Big School, Big Fun

Introduction
MU is a decent school. I looked at it simply because of the money, since it offered me the most in scholarship funds...but MU also has a great reputation for its Journalism school.

However, sometimes it seems being here is not worth it. In the beginning of their time in the Journalism Program, students are almost forced to work in the News-Editorial (News-Ed) area of Journalism. Don't be fooled: there's more than just J2100 News Reporting. Other fields of study within Journalism here include Advertising, Photojournalism, Magazine (which still requires you to slave away at the Missourian, a local newspaper), Broadcast, and the new Convergence Sequence.

Apart from Journalism, MU is known for drinking. Really, there's not much to do here if you're not a drinker. Columbia has limited shopping options and is definitely not a big city. Downtown offers a few shops and fun restaurants, but other than that, it's nothing special. If you have any opposition to an abundance of drinking, MU is not for you.

Campus Life and Social Life
As for Campus Life: MU tries to offer a variety of programs. There's "MU After Dark," the movie nights on campus, and definitely sports. If you have a group of people to consistently go to the games with, getting an AllSports Pass is worth it. Games are fun, especially when MU wins and we all tear down the goalposts and carry them to Harpo's, a local bar. Weekend activities vary from week to week. Most people go out to the clubs or to house parties. Barn parties are usually a good time too (as weird as it may sound at first). Sometimes, you're the Designated Driver, other times you're the drinker. Most of the time, you're partying. Advertisement
Academics
Academically, like I said, the Journalism School has the greatest reputation. As a J major, you're pretty much stuck working your ass off to keep up or even better, get ahead. Engineering seems to be a fairly hard program to go through too, but that's the nature of the major anywhere. Business is the most generic major, but it offers the nicest building on campus. Communication professors tend to be awesome: very dynamic and willilng to work with the students. Psychology is hard work, but the professors are all easily approachable. Generally, all of your classes will be larger. You're definitely not getting the typical high school ratio classes in anything but foreign language classes.

Student Body
Most MU students tend to be from the state of Missouri. I've met several who weren't, but mostly they're from Kansas City or Saint Louis. If you're from out of state, most people will automatically assume you're here for the J-School. Which is generally true. The typical MU student likes to party, is social, and is an average student. Depending upon your choice of major, you'll encounter different types of people. For example, the J-School is competitive, so you'll find competitive people there (once you get past the basic "weed-out" intro classes).

In Closing...
Campus food: you have a certain amount of meals to use each week. If you don't use them by the end of the week, the freebies expire. Use your leftovers and go to Emporium or Baja and get food to take back to your room: trust me, you're going to want those snacks when you're stuck in your room writing the last-minute paper you were supposed to do last night (when you went out instead).

As far as food off-campus, El Rancho is great for late night cravings. It's open really late. Shakespeare's is a must-visit. The pizza is nothing spectacular, but the enviroment is usually really fun. Gumby's Pokey Stix are amazing (and pretty cheap). Be warned: there's no Jack in the Box or White Castle here, which for a drunken college town, just doesn't seem to make sense.