<p>Current Mizzou student here.</p>
<p>Let me be the first to say that I could not agree with you more. Mizzou DOES NOT have the reputation NU has at all. In fact, Mizzou was my safety school and the only reason I even applied was because my parents are both alums and the application literally took me five minutes to fill out (in retrospect, I wish I knew last year that I would be heading here–would have made my senior year so much better!). I ended up visiting, decided I <em>could</em> stand it if I absolutely had to go (my parents were essentially making me–it was all they would pay for, and I don’t want lots of loans), and figured I’d give it a shot. I can confidently say that deciding to go here is one of the best decisions I have made. However, I am from St. Louis, and Mizzou’s proximity to my home played a major role in my decision.</p>
<p>Let me address some of the concerns I think you raised:</p>
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<li><p>Journalism school: If you want to be a journalist, there really is no better place to go. “The first and the finest” has surrounded that portion of campus for quite some time. I’m sure you’re aware of why the J-school is so highly regarded (controlling Columbia’s newspaper, The Missourian, and Columbia’s NBC channel KOMU are two major ones) and that it is celebrating its 100th anniversary next year so most facilities are getting a major facelift. There are SO MANY J-school students and I would easily say that 3 out of every 4 out of staters are here for the J-school. Should you choose to attend because you decide journalism is right for you, you will not be let down. And not that it really matters or anything, but one of the more regular male evening news anchors is extremely, extremely hot (obviously, this is not a valid reason for choosing a school and was meant humorously). WW scholars presents you with a great opportunity that, to me at least, would be difficult to pass up. I think this is where your dilemma is factoring in.</p></li>
<li><p>Columbia: To a kid from St. Louis, Columbia is right in the middle of town/city in my opinion. There is enough to do and many more opportunities than you probably realize (yes, it’s a smaller town, but it is also a college town rich with jobs, entertainment, restaurants, etc). While Columbia is not Chicago or Evanston, I would hardly say it’s podunk-y enough to consider it a major deterrent. Although many of the surrounding areas are rural, some of them are actually pretty cool and the size of our campus (which to my friends from smaller schools “is like a community in and of itself”) means you don’t really have to venture outside of Columbia that often.</p></li>
<li><p>Lack of top students: This was Mizzou’s biggest turnoff for me. If I’m smart enough/well-rounded enough/fill-in-the-blank enough to get into my biggest reach school, why on earth would I “settle” for my only safety? Mind boggling. As totally cliched as it sounds, college is what YOU make of it. How did I take my state’s school and turn it into a meaningful college experience? Easy. I surround myself with like-minded people and get involved (which is something a student like you would do anywhere). For me, this means taking Honors courses, getting to know administrators (I’ve got the dean of the Honors college, the vice chancellor for student affairs, the director of residence life, and the chancellor himself up to first-name-basis level, though I tend to still use their professional titles), finding a great internship at a cancer research lab (I’m bio major, pre-med), participating in Greek life (a great idea, if you’re at all interested), taking on leadership positions (and being a member of the Chancellor’s Leadership Class), and really immersing myself in Mizzou’s culture. I’ve immersed myself in Mizzou’s culture by going outside my comfort zone to make new friends (pleasantly surprising), taking graduate-level classes, going to as many home football games as possible (they almost take on a religious following), pursuing as many leadership positions as I can handle, and doing whatever else possible to put my tuition dollars to work. I am having a phenomenal time and do not feel like I have shortchanged myself in the least. If you are willing to work and forge your own path, you will find challenging courses and incredibly intelligent people. Not to puncture your ego, but to think you will be far and away academically better than all your peers is crazy. But if you are, wow!</p></li>
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<p>(As a side note, I was speaking with my leadership TA the other day about why Mizzou isn’t nationally ranked higher than it is. Why isn’t Mizzou, which shares many of the same facilities and depth/breath of programs as many other highly regarded state universities, ranked with them? Among other reasons, the one that I found most convincing is that Missouri lacks a second choice. Mizzou vs Missouri State/other MU schools is NOTHING like Michigan vs Michigan State or Virginia vs Virginia Tech, etc. Mizzou, as Missouri’s major land-grant university, has an obligation to provide a college education to its citizens. If there were an alternative to Mizzou within the MU system, Mizzou would then be able to specialize and be more selective. At the present time, this is not the case.)</p>
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<li><p>Feel in general: The sheer size of MU (Just shy of 28,000 students) means that there is something for everyone and you will not be alone. This to me was another huge factor–I came from a small high school and had no clue what it would be like to be surrounded by so many people. What this means is that you will be able to do literally whatever you want. Create your major, make a new club, play 20 RecSports–it’s up to you, but no one will hold your hand. If you have the drive and determination to make a state school work for you, you will easily find yourself at Mizzou. </p></li>
<li><p>Price point: The pricetag for Mizzou is what in the end sold it to me. I can go here for slightly less than you would be able to after all is said and done (factoring in in-state tuition and merit scholarships), and to me being able to save many of my “financial eggs” for my “grad school basket” (or in my case, med school hopefully) is a huge benefit. I decided that with my type of personality, the odds that my undergraduate experience would be similar regardless of the school I chose was extremely high. It was pretty likely that I would pursue an Honors track, be a bio major pre-med, get involved, establish myself as a leader, and do research at any school I attended. Therefore, choosing the most economically-sound (read: cheapest) path was a good option for me.</p></li>
<li><p>Comparison to NU: I have yet to hear many negatives about Northwestern. As far as I can tell, it’s only major drawback is that it’s so expensive. NUs J-school is also top notch, and chances are that a degree from NU will hold more clout than one from MU. Is brand name important to you? If so, in my opinion go with Northwestern–that’s a no-brainer. If you are at all interested in saving thousands of dollars and still getting an incredible worthwhile education, go to Mizzou. I can confidently say you will not be sorry. </p></li>
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<p>I’m just realizing how long this is and doubt anyone but the OP will care to read the entire post! To lonelyfish, feel free to PM or IM me (kristin5792) any time if you want more MU insights.</p>