Truman State University Top Questions

Going to Truman State University was one of the best decisions of my life. Every individuals that comes to Truman is driven by scholarly ambitions and a love for learning. The student body consists a wide variety of personalities that are mixed together in Kirksville, MO. To put it simpyl, we are a melting pot of uniqueness. Everyone here knows how to embrace their "nerdy" side. I mean 'nerdy' in the best way possible. Every person at Truman is deeply passionate about something. It may be something as simple as Humans vs. Zombies and it may be as complex as microbiology. Whatever it is, everyone is driven by something they love. I am glad to call myself a Bulldog because I know that every last person I meet at Truman is going to have an amazing impact on the world.

I'll admit it, I have thought about transferring to an easier college, because the professors here at Truman do make you work quite hard for your classes. But I love the atmosphere here. I love the people, and I love that my professors actually care about me as a person and know my name. I love that I am challenged every day - even if it means losing some sleep or passing on an opportunity to hang out with friends. I don't want to be anywhere else. Truman has so much to offer me, which would be very difficult to find at another university without the low cost, proximity to home, and academic expectations. It may be hard, but I still have time to be involved in campus organizations and have an awesome group of friends here. Truman is right in the middle of the city of Kirksville, which really is a decent town. For being on the small side, K-Ville has a lot to offer; it just depends on what you are looking for. The Square (the heart of downtown) is just two blocks north of Truman's campus, which is really nice for going to the coffee shop, retail stores, restaurants, or movie theater.

Truman isn't the smallest school ever, but at around 5000 students in attendance it isn't impossible to get yourself lost in the croud some days. I must admit, it is the perfect location for myself, since it is about 6+ hours away form (Chiacgo) home. Close enough that I could get home, but far enough away that I don't really feel the need. My parents feel exactly the same way; as such, I get more freedom attending University than anywhere else. The down-side to having such a (not large?) population in the middle of no-where results in a town that is sub-par for those growing up in suburbia, let alone Chicago Proper. Many of my friends have spent A summer there, and will never do so again; citing the total lack of ANYTHING to do between May and July. Apart from those faults, it is my second home - while I disagree with many things that the Residential Living Department(herafter 'res-life'), I can't help but note how at home I feel given the number of people that I have met there. From the sorting done in the dorms for incoming freshman to the amount that SA's acctually give a damn about you even after you've left is more than a little heart-felt kindess. Connection to the school itself (outside of academics) is lacking, as unless you put alot of work into school pride activites you wont get much of anything back; yet due to the volume of people that you learn to care about at university, and how compact the town is, it is hard to leave each summer. Every school has its quirks; that is a big part of defining that college/university. Being so remote, and with so much of its population coming from St. Louis, or another city, everyone make thier own fun. I may be bias, but I have spent little time with the Greek community, and yet I'm never board. This is due moslty to the creativity of students throughout, and the willingness of the Faculty to sponsor student run orginizations. I have only spent time with about 30-odd groups, but everyone brings something to the table. Especially the zombies. Starting last fall, there are over a hundred Truman student that proudly participate in Humans vs. Zombies; a week+ long game of tag that involves reverting yourself into a 5 year old with a nerf gun, running around campus, forming coalitions, and hoping your newly tagged room-mate won't grab you on your way to class. Not that many people participate in activities such as this; generally only 100-200 can find the time. Yet, this and other experiences like it make my university, Truman State, a home all its own.

The size of the school is good, however I would expect that a smaller college would be able to run itself more effeciently that a larger, more unweildy, institution. Truman manages to prove this assumption wrong at every opprotunity that presents itself with the uncompromising ineptitude that is now leading the administration and the astounding beuracracy that pervades every level of this university's offices. I spend most of my time in the music building and often claim that it owns my soul. Kirksville is not a college town. It is almost entirely devoid of anything to do. There is no "most frequent student complaint" because the students are generally clammoring for all sorts of changes that the administration needs to make at a pretty equal and deafening rate, yet the adminstration does nothing to heed the cry of the students.

Truman is just the right size for me, not over whelming like MU was, or too small to do anything like many community colleges. Having lived in kirksville my whole life, I know that it's not the most entertaining place on the planet, but if you know how to make your own fun it can be great. I love having the small town atmosphere and not worrying too much about walking to or from anywhere on campus or across town, even at night.

Truman is just the right size. Everyday on campus you see someone you know. And yet, in my senior year, I am still meeting new people all the time. Kirksville is small (especially coming from St. Louis) and life is a bit slow here, but there's nothing wrong with slowing down for a few years and enjoying your time in college. The library is gorgeous and is really a wonderful place to study. People at TSU go to the library for one of three reasons: to get work done, to socialize, or to attempt to do both. The thing that drew me to Truman and still amazes me about it is how normal the student body is. We've all come from different backgrounds. Everyone is smart in their own way and everyone brings something original to the table. Truman is full of Type A personalities, but Type A's that know how to work hard AND play hard.

Truman is found in Kirksville, Missouri, which is known mostly for Truman. It's a tiny, quaint town that is nice to go to school in but most agree they wouldn't want to live there forever. The majority of the school year the students are buried in snow, but during the most inconvenient times better weather does come. Move-in week in August is always scorching and during the last few weeks of school, when all we do is study for our finals, all the spring flowers bloom and the weather is beautiful.

Truman is a great campus...well, at least I feel that way. Most of the buildings are new or are under renovation, which means the facilities are well equipped. This, as well as a student body in the 5k-6k range creates a fairly easy campus to navigate, make friends, and enjoy yourself while you are in college. The biggest complaint from most people tends to be the town of Kirksville. The majority of students are originally from the St. Louis or Kansas City area. The transition from the city to the small town environment is a little bit of a culture shock for some (that is, until they discover Wal-Mart has everything you will ever need.)

My school is just right for someone that wants a smaller class where the teachers are more likely to know your name and use it on a daily or class basis. Truman is difficult yes, but the most important thing is get help if you need it right off the bat don't wait and don't think that you can do it on your own. There is not much school pride since the sports and athletics are not the best. We are more dedicated to our academic careers.

Truman is the perfect size- not too big, not too small. The campus is beautiful. Something that Truman lacks is school spirit.

The Community is the best thing about Truman, the people are amazing and very friendly. I'd change the location (Kirksville is a pretty small town) and the diversity; we definately need more diversity. There is a decent amount of school pride, most of the students aren't from around here so don't really support Kirksville teams or anything. The easiest place to find students is at Pagliai's the pizza place.

I absolutely loved Truman. I'll admit there were times when I just wanted to get out and go to a different school, but in the end, I wouldn't trade my experience for the world. It's the perfect size school. You can walk around campus and you'll know about half the people you see. It's not so small that everyone knows everything about everyone else, but it's small enough to get to know a lot of people and not feel overwhelmed. My favorite place on campus would be the sunken gardens. The Echo spot is pretty cool too.

The best thing about Truman is its campus- it's beautiful and the basic reason I came here. Also, I love some of the amazing conversations I've had with faculty & students. If I could change one thing, it would be the location (We are in the middle of no where!). The student body is a perfect fit for students looking for a college that is not too large or small. When I am on campus, I am mostly at the in classes, the library, or the quad if it is a beautiful day. I am not quite sure what to say about Truman's administration. Unfortunately, it is a topic I do not dive into and have no desire to do so. There are always minor controversies on campus; faculty, students, and residents with opposing views. I cannot remember the largest, most recent controversy. I would say many TSU students have pride they were accepted to Truman, but as far as school pride is concerned, Truman is *nothing* compared to Mizzou. If you're looking for a place with school pride, you should direct your college search elsewhere. Many TSU students complain about parking, the fact we have to work for our scholarships (ridiculous, right?), and the fact that by the end of your fourth year at Truman, you are ready to get out of Kirksville and never return.

the one thing that i absolutely hate about truman is that when a person walks by and you ask who they are, people tell you, "oh thats --insert name--, he/she is a --insert fraternity/sorority--" and i hate that if you aren't in a fraternity or sorority there really isn't any parties that you can go to. there is way too much importance placed on joining a fraternity or sorority. from when i talk to other people from other schools fraternities or sororities aren't that big of a deal.

I love it at Truman - it's small enough that you can walk across campus and see at least three people you know, it has that close-knit type of feel. People are impressed that I go to Truman- it has a good name attached to it. On campus, I spend most of my time in my dorm room doing homework. Truman doesn't really have a lot of school pride- we are too busy doing homework to care.

The school feels like its own little community. You know everyone and recognize everyone else. Kirksville is an ok town and we don't really fight with the townies on anything. The students don't really fight about much of anything, but when Ward Connerly came by it caused quite the ruckus. There isn't a lot of sports interest, but we all care about the school itself and where its academics are going.

Truman is awesome and its the perfect size. It is big enought that you meet somebody new everyday, but also small enough to pass a couple friends on the sidewalk each time walking to class. Its exciting and comfortable. Kirksville isn't exactly a college town, but it has many uinique treasures such as the train bridge, the Square, resturants and of course, Thousand Hills. You can find your own fun in Kirksville and I like that. At Truman, most students identify more with their extracurriculars rather than have school Pride in Truman. The university is trying to improve this, but in my opinion, school pride is linked closely to athletics, and while our swim and volleyball teams are awesome, revenue-producing football is lacking at Truman. Most students have not attended any football games while at Truman. Currently, there is debate about whethere to make games wet events in hopes to increase attendance. Alcohol is a pretty big part of college life at Truman like at any school, but I believe that Truman students are more responsible, especially when it comes to drinking and driving. Since off campus houses are all close together, it is very easy to walk from place to place in Kirksville.

I think there is a lot to be proud of about Truman. In general, we have pretty attentive faculty, especially for a state school. We boast so many campus organizations that it's shameful not to be involved. I've had great experiences with the Rec center, the Career center, the Fine Arts, the ResLife. Sure, we may not have great athletics teams, but I'd still like to see more school spirit and school pride on campus.

i will use the prompt....I like Truman because it is affordable, yet it has an accredited name. Truman offers smaller class sizes which is nice for learning. I like the size of the campus because it isn't overwhelming but still makes you feel like it is notable. When you tell most adults that you go to Truman they seem impressed however many others are fairly clueless as to where it is located and the university in general; which can be disheartening. Most of my time is spent at the dorms. Kirksville doesn't offer a lot in the town, so you are left creating your own fun. There are a decent amount of parties every weekend though. I admire some of Trumans administration. Some of the teachers you will find will be amazing and some less than par. At times I am curious how some select few even became teachers. To be fair, many care about you and how you do in their class. On the whole I think everyone if genuinely nice; but you will run into those unpleasant staff members. Sadly, I have not seen too much school pride. The LSP program at Truman is fairly unusual. One of the experiences I will always remember would be Truman Week, it is absolutely amazing! The most frequent complaints would be: 1)the health center is a waste of money and doesn't do anything, 2)sodexho food is bad, 3) the coursework is sometimes too challenging for the course number, and 4) credits can be hard to transfer in. What is amazing about Truman is their awesome recreational center though.

Its a well sized school and tachers are helpful. The town sucks and the people who live there are giant pieces of white trash

The best thing about Truman is the fact that it is academically challenging, but not ridiculously so. I had no trouble making mostly As and a few Bs while still having time for fun and extracurriculars. If I could change one thing about Truman, I would renovate all of the academic and residence buildings. The administration currently is doing just that, so it's important for students to be patient about it! As far as school pride, Truman doesn't have a lot because our athletic teams are Div. II, and we rarely win much of anything except in women's swimming and women's volleyball. The football games are a lot of fun to attend, though, and there are several renovations going on to our stadium including brand-new lighting and field turf coming soon!

Truman is home. When I walk across the quad and duck as a frisbee almost hits me, I feel at home. When I open up the "Index" on Thursday mornings and read that Truman has won yet another swimming championship, I feel at home. When I sit a boiling hot or freezing cold classroom in McClain, I feel at home. When I sneak Taco Bell into the library, I feel at home. When I watch friends perform in theater productions in Ophila Parrish I feel at home. Truman is home to me in so many ways. Yes, there are buildings and policies that have room from improvement but thats part of its charm. Small things, like the face of Missouri Hall, may change but overall the heart of Truman stays the same.

Truman is a great place to get a great education. It is in a really small town, so you have to be creative to have fun. You cannot get by being a lame person and pretending to be cool by going to clubs or bars all the time. You have to bond with other students and create your own fun.

You are definitely not a number at Truman. My advisor knows my name whn running into to eachother off campus. Many of my teachers will say hello and some stop to chat when seen on campus. I've also met staff taht will talk to you if waiting in line at the store. Truman is small enough that we can enjoy the classes and the familiarity but big enough that there are so many options for one to fill their time with. You have to try not to be invovled. Most time on campus is spent either with friends or studying. Basic fact about Truman...you have to study hard. Academia is great, but I wish the school was more supportive of its athletics. Besides football, volleyball, and basketball I've havent seen much attendance to athletic events.

I really like that Truman seems small, but in actuality is pretty large. You can walk across campus in 10 minutes and none of my classes are very big, but on the other hand there's 6000 undergrads-that's a lot! I don't think people know of Truman. If I say I go there, usually they ask where that is, and then they say they've never heard of Kirksville. I think then they assume it's some podunk college. However, if they have heard of Truman, they're impressed (usually because a relative or a friend goes there). It's DEFINITELY a college town. There is no doubt about that. Kirksville is dead when school is out. Businesses reduce their hours, etc. I think some of the locals have attitudes with Truman students, because they assume we're all brats who order them around and think we're better than them, but that's really not the case. Everyone I know is always polite to people-no matter who they are. I think there is a lot of school pride, it just isn't as overt as at some other colleges. Our sports teams, for the most part (there are exceptions), don't do so well. I don't think anyone can say they came here for the athletics. There's an interesting dynamic here. There's hardcore KU fans, and hardcore MU fans, and various other colleges-people have a lot of pride in colleges other than Truman. But when it all comes down to it, we all chose Truman not because of sports, but because we know we're getting a good education. Perhaps a better education here than at those state schools. And that's where our pride comes in.

The big picture is that you want college to make you stand out of the crowd when you go to get a career. While it's important to have fun, you don't want to blow these years by being drunk and skipping class. College is where we go to become adults, not to experience the "best years of our lives." Most of my time up here is spent in class, doing homework, working and hanging out with friends. I think Truman's administration is fine, but keep in find every administration is committed to making as much money as they can. Missouri is currently ranked 47th in the nation for state funding of education, so the universities are scrambling to cover costs. Truman definitely wants your money and will say and do almost anything to get it. They will not lower their standards for admission though. Their reputation is everything. Not a lot of school pride. There are the dedicated few who are hardcore, but this school is about academics, not so much sports. Biggest student complaints: -Losing scholarships -Crappy Parking -It's hard -Small, boring town

The best thing about Truman is the size. It is big enough that its not like high school and classes are around 20 to 30 people. But its also small enough that you will see at least 5 people you know on your way to class in the morning. When people find out that I go to Truman they never know where it is. So i have to explain to them that its basically in the middle of nowhere. Or people say, "oh you go to Truman. Do you know so and so?" I know its a big school but no I don't know everyone on campus. The town of kirksville definitely survives because its a college town. The biggest controversy on campus is the security of the dorms. One of the dorms actually had a couple crime incidents this year including theft and a sexual intruder. There is not a whole lot of school pride on the athletic side. No one really goes to sporting events. But I do feel that 90{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of students at Truman love it there. One experience that i will always remember was when brother Jed came to campus. There was a big riot on the quad. Even though he was bashing students and making outrageous comments, everyone stuck together and banned against him. It really showed that no matter if you know/like the other person or not, you share a bond with these people just because you both have experienced the truman as a community.

the school is not too small. there are too many people to know all of them, so i have found a great group of friends, and i know no one who has not done so. the town is so small, you have to make your own fun. the best part of the campus is its proximity to thousand hills state park.

I absolutely love Truman. Because the student body is so diverse and intellectual everyone seems to be open to almost anything. Nothing seems too controversial to talk about. Especially in class since the sizes are so small we get to have in depth meaningful conversations with our teachers and eachother that matter, and help our education continue. Kirksville is definitely a college town. There isn't much to Kirksville however I love it because (having lived in saint louis all my life) I like being able to walk a few minutes down the road and seeing a lot of the main stores in town. One complaint that I hear from students is that Truman's expectations are too high. I know I often feel that if I put the same work and effort into another school (like mizzou) I would have an A. Basically it is agreed among most students that whatever letter grade you have here is one higher than that in reality.

Well the administration kinda sucks because they are completely against the Greek System. When Brother Jed comes to campus and tells us were all going to hell because we fornicate it's pretty funny.

There is nothing spectacular about Truman in general. Hate to say that to ya'll that are considering going, but it is not that great of a University.

Truman is very small in a small town. This creates a close-knit environment where you know a large percentage of the campus. The environment is conducive to studying but also having fun. It is very safe. People generally don't steal things and there is a general respect towards people and things on campus.

The thing i like the most about truman is its size. the campus isnt that big so walking is very convenient! the town is small but it definitely is a college town! the square has the handful of bars, there are frat houses scattered all over, and the large amount of apartment complexes that just give off the college town feel! when i tell people i go to truman i usually get ' wow thats a good school' and it is! it makes me feel proud to go to truman!

Truman is a great small school. I like that, but it isn't for everybody. The thing about it is you have to get involved and find a group of people to do things with. One aspect that isn't the greatest all of the time is the amount of the campus that is involved in the Greek life. While if you are involved i'm sure its amazing, it isn't really my thing, so sometimes it seems like i'm a little exiled. I solved this and found some friends that didn't do the Greek thing either and it got better, but sometimes it seems like Greek can take over campus. I find that I very rarely leave campus unless to go to the movie theater. Of course, there isn't much else to the town than the movie theater, Paglia's (sp), and Walmart. It is crazy how much of the town is also involved in the Truman stuff, its a huge part of the town and the town seems to love Truman for it.

The size is just right, the small campus makes it so easy to get around. Most people are from Missouri, Iowa, or Illinois, but every year it gets more diverse (I'm from Wisconsin!). Although about 6,000 students attend, it seems smaller than that (sometimes it's a good thing, sometimes it's a bad thing). Our sports teams don't always win, but I love cheering for them and getting to know the athletes because they all have to be smart enough to get into Truman, too.

school size is good, but they need to work on not oppressing the students ability to drink and have fun, the number of MIPs and such discourage visitors from coming to the school and force people to leave the school due to added financial burden

Best thing about Truman is the ability to talk to professors. I'd definitly change the registrar office, they suck. Truman is the kind of school in which you won't meet all the student in the 4 years you are there but you will always see someone you know on the way to class. Many people think that Truman is boring and for really smart kids, if they have even heard of it... There are a ton of cultural events on campus; plays, concerts and the like. Not a lot to do outside of the bars and Wal-Mart. The administration is ok. Admissions has their stuff together, but others can be horrible... Most recent controversy was registration for class. Not a lot of school pride. The advising system is really weird, random professors in you division or school will be your advisor. No school pride... Most frequent complaint: parking!

If I could change one thing about Truman, I'd transplant it to a larger city. Truman is a small school with a beautiful campus. The class sizes are small, and the professors are readily available for support. Our language lab and tutoring program really help you learn when you're trying to fulfill your foreign language requirement. Also the writing center is an extremely helpful resource. You can go there to have someone help revise your papers or just get you started when you're suffering from writer's block. We also have a fantastic rec center that was recently built. It's open from 7am to 11pm most days, so you can work out whenever. And of course, membership is free. Unfortunately, Truman is in Kirksville, MO. It's a small town, and it's nice that you can walk to the square from campus. The problem is there's not really much in the square. It's difficult to find a job if you don't know someone who'll put in a good word for you.

Most people in the suburbs of Chicago have not heard of Truman, so there is a confused look that passes over their face when they realize it is in Missouri. The majority of English teachers at the school are foreign!! I had one from England, and another from India. How does that make sense in an English class? The football games are not very popular and unless you are Greek the guys will not have that much fun on the weekends. Girls can get into all greek parties after midnight and if it is fall rush, so can the guys. However the activities on campus are fun and there is a lot to do despite the fact that the surrounding area is definately a college town.