The University of Montana Top Questions

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.