Can anyone tell me a little about life in Montana? (Missoula: rent, how much)

[apoptosis2003]

I am from southwestern China and I am going to the University of Montana, Missoula this August. Can anyone tell me a little about life in Missoula?

1. How cold does the winter get? In what months is the temperature above 60 F?

2. Do people tend to be xenophobic, especially to Asians?

3. Do students of UM tend to study hard, or party all the time?

4. How much is the average rent if I co-rent a townhouse with 2-3 other students? And utilities?

5. Is it easy to have a 8MB/s or faster Internet connection, preferably ADSL since I don't need cable TV? How much does it cost? From what I can gather, Internet access is poor - the university charges $160 a year for using Internet in the dorms, and the only major ISP seems to be Qwest.

6. How long does it take, by bus, to get to the stores on Reserve street north of the river? And to Hellgate mall?

7. What are the main differences and similarities between the culture of Montana and that of South Dakota?

Thank you.

[theRain]

Originally Posted by apoptosis2003

I am from southwestern China and I am going to the University of Montana, Missoula this August. Can anyone tell me a little about life in Missoula?

1. How cold does the winter get? In what months is the temperature above 60 F?

2. Do people tend to be xenophobic, especially to Asians?

3. Do students of UM tend to study hard, or party all the time?

4. How much is the average rent if I co-rent a townhouse with 2-3 other students? And utilities?

5. Is it easy to have a 8MB/s or faster Internet connection, preferably ADSL since I don't need cable TV? How much does it cost? From what I can gather, Internet access is poor - the university charges $160 a year for using Internet in the dorms, and the only major ISP seems to be Qwest.

6. How long does it take, by bus, to get to the stores on Reserve street north of the river? And to Hellgate mall?

7. What are the main differences and similarities between the culture of Montana and that of South Dakota?

Thank you.

The university in Missoula has a diverse population, I think you will be comfortable on campus, and around town. Everything is pretty close, but it isn't a tiny town. You have all the modern conveniences; high speed internet is everywhere, offered by Qwest and Bresnan, at least.
From campus, it might take 15 minutes by bus to get to the mall. You could get there in 10 or less on a bike. THey have a great system of paved paths for bikes in MIssoula.
Your rent and utilities, while I can't quote you a dollar amount, would be about the same as any other average city. NOt as much as a major metro area, but not dirt cheap either. Again, Missoula is not some tiny, podunk town. It is similar to suburban areas all over the country. Very similar.

As for the temperatures, well, you will have some comfortable times in spring and fall, but otherwise it is VERY cold in winter, and VERY hot in summer!
Good luck, and ENJOY!!

[r&radventure]

Originally Posted by apoptosis2003

I am from southwestern China and I am going to the University of Montana, Missoula this August. Can anyone tell me a little about life in Missoula?

1. How cold does the winter get? In what months is the temperature above 60 F?

2. Do people tend to be xenophobic, especially to Asians?

3. Do students of UM tend to study hard, or party all the time?

4. How much is the average rent if I co-rent a townhouse with 2-3 other students? And utilities?

5. Is it easy to have a 8MB/s or faster Internet connection, preferably ADSL since I don't need cable TV? How much does it cost? From what I can gather, Internet access is poor - the university charges $160 a year for using Internet in the dorms, and the only major ISP seems to be Qwest.

6. How long does it take, by bus, to get to the stores on Reserve street north of the river? And to Hellgate mall?

7. What are the main differences and similarities between the culture of Montana and that of South Dakota?

Thank you.

I was raised in Missoula and it is all around a nice city, it h as grown like crazy in the last 10 years. the bus system in missoula is pretty good. you can pretty much make it anywhere in the city in about 20 mins. the winters are very cold but have gotten a lot milder in the last 5 years. It will snow between the months of october and march but lately it hasnt been that much. montana is not that similar to south dakota it is more diverse in missoula and has a decent size asian population and i would say that racism is at a minimul for that ethinic group.

[Greybear]

Hello, apoptosis2003,

From your name, it looks like you may be studying cellular biology of some sort.

I did some research as an undergrad at UM and worked with a few students from China. They all seemed happy with the area, and I think you will too.

The weather isn't too bad, and I think you will adjust. I'd say the temperature is above 60 from may-sept, generally speaking. The key to dealing with colder weather is to simply dress warmer. Thats it, so simple.

I think most students you will encounter are the studying type and not as much partying. When I went to graduate school, I noticed more partying than at UM, but maybe I'm comparing apples to oranges??

[apoptosis2003]

Originally Posted by Greybear

Hello, apoptosis2003,

From your name, it looks like you may be studying cellular biology of some sort.

I did some research as an undergrad at UM and worked with a few students from China. They all seemed happy with the area, and I think you will too.

The weather isn't too bad, and I think you will adjust. I'd say the temperature is above 60 from may-sept, generally speaking. The key to dealing with colder weather is to simply dress warmer. Thats it, so simple.

I think most students you will encounter are the studying type and not as much partying. When I went to graduate school, I noticed more partying than at UM, but maybe I'm comparing apples to oranges??

I haven't checked the forum for a while...thanks for the reply. Yea my major is biochemistry. That's good to hear that most Chinese students are happy with Missoula.