University of Missouri-Columbia Top Questions

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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!