 free t-shirts in one week!

Our football team has its good years and bad years, but our marching band is always on top of its game. At around 400 members, they are the largest group of cheerleaders you will ever see. They keep the fans and the team pumped up through the entire game. Their energy level never goes down. It's pretty cool to see.

The thing I like most about MTSU, and the reason I decided to go to school here is that my professors treat me like a person. Most of them know my name, particularly within my major and in the honors college. During my first few semesters, before I declared my current major, my favorite classes were in the honors college because it is a very casual and relaxed atmosphere. The classrooms have couches and big chairs that make it feel more like a living room than a classroom, which put everyone, including the professor on a similar level. I noticed that class discussions are much more open in those environments. The professors are also hand-chosen for the honors college, based on student observations and observations from other professors and administrators, so most of them are very good at relaying information and knowing whether the class is understanding them or not.

I am a Communication Disorders major, which involves the fields of audiology and speech-language pathology. A large portion of my curriculum is hands-on experience. There is a clinic on campus where children and adults receive speech therapy from student clinicians. A supervisor approves your lesson plan and therapy techniques, and you do the actual speech therapy on your own.

My major is fairly small, and I spend a lot of time with my professors outside of class. One of my professors is also my academic advisor, and she is also currently helping me with my honors thesis. Another of my professors is my clinic supervisor, and I meet with her and/or contact her several times a week outside of the classroom.

The school's academic requirements are fair, and probably don't differ much from other universities. What I have come to realize is that what you put in to school is what you will get out of it. If you work hard and try to learn your field instead of memorizing for the next test, you will go on to be successful. MTSU has career services that will help you write a resume and get a job. There are math and writing tutors available to anyone who needs help. There is a 24-hour computer lab on campus, as well as several labs for almost all departments all over campus, a well stocked library with over a million books, and free printing open to all students. There really is no excuse not to do well academically here.

We have over 25,000 students at MTSU from every race, religion, and background there is. There is no way to group them all into a single category. No one should feel out of place. Most of my classes include cultural diversity in the curriculum in some form or another. Students are encouraged to respect the views of those around them and are respected in return. There are very few, if any, prejudices against any one group of people.

You have your groups, and other people have their groups. Everyone believes theirs is the most important: that's just human nature. I cannot name a single sorority or fraternity, but I'll bet they don't know what my groups are called either.

I am involved mainly in NSSLHA, which is the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association. We do volunteer activities, go to conferences for our profession, and do fundraiser activities. The advisors for NSSLHA are my teachers, and the officers and members are my classmates, so we're a pretty close group.

I met my closest friends actually taking physical education classes. I took social dance, self-defense, badmitton, and aerobic dance, all of which required a lot of communication between the people in the class, so we got to know each other pretty well.

I am not really big on the party scene. I don't smoke or drink or hang out with people who do. There are plenty of church groups both on and off campus. There are also two malls, three movie theatres, one of which is on campus- $2 a movie, and several stores and restaurants to go to.