University of Missouri-Columbia Top Questions

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

Abigail

I wish that I had known the sacrifices one would have to make to get by on limited finances and other expenses that appear from time to time.

Kristen

When attending the University of Missouri, I had high hopes. When I got accepted into Mizzou, I knocked off all of the schools I was previously interested in because I thought Mizzou would be the easy choice. Now that I have spent a semester here, I wish I would have kept my options open. Coming from St. Louis, I knew a large amount of people attending Mizzou, and I now regret not attending a school where I would have had the opportunity to start from page one. I am looking to attend a school I don't know anyone.

Kourtney

I wish I knew how to manage my money and stop spending it at the Mizzou Store.

Jennifer

There are many events that are happening every night no matter what day it is. The important thing is to make sure that you still have time to get your class work done and be able to study. It is very easy to get distracted and come to realize that it is 2 in the morning and you have yet to study for your midterm that you have the next day. I wish I had known how to deal with distractions and be motivated to study even when there are things that are more fun happening at the same time.

Allyson

Being from the south on the east coast, snow was not much of an issue. When I moved to Missouri, I was not expecting the amount of snow that I saw. I was very ill-prepared! I did not have snow boots or a snow jacket, so trekking through two feet of snow in leather boots was both cold and wet. I wish I had more of a head's up about the weather situations in Missouri before I started my first year out there.

Kachelle

I wish that i would have known that the there is a +/- GPA grading scale.

Joshua

Before I go to school, I hope to know first of all some freshman in the same situation as me so that i have some friends to start. I also hope to know my classes so that I know what to expect from my studies for the first semester.

Jalese

I wish I'd known exactly what I wanted to do before coming to Mizzou. One thing I did learn is that you may become interested in something else, or may become tired of what your intial plan was for your career choice. That certainly happened to me. You begin to explore yourself more when you get to college because you're around so many new people and you become interested in a lot more than you normally thought you would.

Olivia

I wish that I had known that people were going to be this friendly. I should have branched out sooner. Everyone on campus is so happy to be at this school; they are so eager to meet new people and do new things. It's a very creative environment which encourages students to try new things and think outside the box. There are so many fun traditions here and there is ALWAYS something going on!

Jaleya

I wish I would have known that I would really like this school because then I wouldn't have attended the first school I went to. I also would have wanted to know about the undergraduate research opportunities as soon as I got into the school and the study abroad opportunites. I would've wanted to more about the sororities and the campus housing and other scholarship opportunites.

Genevieve

Before I attended the University of Missouri I wish I would have known more about the resources that the financial aid department can offer. Now that I have gone and asked the department some simple questions I now know that there are so many better alternatives to help me pay for school that do not include private loans. They have showed me how to find and apply for reliable scholarships. I am now going to graduate without hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt.

Nicholas

I wish I would have known more about extracurricular activities, such as volunteering, in order to start earlier. Since I am going into the health field, I really enjoy helping people and volunteering. I would have liked to start this sooner and been able to give more back to the community.

MaShia

I wish I had known more about the career path I wanted to take before I came here. All throughout high school I was undecided about the major I wanted to study. This also made me feel discouraged because it seemed like all those around me knew where they wanted to go to school and what they wanted to study. I, however, only knew the school i wanted to attend.

Joan

I wish I would have known to take college work more seriously my first year.

Jesse

The Greek life is huge. I wish I had known so I could've joined as a freshman.

Ashley

I wish I had known of all the off campus experiences when I came to college. Being in the animal science department, I didn't realize, initially, all the chances I had to be around livestock at the farms off campus. It took me most of my freshman year to really take advantage of all the volunteer, work, and public opportunities at the University farms. While I have discovered them, and am involved now, I know this would have made my transition from small town to college town easier.

Matthew

Nothing, I knew mostly everything about it becuase my sister and brother went there. So I visted the campus a lot.

Deidra

All of the costs that are not included in your COA.

Chelsea

I wish someone had told me you WILL get homesick. Maybe not every student does, but I sure did. But after a few months I got more comfortable in my life at this great University, I made friends, got involved on campus, and the homesickness passed. But just be prepared - it may be hard for a while.

Megan

One thing I wish people would have told me about freshman year is how fundamental it is to get involved in the organization, keep your dorm room open, be open to new experiences, and to study!

Tiara

I wish I had known about more scholarship opportunites at this school. Also I wish I knew just how expensive it was to attend this school, although it is a wonderful campus.

Nichole

I wish I would've known more about how to make payments on things.

Katie

I am satisfied at the amount of information I was provided with.

Evan

I wish someone would have told me how different high school classes and college classes are. The two have proven to be very contrasting. Clearly the class sizes are very unalike but that was to be expected. The difference lies in the fact that in high school there was a personal relationship with teachers and students. When people say that in college you are just a number, it is sadly the truth. College classes require more time, effort and dedication. All of which I have been lucky enough to adjust to without great struggle.

brooke

Before I came to this school I wosh I would have known some majors including journalism, require students to take 14 credits of a foreign language. This requirement can be bypassed however, if a student already completed four years of a single language in high school. Spanish in college is very hard in my opinion and if I would have known to take 4 years instead of 2 in high school I would have definitely done so.

Devon

The major thing that future students should know is that this is a big campus. The downside is that some classes are huge and there is little to no one-on-one time with the students and teachers. The advantage to this type of school and community is that there is a wide variety of people and activites, so there really is something for everyone.

Elle

I wish I had known the amount of work and effort that was needed in order to become successful in the career of your choice. Once learning this I have gained the confidence I need to go in the direction of my dreams. I also wish I had learned how to use my time more efficientally and to make the most out of the time that I am given. Time and Desire are the most important values that I have now.

Jorina

I wish I would have known the type of environment the school had. I did not do any college tours before applying and I wish I would have because then I could have seen that the Univeristy of Missouri-Columbia is not as diverse as the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The type of environment a college student is in can greatly influence the type of experience he/she will have in college.

Yue

Not much. I pretty much got to know all I wanted to know before i came

Chenea

There aren't too many things that I wished I would have known about te University of Missouri because I visited so many times and asked a lot of questions. If there was one thing though that I wish I would have known is how horrible it is to walk from one end of the campus to the other during the fall and winter.

Brittany

Before attending Mizzou I wish I would have known how important financial aid is and why it is stressed the way it is when applying to colleges.

Jenna

I wish I had know that the school is HORRIBLE at giving financial aid. Even though I got a 32 on the ACT, I only recieved $2,000 a year and a loan that accures intrest while I'm in school! ....and that was it. The school has little to no merit based aid so if your set on attending Mizzou find some alternative scholarships because the school won't give you any money. It isn't horribly expensive, more so than other MO colleges, but it really sucks how I have to scramble for funds.

Amanda

I wish I had known that it is more of a state school and many students go home on the weekend or on four-day weekends. I also wish I had known that many of the students recieved scholarships because they are residents of the state Missouri, whereas I am not a resident of Missouri and am very limited in my scholarship availabilities.

Fawna

I wish I'd known at the beginning what I wanted to study, and how to get the most out of my classes.

Chelsea

I wish I had known a little more about the campus. I did not realize how large it was, and how close the maps make everything look. I have to say though, being able to ask othes about the locations of buildings and/or parking garages really opens the door to making friends and establishing yourself.

Thomas

I would have liked to have know more about the high quality of the professors, as it would have excited me even more to study here.

Kyle

Before coming to the University of Missouri in Columbia I wish I had known how much more difficult a college test was compared to a high school one. I probably should of assumed this but it still managed to catch me off guard and make my first round of test quite challenging. Also there is a big difference in a school like MU and a smaller liberal arts school, the classes are harder. Your GPA will be lower than your friends' GPA's at a small school.

Azia

I wish I had known or rather grasped the concept of time management. In high school, I never studied but I got good grades. Mizzou is a big school and it's a sink or swim environment. The amount of activities and parties and just distractions are so numerous, it is very easy to lose sight of what you're there for and to sink in a sense. Time management is key, it's vital. Utilize it. Embrace it. At any college you will need it.

LaParis

The workload is every intense. I would say that you need to study at least 2 hours for every hour that you spend in class. Also it is essential to go to class. Believe it or not professors really notice and they take note. If you are in a big lecture class, it would behoove you to sit in the first 3 rows to get away from distractions. Make sure you go to professors office hours as much as you can to develop a relationship with them.

Erin

I wish I had known the campus layout better, as I was completely lost the first week or so. I also wish I had known some of my professors or been able to talk with former students in deciding which classes to select.

Ashley

I wish I would have realized how big the campus actually is and planned my classed accordingly. I had a 15 mintue walk that I was supposed to complete in 10 minutes. I was always late to one of my classes.

Stephanie

I wish I known how easy it was to make friends and get involved with the community.

Shelby

I wish I had been told that meal plans were required if you live in the dorms

Katherine

What I wish I had known before I came to this school is how easy it is to get in contact with your teachers. Before I came here I was so nervous that I would be just another face on campus. But the University of Missouri makes it so easy to ask your teachers for help and the teachers are always readily available to help anyone out. If I had known this before I came here, I would have been less nervous about classes and such.

Gabriel

The school is located in a small town, thus the transportation system and access to things far from campus is not the best. It can be hard for a city kid to transition to being limited in regards to mobility. The best thing to have on campus is a car, which is why they allow freshman to bring cars.

Stevon

I wish that i knew how many things there were to do on campus and how much help is avilible when you need it.

Sean

Before attending college, I wish I would have understood that a higher education is about learning higher thinking concepts, not simply facts and figures. By knowing this, I know I would have been able to be a more effective studier. It has taken me almost a full year to adjust how I study so I can study according to what I need to learn and be effective both inside and out of the classroom.

Alyson

I wish I would've known how to get myself out there. I'm not a very outgoing person, so when it came to meeting new people I didn't do very good. I needed to learn that others are going through the same things that I am. I also needed to learn to not be so nervous around new people. Having people to be around helps take the stress off homework and studying.

Lynn

I wish I had known that I wanted to go to the University of Missouri when I was a senior in high school because I would not have wasted a semester in a different major and I would have been in a better scholarship situation than I am now. Freshmen get a much better scholarship package than transfer students.

Christina

That it is hard to make friends and become active within organizations due to the schools big size. And it is much harder to get good grades than it was in high school. You have to study a lot.