Michigan State University Top Questions

Is the stereotype of students at your school accurate?

Erin

Sometimes stereotypes are true. Afterall, they do root from some truth. I will admit that Msu Studes do liek to have fun but everyone (at least in my section of MSU) they buckle down when necessary and get their work done. Msu is what you want it to be, if you want to go out and have fun you can but plenty of people stay in and get work done.

Kelsey

To a certain extent. I think that any school is a party school but you just have to have the right balance between partying and getting your work done.

Natalie

no, Reality is that it isnt okay you get nothing but being behind

Lindsey

Definitely not. This campus has become renound for its partying antics and rioting lifestyle back in the early 90's. However, MSU and its students are proud to be apart of this community and we take pride in all of our sporting programs, including enjoying the success of our fellow Big Ten school, the University of Michigan.

Jessie

NO I don't think so. I am an international student from Mumbai, and I could have chosen any other college in the US and still I chose MSU because it is a good college with great faculty and a diverse student body.

Matt

If you're looking for a drinking or partying school, you'll find your fair share of it, but there are plenty of other things to do on any given night. As far as MSU being second rate to UofM, I personally know a number of students who chose MSU after being accepted into UofM for a number of new and upcoming programs, or to be a part of the research programs at State.

Andrew

-no, except the one about cute girls

Heather

we do party a lot, not everyone is a UofM reject, and most of the classes are somewhat challenging so you most definitely have to go to class

Alex

Yes, generally speaking. However, most students graduate in 5 years because the university has such strict requirements in each college. If you switch majors, and especially if you switch colleges within the university, you are likely to need an extra year of school.

Erin

NO!!!!!!!!!!! Michigan State is and Amazing university, with amazing people. and while we were originally a agricultural specializing school, we have broadend our range of expertise.

Aaron

they are exaggerated.

Melissa

Not exactly. Although MSU has a lot of parties, not everyone is a partier.

Robin

Only sometimes. The school does have a lot of partying so there's always some place to go, but there are so many people that theres always a scene you can fit into. The riots are nothing like they were in years past.

Michelle

for some of our campus, yes, but not for everyone

Antonio

Absolutely.

Jesse

No

Cristian

if you want to party, you'll always find one, but if you want to get some work done, you can get a solid degree.

Stephany

MSU is just like any other big university. It's very into its sports, and students like to have fun. However, there is a very educational side to MSU that a lot of people look over. Although MSU students know how to have a good time, they also know when its time to really concentrate and study hard.

Robin

NO, the student population is fantastic and everyone is really nice! Yes, there are a ton of parties, but there are plenty of activities to do if partying is not your thing. Plus, other students, teachers, and ta's are always willing to help at anytime.

Alex

There are many people in the Greek System (and most of them do wear beer shirts, North Faces and leggings), but the majority of students are not part of this system. There have been riots in the recent past at MSU, but again, for the most part, students tend to shy away from getting maced by the police. Almost everyone I know studies to some extent. In fact, the library is always busy and people are often seen reading text books before the class begins.

Ashley

Yes and no, depending who you are and what you like. I think you'll find this no matter where you go. MSU just knows how to have fun and when we party we know how to party.

Dave

Yes. No. Yes. MSU students do know how to have fun. Drinking is a part of that fun. There really isn't much "rioting", it's just parties gone bad due to nervous police. They are for the most part very down-to-earth people. Some can suck, but hey that's life.

Ainsley

None of these stereotypes are accurate in any of my experience. Many students got into both U of M and Michigan State and simply chose to go to MSU. I personally didn't even apply to U of M because I didn't like the campus or the people I talked to from U of M. I am an honors student at MSU and I can say that I am just as smart (quantified by ACT/SAT and AP exam scores) as most of the students at U of M. And yes, MSU has parties. So does every other school. It's college, get used to it. You don't have to party if you don't want to, there are plenty of ways to include yourself in the MSU community.

Carson

Definatley NOT! There are a few bad kids who get into bad things. But in a college that has thousands and thousands of students you can let 300 kids give you your general idea of the whole school. Many people who go to MSU are intelligent, dedicated people who are determined to make something of themselves. Not people who drink and party away their college education.

Andrew

No. Many students do like to go out and party, but you will find a good deal of people that like to do other activities as well on the weekends.

Deb

Absolutely not! Every college in American has its "party set", but I have found that 99{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the students that I have dealt with are very serious about their education and their future. There are some incredible minds there!

Alexis

There is always some truth to stereotypes. Yes, there are hardcore partiers but you will find that on any campus, but there is definitely everything in between.

Ryan

No. We party just the right amount

Jesse

While drinking is a large part of the culture on and off campus, there is way more to life at MSU than partying. Go out and have a good time if you're into that, but it should never get in the way of your studies. There are also many other fun ways to spend time.

Courtney

It depends on the student. Any school could be considered a "party" school to the student that lives it up and doesn't focus on their academics. I know if my homework or studying wasn't done, I didn't party. Academics were always the focus for me and the people I associated with.

Scott

As with most stereotypes, there are bits of truth to every bit. MSU doesn't have as strict of admissions standards as Michigan or some other schools. That being said, MSU is a renowned educational and research institution. A couple of examples: They have the number one communication undergraduate degree program, and contain a cutting edge particle accelerator facility with lots of undergraduate research opportunities. A lot of students at MSU like to party, but that doesnt mean everyone there does it regularly if at all. If you like to party, you can always find one, however, if you are like me and are not interested in that aspect of schoool there are plenty of alcohol free activities that can provide you with four years of a lot of fun.

Elizabeth

No they are not accurate. I didn't even apply to U of M. I would much rather be a Spartan. We are not all farmers, but we are proud of our Agriculture program. It is rare and important to our history.

Laura

from what I have seen, yes.

Stephanie

No: there are parties at MSU, but there are parties at every school No: I did not even apply to U of M, 99.9{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of the people who go to MSU want to be there

Megan

No

Kelsey

NOT at all. If you look at the statistics with the riots on MSU campus... more than 70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of all the arrests are from students that don't even attend here. They come from all over, Central, Eastern, U of M and make our school look bad.

Matt

Not really, MSU has a great party scene but i think it is compariable to any other university of the same size.

michelle

Yes---but not everyone parties...but there's always something going on.

Lindsay

For the most part yes. I haven't met too many down to earth people. Most seem quite stuck up.

Ashley

No. While many students may like to party, not everyone does. Those who do party are usually well-educated and smart anyway.

Casey

MSU does have alot of parties. Most people enjoy having a good time. However, what sets us apart is that we are able to get our work done, make the grades, and then go out and enjoy ourselves. The classes here are difficult, and you definitely need to study.

Jessica

The university is big now and offers lots of different degree programs.

Andy

No Way. Yeah MSU students know how to party, but we also know how to get down to work and produce excellent results with whatever we undertake. As for U of M, that is for every individual to decide on thier own. However, in my case, MSU out shined MSU in every way in terms of the campus, people, communication curriculum, and anything else I could ever think of.

Erin

Although we are known as a party school (because we can get down), we are not a bunch of drunken heathens who skip class and barely graduate. We work hard so we can party hard; we're well rounded people with a little bookworm and partier in all of us. The two most recent "riots" could have been avoided if the police didn't show up in riot gear before anything had happened. Although the news portrays the events in favor of the city and the law, those of us who were there (and sober) remember it all going down quite differently. I'm not saying that there were some stupid kids doing some stupid things, but the vast majority of us were behaving as we usually do when we're out partying. The police showed up in riot gear before anything had happened and began shooting off tear gas just to get people moving. They told us to go back to campus; but what the news failed to tell people is that we tried to go back to campus. The cops had every road/path blocked off and guarded except for the two on either end of campus. So we weren't trying to stay out on the streets, but were left no choice.

Michael

They are smart but unsure about how much they party.

Alex

Not usually, there is a lot of drinking and partying, but not as much as rumors will make you believe.

Emily

If you want to party, you can find a party, but if you don't want to party, you can find people that don't party, too. We are at school for academics, so we do study :). Most of the arrests at Cedar Fest WERE NOT MSU students. There are a good portion of the students at football games who do not make fools out of themselves and are very proud of our school

Allison

Not at all. MSU has shown me that people here have the ability to balance their lives as needed in the real world. Although we do spend much time socializing, we also can balance schoolwork and jobs at the same time- sucessfully. This is unlike many other universities in the state, where schoolwork dominates and students have trouble adjusting to the "real world" of having jobs, families, and a social life. To put it best, we work hard and play hard.

Casey

MSU does have a large campus but it is not difficult to find your way around. MSU students are really helpful and friendly!!

Brittany

It depends on the individual, not the school.