<p>Now that I finally have some down time, I thought I'd post how my recent Summer Welcome went at Mizzou:</p>
<p>Before I plunge into my rant, I'd like to start off by saying that Mizzou was one of my last choices on my college list. I applied to many prestigious schools, and was either denied, waitlisted, or accepted but couldn't afford to go. Accordingly, I have still been a little bitter/bummed about going to college, even though I knew Mizzou had such a great journalism school, a beautiful campus, a fun college town, etc. At one point, I was still so bitter about not being able to go to one of my expensive dream schools (NYU) that I just dreaded Summer Welcome and wanted to skip it. It was as if I didn't want to let myself fall in love with Mizzou because that would mean I would have to once and for all put NYU behind me, and that I had been bitterly complaining and moping around for no real reason. Nonetheless, with hesitation I headed off to Mizzou both with my parents and with an eight hour car ride to mull things over.</p>
<p>Once I arrived in Columbia, MO we checked into our nearby hotel for the night and set out to find a local place to eat dinner. Thanks to all the recommendations on CC, I told my parents about Shakespeare's Pizza and we decided to check it out. AND OMG!! That pizza is soooooo good. I also couldn't believe how lively the place was on a Sunday night during the summer. The place was packed with people, yet almost none were there for Summer Welcome. As I savored every last bite of pepperoni pizza, I could really see myself hanging out with my friends there, and realized what an energetic college town Columbia truly is.</p>
<p>The next day, we drove to the campus for the first day's activities. Despite the horror stories you hear about college information sessions and whatnot, surprisingly none of the meetings were boring. The faculty and student leaders did a great job at entertaining the audience with sarcastic jabs at KU (Mizzou's rival) and keeping everything lighthearted while informative at the same time. My abs hurt by the end of the day due to my constant, uncontrollable laughter.</p>
<p>After I had the chance to meet several times with a smaller group of students who would be in my dorm and the journalism school, playing kickball (in know, random), learning cheers, and eating ice cream, we trekked to Jesse Auditorium to watch REVUE, the student summer welcome leader's variety show.</p>
<p>WOW!!! I still can't stop raving about it with my parents and friends. The student summer welcome leaders told us that they spent weeks preparing for it, waking up at 6:00am to brainstorm ideas, go out for a dinner break at 4:00pm, and rehearse until 1:00am! Talk about commitment. The show blew me away, with funny skits mirroring those of SNL, commercials, Harry Potter, High School Musical, and more (and all of them managing to make fun of Kansas!) The night finished off with a pizza party, a game of ultimate frisbee, and hanging out with the new friends I had already made.</p>
<p>Day 2 consisted of a few more meetings and trips to the bookstore/spirit shop. I was honestly sad that Day 2 was not that long or busy like Day 1. Soon enough, I was in the car with my parents leaving for home, and all I could think about was how I wanted to stay longer. Summer Welcome gave me the opportunity to get over any bitterness I had about Mizzou, dispel my pre-college jitters, and make new friends. I highly recommend that all future Mizzou students attend Summer Welcome. You won't be sorry!</p>
<p>If I could say one thing to future Mizzou students, it would be to not hold back. You only get to attend college once, so you might as well experience it to the fullest--including Summer Welcome. Whatever hesitations or reservations you have, Summer Welcome will be sure to change your mind--take it from me.</p>
<p>***If you managed to read to the end of this lengthy thread, I hope it wasn't a waste of your time!!! GO TIGERS!</p>