College Choosing
Choosing a college during the final years of
high school can be a long strenuous
process, full of many lifelong decisions.
These decisions can be broken down
into six categories. The categories are
cost, entrance requirements, location,
living arrangements, unique programs,
and extracurricular activities. The
University of Missouri St. Louis and
the University of Missouri, Columbia have
some similarities yet many more
differences. A major concern when deciding which
college to attend is cost.
Cost consists of not only tuition but also books,
room and board. If one
would like to attend the University of Missouri, Columbia
for a residential
student the composite cost for tuition is four thousand three
hundred twenty
three dollars. The tuition cost is relatively the same at the
University
of Missouri St. Louis. Their approximate annual cost is four thousand
seven
hundred ninety five dollars and eighty cents. Therefore tuition for
the
University of Missouri Columbia is four hundred seventy dollars and
eighty cents
cheaper than the University of Missouri, St. Louis. Colleges
have entrance
requirements so that the college receives the caliber of
students they want.
This is important to a student because the
requirements actually make sure the
students are all around the same
intelligence level. This makes college life
more neutral. The University of
Missouri Columbia and the University of Missouri
St. Louis are both on
the University of Missouri system. This system says a
student must complete
four units of English and mathematics, three units of
science and social
studies, two units of the same foreign language, and one unit
fine arts.
These are often called the seventeen core credits for college. This
system
also requires an ACT score of at least seventeen but with this low of
an
ACT score one needs to be in the top ninety-four percentile of their
class. If
one’s ACT composite is twenty-four or higher then that applicant
meets the
minimum requirement for admission. The location of a college can be
a major
deciding factor when one plans which college to go to. Is the college
in and
urban, suburban, or rural area. Is the crime rate in the area very
high or so
low they don’t even have a sheriff for forty miles. Is the college
close to
any points of interests for college students. Such as movie
theaters, amusement
parks or bowling allies. The University of Missouri St.
Louis is seven miles
from downtown St. Louis. St. Louis is a large city
consisting of 250,000 to
499,999 people. It has many points of interests
for a college student. Besides
the examples above St. Louis has four
professional sports clubs. UNIVERSITY OF
MISSOURI ST. LOUIS also has an
urban campus environment. The University of
Missouri Columbia is located
in the small city of Columbia Missouri. It has a
population of
50,000-250,000. The University of Missouri Columbia is located
approximately
125 miles from Kansas City and St. Louis. The living arrangements
when
attending a college can enlighten or destroy your college experience. If
one
intends to go to the University of Missouri St. Louis they have
several
options for housing. The residence hall, Mansion Hill condominiums,
and
University Meadow Apartments. The residence halls are conveniently
located on
campus. Smoking and the use of alcohol or drugs is not permitted
in the
residence halls. Mansion Hill condominiums are on a private wooded
estate with
all the luxury of home. The University Meadow apartments is a
apartment complex
located just off campus. The University of Missouri
Columbia has coed
dormitories, apartments for married students and
fraternity/sorority housing.
All housing is located on campus besides
some fraternity/sorority houses. The
options for incoming freshmen to the
University of Missouri Columbia for housing
is limited to dorm life. Unique
programs are another apparatus to help one
decide if the college they want to
attend has extracurricular activities wanted
as well as academic programs.
The University of Missouri St. Louis has many
academic programs which include
study abroad and the Pierre Laclede Honors
College. This signifies a
double major. Studying abroad means one goes to a
foreign country where the
University of Missouri St. Louis has set up a college.
The Pierre Laclede
Honors college is an honors college for the exceptionally
intelligent.
Although it is part of the University of Missouri St. Louis program
it has
its own campus, consisting of instructional, residential, and
recreational
facilities. The University of Missouri Columbia has a museum of art
and
archaeology, museum of anthropology, and a research center for
nuclear
reactor. Extracurricular activities serves a minor purpose in the
decision to
choose a college. Both the University of Missouri Columbia and
the University of
Missouri St. Louis have superb extracurricular
activities provided for their
students. They both contain not only NCAA
collegiate athletics but also
intramural sports are available for the less
talented students that still enjoy
to play sports. The only difference
between the collegiate level sports is the
University of Missouri
Columbia has NCAA division one sports and the University
of Missouri St.
Louis has NCAA division two sports. Both of these universities
consist of
sororities and fraternities for anyone interested in becoming a
member of one
of the exceptional Ancient Greek based organization. Other
similar
extracurricular activities proved by both of these schools are
student
governments, radio stations, student newspaper, and even pep bands.
As for
different extracurricular activities provided by the universities none
can be
found at this period in time. Both the University of Missouri Columbia
and the
University of Missouri St. Louis have great educational and
social programs for
students attending their school. In comparison and
contrasting of these schools
one could conclude that these are both
exceptional schools. A student living in
Missouri would benefit not only
from the financially efficient costs but also
the intellectual stimulation
great educational institutions provide to their
students.