Not too big, not too small, MSU has virtually all of the advantages of a major university without many of the disadvantages. It is extremely affordable, both the cost of living in Bozeman and because of generous scholarship opportunities. Bozeman is also by far the most gorgeous place I've ever seen.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Explore your potential major(s) before attending college. You have to declare a major at orientation, and it's a bit frustrating to change. MSU, like pretty much every school out there, has a fairly regimented course schedule for majors. They're all supposed to take 4 years.
Also, MSU takes pretty much all AP credit, so take as many as you can to get all of your core classes out of the way. One of the most common complaints for underclassmen is having to repeat certain courses. If you need it though, make sure you take it. It's a bad idea to skip something unless you're comfortable with it. College isn't like high school where you can learn it and then forget it. Everything you learn builds on the knowledge before it, so make sure you get it down and right the first time.
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
One of MSU's great traits is that it's a big school with small class sizes, which is always a plus. Mostly only first and second year classes are bigger, but I don't think there are any bigger than 300. All of mine in the engineering department are less than 50 (most less than 30), excluding core classes.
Mostly, it's as difficult as you make it. The classes are relatively easy or difficult depending on what you're good at, but the professors are awesome. They're always around to help out with difficult material, or if you're really good at the subject, they're a great source for advanced work.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
The dorms were awesome. They are well-kept and up to date, there's always opportunities to meet people, and MSU does a great job of facilitating fun activities. The downside that I didn't like was that they don't have air conditioning and some of them don't have carpeting. They also have a new dorm called the Freshmen Apartments. I stayed in them but I don't think I'd recommend it. I didn't know any of my neighbors, I was a 10 min walk from campus and dining halls, and we had to buy a dining pass even though we had a kitchen. On the plus side though, I had 4 other roommates that I loved and got really close to, and we had an apartment all to ourselves.
Beware of the internet though. They have a lot of bugs to figure out with the wifi. It's best in classrooms.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
The food, for the most part, was pretty decent. It's still dorm food, so you can't really have that high of expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. There's 3 dining halls on campus: Hannon, which has the best quality food (especially at mealtimes, other times it's not so great and there's virtually nothing to choose from), Langford, with decent food but is open late, and Miller, which has pretty good food and by far the widest selection throughout the day. They keep the dining halls really neat, and they look relatively modern, especially Miller, which they recently renovated. Miller also has a circular sphere, so it has the best views. I'd say it's my favorite of the three.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
Outdoorsy stuff, of course. There are some really great trails that lead right into the mountains about a half mile from campus. They're literally some of the most beautiful sites I've ever seen. I love taking a nice bike ride around town, or through the parks past the hospital. Fly fishing, skiing/snowboarding, rafting, horseback riding, and lots of other activities are also really popular.
Downtown is almost always buzzing with activity too. It's not busy, but there's pretty much always something going on, whether it's a festival, or the farmer's market, or local music in a cafe, there's lots of inexpensive things to do.
If you're more into the party scene, the local fraternities and sororities usually have something fun, like black light parties, foam parties, etc.
And, naturally, there's a TON of campus activities going on all the time! Football/sports games, the fitness center is awesome (the whole thing is practically brand new), the rec center in the Strand Union Building is really cool, they have video games, bowling, movies, and an arcade.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
MSU has great programs in all of their offered majors along with significant research opportunities and tuition is really relatively cheap. There's so much MSU has to offer. It's really hard not to find something that you'd like to take part in.
Share any unusual traditions or locations on campus
One of my favorite places on campus is the Leigh Lounge, which is basically just a big room with a fireplace, filled with comfy couches and chairs that people go take a nap in.
The best place to go during hot months is the EPS building, or the engineering building with the rotating noodle. It's the best air conditioned place, and it has an awesome huge touch screen that you can use for the internet, to view student projects, or use google earth.
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
There's always something fun going on! And there's bound to be a club for everyone. They also have a really easy way to form a new club if you don't find the one you're looking for. The clubs tend to be pretty small though, which I don't like as much.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
There are police around campus pretty much all the time, and stationed at intervals are emergency call boxes. You can also call and ask to be escorted if you have a late class. I read the crime reports every weekend, and I never really hear about anything bad. Just stupid college stuff for the most part. I feel really safe here.
Not too big, not too small, MSU has virtually all of the advantages of a major university without many of the disadvantages. It is extremely affordable, both the cost of living in Bozeman and because of generous scholarship opportunities. Bozeman is also by far the most gorgeous place I've ever seen.
Explore your potential major(s) before attending college. You have to declare a major at orientation, and it's a bit frustrating to change. MSU, like pretty much every school out there, has a fairly regimented course schedule for majors. They're all supposed to take 4 years. Also, MSU takes pretty much all AP credit, so take as many as you can to get all of your core classes out of the way. One of the most common complaints for underclassmen is having to repeat certain courses. If you need it though, make sure you take it. It's a bad idea to skip something unless you're comfortable with it. College isn't like high school where you can learn it and then forget it. Everything you learn builds on the knowledge before it, so make sure you get it down and right the first time.
One of MSU's great traits is that it's a big school with small class sizes, which is always a plus. Mostly only first and second year classes are bigger, but I don't think there are any bigger than 300. All of mine in the engineering department are less than 50 (most less than 30), excluding core classes. Mostly, it's as difficult as you make it. The classes are relatively easy or difficult depending on what you're good at, but the professors are awesome. They're always around to help out with difficult material, or if you're really good at the subject, they're a great source for advanced work.
The dorms were awesome. They are well-kept and up to date, there's always opportunities to meet people, and MSU does a great job of facilitating fun activities. The downside that I didn't like was that they don't have air conditioning and some of them don't have carpeting. They also have a new dorm called the Freshmen Apartments. I stayed in them but I don't think I'd recommend it. I didn't know any of my neighbors, I was a 10 min walk from campus and dining halls, and we had to buy a dining pass even though we had a kitchen. On the plus side though, I had 4 other roommates that I loved and got really close to, and we had an apartment all to ourselves. Beware of the internet though. They have a lot of bugs to figure out with the wifi. It's best in classrooms.
The food, for the most part, was pretty decent. It's still dorm food, so you can't really have that high of expectations, but I was pleasantly surprised. There's 3 dining halls on campus: Hannon, which has the best quality food (especially at mealtimes, other times it's not so great and there's virtually nothing to choose from), Langford, with decent food but is open late, and Miller, which has pretty good food and by far the widest selection throughout the day. They keep the dining halls really neat, and they look relatively modern, especially Miller, which they recently renovated. Miller also has a circular sphere, so it has the best views. I'd say it's my favorite of the three.
Outdoorsy stuff, of course. There are some really great trails that lead right into the mountains about a half mile from campus. They're literally some of the most beautiful sites I've ever seen. I love taking a nice bike ride around town, or through the parks past the hospital. Fly fishing, skiing/snowboarding, rafting, horseback riding, and lots of other activities are also really popular. Downtown is almost always buzzing with activity too. It's not busy, but there's pretty much always something going on, whether it's a festival, or the farmer's market, or local music in a cafe, there's lots of inexpensive things to do. If you're more into the party scene, the local fraternities and sororities usually have something fun, like black light parties, foam parties, etc. And, naturally, there's a TON of campus activities going on all the time! Football/sports games, the fitness center is awesome (the whole thing is practically brand new), the rec center in the Strand Union Building is really cool, they have video games, bowling, movies, and an arcade.
MSU has great programs in all of their offered majors along with significant research opportunities and tuition is really relatively cheap. There's so much MSU has to offer. It's really hard not to find something that you'd like to take part in.
One of my favorite places on campus is the Leigh Lounge, which is basically just a big room with a fireplace, filled with comfy couches and chairs that people go take a nap in. The best place to go during hot months is the EPS building, or the engineering building with the rotating noodle. It's the best air conditioned place, and it has an awesome huge touch screen that you can use for the internet, to view student projects, or use google earth.
There's always something fun going on! And there's bound to be a club for everyone. They also have a really easy way to form a new club if you don't find the one you're looking for. The clubs tend to be pretty small though, which I don't like as much.
There are police around campus pretty much all the time, and stationed at intervals are emergency call boxes. You can also call and ask to be escorted if you have a late class. I read the crime reports every weekend, and I never really hear about anything bad. Just stupid college stuff for the most part. I feel really safe here.