The University of Montana Top Questions

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

Danielle

I wish I had more direction before I came here. There are a lot of helpful resources that would have come in handy towards fulfilling my education, and path to grad school, had I known about them sooner. I have an amazing advisor now, but did not when I was a Freshman. Knowing a staff member is key in finding your direction, and ultimately your success. Never be afraid of your professors, they are there to help you.

Tristin

I wish I would have known that college is completely about yourself. If you don't like who your roommate is then change it, because you need to be comfortable and enjoying the first year by yourself. Also, that the classes you take you get to choose so if you end up not liking it in the first few days, transfer into a new class. The University offeres so many different classes for generals that freshman are usually taking.

Charis

I wish I would have been propared for the artistic and diversity focus. This school is focused on promoting diversity over all else, and almost distracted me from my learning at first.

Claire

I wish I would have known that teachers are welling to help you even in a large class. If you go in when they have office hours they are always willing to sit down with you and help you understand the class better.

Andrea

I wish I had known how to search for scholorships and obtain more help with financial aid. I wish I had known that it is harder to connect as a commuting student than if I had stayed on campus.

Jessica

Before I came to the University I wish I had known how to manage my time better. It was often very overwhelming to think about how much homework and studying I had to do for each class. I wish I had known to schedule time to work on homework and to focus on one assignment or class untill I finished all of the work for that class. Once I learned to do these things it kept me from getting too stressed out and helped me get my work done on time and often well before the due date.

Kelley

I wish I would've known how liberal this campus actually was. I always heard rumors about it, but somethings that are aloud to go on here are just mind blowing and I don't agree with them.

Emily

Opportunities within the theater program are not handed out, one must work hard and engage oneself in order to achieve personal success and fulfillment.

Na'Shea

The only thing I wish I would have known before attending the Uinversity of Montana would be the very cold climate in the Missoula area. Even though I was born and raised in eastern Montana, Missoula County is quite a bit cooler year round. Other than that, there were no surprises at the university.

Julie

When I enrolled in The University of Montana, there was a lot of confusion about how to get registered for classes. Advisors were helpful, but sometimes you couldn't register for essential classes as a freshman. Since then, UM has been working on their orientation program to assist with these issues, and it seems to be working better. I would also have liked to see more professional advising available and advertised, so that I didn't feel like I had to rely on my professors for career counseling.

Desiree

I wish I would have known I would get tired of Missoula after living only a half hour away all my life and then being here 24/7 going to school. I chose this school because I had an in-state scholarship and UM is, in my opinion, the best in-state school. The only problem is my highschool is only a few blocks away and home is just far enough away that living at home isn't practical. Missoula is a great college town but I've realized I was hoping for a bigger change comming to college.

Amy

I wished I would've known that living with a roomate is harder than it sounds. People tell you, but I never listened. I thought, it couldn't be harder than living with my brothers. However, it may not be harder, but it is different. Your roomate isn't family. And conflicts will surface. The best advice I can give: be honest and open. If you choose not to, then problems will keep rising. Just remember that everyone has their own way to live and with honesty, two people can live together and be civil at the same time.

Sarah

I wish I would have done some more research into the programs that are available to me at this University. Undeclared, I didn't put much effort into looking at potential majors. I'm now finding that not only does this University lack a pre-med option, but also it doesn't really offer many classes in genetics which has been the greatest interest of mine. Having known my fascination with health sciences when I applied, I should have focused on schools with those programs so that I could get a better base to plan my future from.

Brooke

I would have liked to have known that the meal plans for students living on campus was required. I personally would like to live on campus without a meal plan, that way I can save that money that went toward my meal plan and buy my own food. Also, I did not know that we needed 39 upper division credits to be able to graduate. My major only requires 25 upper credits to graduate but now I have to take 14 extra classes for no reason but to graduate.

Amy

I wish that I had decided what I would major in so that I hadn't wasted time on classes that I did not need.

Sarah

I wish I had known a little more about financial aide. It can be very stressful and nerve wracking when you don't know exactly what to expect. It gets easier with time, and for the most part, there is less paperwork each year that you have to fill out.

Erika

Since I originally attended school in Washington then transferred back to Montana, I wish I had known how diverse and unique the students and faculty were here. I already knew that it was a beautiful campus and state, and the people are what make it truly an amazing place to attend. The students range from the talented musicians to the successful football team to the cowboys and we all come together with amazing school spirit, especially when it comes to Montana Football.

Audra

There was not a single thing I wanted to know. I had seen and learned all I needed to off of the website, and the rest I wanted to be an experience. I already knew the University of Montana was the college for me, and I take life as it comes.

Caroline

I wish I had known how important it is to get involved. Joining clubs and volunteering can open so many doors for a student. You’ll meet lots of people from diverse backgrounds who share your interests. You will gain experiences that teach you so much more than any class could, not to mention they look great on resumes and applications. Most importantly, extra-curricular activities give you a chance to express your creativity, cultivate your interests, get to know yourself better, and perhaps even make a difference in the world.

Carol

I have lived in the area over 30 years and my son attends the school so I knew what a great school it is and I would have not picked any other school to attend.

Moses

I wish I knew all the different activites that go on out of shool. All the different fishing, hunting, sking and out door activites that are put together by students.

Emily

The scholarships/financial aid, quite simply, is terrible. I wish I would have chosen schools who would give me more scholarship/grant opportunities.

Tera

I wish I had known my major before I came to school. My major was 'undecided' for my first semester of college. I was able to start off with mostly general education requirements. However, had I known my major I may have been able to get a head start of the classes I needed to work towards my degree. Now, I am slightly behind towards getting the credits I need in order to graduate. But I am prepared to work hard and try to complete my Medical Technology degree in order to begin a year-long internship.

Christina

I wish that i would have known more about the academic and career help that is offered.

Robin

That there is a lot of smoking around campus, but our school is trying to clean that act up.

Taylor

Before coming to the university, I wish I would have known about the clubs that the school offers. After moving to the campus, I was not very involved in the school or in the community. However, after some initial research on the university website I was able to find my desired club. If I had been more keen on the clubs that are offered, I could have met more people and been more involved in community service and school projects.

Cora

I wish I had known that I would have to study harder than I did in high school because I did not study very much my first year of college and learned the hard way that studying is important. I now study every day for at least two to three hours.

Kaitlin

It would have been beneficial to know that the weather in Missoula is quite unpredictable. Some days it is snowy and far below zero, others it is warm and dry. This fall, it was -10 degrees Fahrenheit during the homecoming parade, but now it is January and it is a balmy 32 degrees outside. It rains occasionally, snows during the winter, and is sometimes too sunny to walk outside without sunglasses. While it is inadvisable to take trip in Missoula without layering or putting a jacket in the backseat, it is undeniably gorgeous.

Alyssa

I wish I had known about the people I would meet coming to school. I have met the most knowledgable professors and teachers' assistants, and I couldn't ask for a better teaching staff. I wish I would have known more about the diversity of classes offered to me. There are so many classes I did not know were available to me and knowing that now makes the university much more appealing.

Amy

Before I came to the University of Montana, I wish that I was more aware of the scholarships they offered. I did apply for a few scholarships before I entered college, but it wasn't until I was midway through school when I became aware of the wide variety of scholarships offered there. Financial aid for college has always been a crucial issue to most incoming freshmen. Perhaps if there were easier, more user-friendly ways to look and apply for scholarships, more people could attend college without a significant financial burden.

Katherine

The general consensus seems to be that the University of Montana as a whole is accepting of all: all religions, opinions, genders/sexual orientations, etc. However, I have found that politically, the scales are tipped far to the left. This is hardly unusual for a liberal arts school, but it was not something I had considered before coming here. Now that I am older, I have developed my political opinions more fully, and discovered that I am clearly in the minority at my school. I accept this fully, yet I would have liked to know what I was in for.

Jessica

I wish I would have known how to snowboard, most of the students here love to go skiing and snowboarding. :)

Christina

Exactly what major i would want for sure, so i could finish in less time.

Amanda

Nothing. I love everything about this school, I have not had any problems adjusting or any misconceptions about it.

Antara

I wish I had known about out of state tuition.

Stephanie

how much fun i would have

Lauren

very very liberal campus. Many "hippies", but still love it! Have sort of turned to that lifestyle myself :D

Dora

I really can't think of anything. I grew up visiting it and knew pretty much all I needed to.

Katherine

Not sure.

Jonathan

That it was going to take me 4 years to graduate instead of the 2 that I had planned on when I transferred from community college.

Sadie

I wish I would have had better study habits.

Lucas

I wish I would have known I have to work my way through college.

Brittany

I wish I had known what I wanted to major in before I came to this school.

Jennifer

nothing

Jeri

That greek life nationally is much different from the close community you find at the University of Montana.

Christina

I wish I had known that 15 credits per semester is way too tough and only to take 12 (full time status).