<p>I posted this thread in another forum before I found this one, and I believe the individuals that post here will be better suited to help me in my future endeavors. </p>
<p>Deciding which school to go to. For undergrad, would either matter? When visiting both schools, I honestly preferred the environment at Missouri State more than Mizzou. Is Mizzou that much better academically that I will be limiting myself by choosing Missouri State?</p>
<p>How do I get you people to reply?! Lol</p>
<p>Here are some thoughts (I am from Iowa so will use Iowa State/UIowa (as the flagships…your U M) and compare them to University of Northern Iowa (UNI…your Missouri State)</p>
<ul>
<li>More national corporate recruiters go to Iowa and Iowa State than go to UNI, and it is not really even close.</li>
<li>The U Iowa recently did some polling and found that more Iowans consider Iowa State to be a an outstanding school than they do U Iowa…UNI comes in a distant third in the rating.</li>
<li>50% of U Iowa undegrads are from out of state, 40% of Iowa State undergrads are from out of state, something like 12% of UNI undergrads are from out of state.</li>
<li>Average ACT score is slightly lower at UNI.</li>
</ul>
<p>You might do some of the comparisons above to your schools…if it even matters to you. Part of it depends on what you want to major in.</p>
<p>Will you be limiting yourself at Missouri State…in some majors, probably so. Others, not so much.</p>
<p>Academically, I don’t think most people consider Mizzou better than Missouri State, although it can depend a bit on your major. It just gets more interest due to sports.</p>
<p>What do you plan to study? There are some fields (like journalism) where one school is clearly stronger than the other.</p>
<p>I know that J-school at Mizzou is highly thought of throughout the nation, but that’s not my major. I get the perception that Mizzou is highly thought of within Missouri, but not as highly thought of in academic circles. Mizzou is a neat place, and when my sister attended there I loved visiting, but I really just couldn’t see myself going to school there. Just didn’t get the vibe I wanted.</p>
<p>Almost any state flagship is well respected in academic circles. You could go and do almost anything with a Mizzou degree, no matter the major. Your own undergraduate accomplishments will determine your success, not the school.</p>
<p>As a Missouri native, Mizzou holds much more name recognition because of it’s size and resources. I know people at both and have friends that are transferring from Mizzou to MSU and from MSU to Mozzou. It’s basically more of a fit thing and what you plan on studying.</p>
<p>As of right now, I plan on studying political science with a minor in history, then attending law school (I know, don’t attend law school dumbest decision you will ever make…) but it’s always what I wanted to do, and life is sometimes about taking educated risks and going all in. Missouri State has a program in which their political science majors can intern at the state capital in Jeff City, which would be huge for me. I don’t know much about Mizzou’s political science program.</p>
<p>That sounds good, but remember that you can apply to intern with a member of congress/senate in Missouri at any time. Usually their website has information on applying for such. You can apply to your state’s members’ offices as well and intern over the summer there.</p>
<p>However, if the program offers something more than that I’d consider that more than Mizzou. Whichever program sounds best to you. Best of luck!</p>
<p>I forgot about the funding differences in my previous message…</p>
<p>As an example…</p>
<p>UNI…12,000 students…$300 million budget</p>
<p>Iowa State…30,000 students…$1.3 billion budget</p>
<p>I am guessing the funding difference is similar when comparing Mo State to Mizzou.</p>
<p>Iowa State offers programs, facilities, services, that UNI can only dream about. Make sure that Missouri State offers everything you want. If it does, got there and don’t look back.</p>
<p>Haystack, thanks for all your help. My gut tells me that an environment like Mo State will enable me to experience personal growth and perform better academically. With that in mind, I pose my original question with more detail…is the academic perception that much of a disparity that I might not be able to reach my full potential at MSU?</p>
<p>Again, don’t confuse academic perception with enthusiasm for the sports teams. I live in Missouri and don’t think Mizzou has a better reputation academically with the exception of Journalism. If MSU feels like a better fit for you, I’d go for it. A lot of Missouri students like my daughter had the reaction that they would rather go anywhere else but Mizzou. It’s definitely not for everyone.</p>
<p>I didn’t even know there was such a thing as Missouri State, and if a job application from Mizzou crossed my desk, I wouldn’t give it a second thought, positively or negatively. Go where you’ll flourish and learn.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses, pals. You guys are easing my mind about the future.</p>
Except that Mizzou is a member of the AAU, Nationally ranked Nursing, and Vet schools and they also have an internship program in Jeff City.