The University of Blog

I’ve seen a lot of tours around lately. I remember visiting during a Black and Gold Day. I believe you can visit the school anytime, but there are special days where programs are offered to give you more insight into the school. There are several times to visit. One includes Mizzou Black and Gold Day where admissions holds an overview of the school, financial aid, and residential life. There is then a campus tour and a FREE lunch at a wonderful dining hall. You got to love the freebies. Visits are usually held on Fridays and enrollment is online. The next Black and Gold day is March 16. The next Meet Mizzou Day is April 7.

I remember lugging around a huge bag of glossy brochures, but it also allowed me the opportunity to envision myself at the school that I would be going to for the next four years of my life. I visited once during my junior year and once during my senior year. My mom and I loved the college visits. I visited 12 colleges altogether (Boston College, Boston University, Yale, Williams, Stanford, New York University, Syracuse University, Pepperdine University, Drake, University of Kansas, USC and Mizzou). I got to go on so many vacations masquerading as college visits. It allowed me the opportunity to know what to look for in a college and be completely happy with the school I finally chose.

I have felt what it feels like to have four tests in one week. And let me say, it is not too much fun, but definitely possible with a little foresight. Since I received all of my syllabuses at the beginning of the year, I started studying a week before my tests. On Monday, I took Spanish and Psychology. On the way back from the Shins concert on Sunday, I studied some more for those tests.

Wednesday I had a Cross Cultural Journalism test. It was pretty time consuming. We spent an hour and fifteen minutes on ten short answer questions. Needless to say, my hand felt like it had died. And let me say, what a good way to spend Valentine’s Day! The week was not done for journalism though. I had my Principles of American Journalism test on Thursday. What a full week! Those big journalism classes that everyone takes seem to be weed-out classes, so it is very important to study for those tests. Also in both of the journalism classes, there are only three tests for the entire class and only extra points for the online message boards. Hopefully, I did well. I will find out next week.

I would not use the word fun to describe taking four tests in one week. However, it was definitely manageable with a little planning. Studying for tests is made a lot easier if it is started about a week or a half of week before the test date. Just a thought.

So KU won on Saturday, and I hate to say it, but I was happy. It is not so great that Mizzou lost at home, but since I am from Lawrence, I feel like I should root for the team that I grew up with. On the upside for Mizzou fans, the game was the most exciting one that I had been to!. It began when Truman the Tiger was suspended in a harness from the ceiling and brought to the floor greeted by an arena full of cheers.

The line to get in was not too bad, but parking was congested since the game was sold out, and this is the must- see game of the year. There are surrounding areas to park such as metered spots across Stadium road as well as a garage. Upon entering through the student entrance, we got colorful bracelets so we could sit in the student section, which is at one end of the arena. The basketball tickets are included with the All Sports Pass (around $200.)I’ve only gone to a few games because a lot are during the week. However, I was very excited to see the KU game– definitely well-worth it.

Being away from home for the first time means one thing: doing laundry by yourself. There is no mother to help and I hadn’t learned how to do laundry until entering college. The price is $1.00 to wash and $.75 to dry. Be careful about finding one that works though, because the dryers can be shotty. And keep track of the time on the washer and dryer. Students have no problem taking the clothes out of the dryer if they need one. It is up to you if you want to sit in there with your clothes. A couple people do, but they don’t have the most comfy place to study. I think if you pay attention to the time, it is not bad to just come back and forward the laundry.

In Mark Twain, the Laundry room is downstairs in the basement. There is one room that takes just coins and another that takes student charge. I just use my ID because it is easier, but all of them also take coins. I choose to do laundry every week because it is easier to find a couple of washers rather than four. It seems to work out pretty well.

Each semsester a student pays about $80 each semester for the use the Student Health Center. Many students do not use it. It seems silly to waste so much money. Therefore, it is a great idea to go to the Heath center… a lot. For the flu, go. For a scratchy throat, go.

Last semester I got strep throat when I had never had it before. Living in the dorm exposes students to a host of new germs. Thus going to the Heath Center for sickness is a good idea. I’ve gone a few times and it is all included. It just takes a call for an appointment (a good idea to avoid the wait). It’s not just when sickness hits either. I’m not afraid to admit (just a little embarrassed) for going for having a few too many pimples.

In the infamous words of infomercials: BUT THATS NOT ALL! The Student Heath Center offers classes in stress management and relaxation. Then there are classes on living a healthy lifestyle. So for the fee, it’s worth it to go.

I took a ton of AP classes while I was in high school and it really helped. That is because of Mizzou’s application of the AP scores to fulfill requirements. If you are in high school and deciding whether or not to take the AP exam at the end of the year, do it! Yes it is expensive, but it is so worth it. The test costs about $82, but if it gets you out of English 1000 or another class, it could equate to hundreds of dollars. If you take the class, take the test. It seems silly to put yourself through all the work of taking a demanding course when you could get something really good in the end.

Since I applied early enough last semester I get to park in Mark Twain lot. This is quite exciting! I did not use my car very much last semester. Having a car is a good idea, but it is not always necessary. Columbia has a lot of pockets of civilization to find and drive to. It is true there will always be people who are able to take people to Walmart or to the movies, but it is nice not to rely on other people all the time.

When I parked far away, if I really needed to go somewhere and no one could drive me, I would simply walk to my car. It was an inconvenience, but having the option of a car is nice. However, when I was riding my bike in the rain from the Student Health Center with Strep Throat, I was annoyed to say the least. Oh the upside, when I was parked in a garage, with the major snow we had, I was the only one who could drive out. So there are ups and downs to both. However, to celebrate my newfound close parking space, I went to Walgreens by myself! Who know where I will drive next.

The parking pass dates for next year have been released. Renewal for students living in the residence halls and commuting is assigned according to class rank. For new students, April 30 is the date to remember. The online application, that takes about five minutes, is available online now.

Today I learned what my schedule would be like on Monday and Wednesday. In one word, it will be BUSY. I went to my Stat class at 9, Spanish Conversation at at 10 and Modern World at 11. My spanish class is taught by a real spanish speaker (from Spain). I’ve never had that before! Also, I cannot wait for my Modern World– have a lot of reading, but we get to have a lecture on Hitchcock

After my morning classes, I grabbed lunch and went back to Conservation Hall (the furthest from Mark Twain) for Psychology. I had an hour between that an my next class so I TRIED to get a book. But buying anything from the bookstore is extremely difficult at the beginning of the semester. The lines seem to go on forever. The best time to go is late at night (bookstore is open until 7 p.m.). The last class I have is Cross Cultural Journalism at 4 p.m so I’m done at 5:15. BUSY day to say the least. Goodness.

Ellis library is a nice place to study to get away from massive distractions. I know that if I am at my desk between my computer and TV, then I am not as dedicated to study. During finals week the library is really crowded, but it still is a nice place to be. There are plenty of comfy chairs plus tables for group work. The library also has free wifi so it is possible to work on your laptop there.

If you cannot study around other people, head up a floor to the stacks. Here, they have individual study desks and it is deathly quiet. If you are distracted easily, this is not a bad place to be. I can’t stand the deathly silence, but it woks for a lot of dedicated students.

Walking through the beautiful campus past the quad with the columns, it reaffirms my decision to attend Mizzou. However there is a rich history among the beautiful architecture. Fun traditions to note about the campus:

Want to marry an engineer? If you cross the stone Shamrock outside of the Engineering building East ensures that you will marry an engineer.

If you walk across the stone bridge in Peace Park with a sweetheart, it is destined that you will marry that person. Woo hoo!!

Memorial Union was constructed as a tribute to the students who died in WWI. The second portion was dedicated after WWII. Thus, students take their hat off and speak quietly when walking underneath the tower.

Also, while students walk under the archway of the journalism department, students either whisper or are silent. The story is that while a couple of students were walking under the archway, they discussed how they cheated on their exams, AND a teacher above them heard and flunked them.