Montana advise for my son (Billings, Missoula: fit in, spring break, credit)

[Brad4JC]

Hello Montanans ! My family and I are those Southern Californian's that most Montanans seem to dislike. In our defense we are NOT the type of Californian that most Montanans seem to stereotyp us as. My family and I are all very conservative Christian, Republican, simple and not at all environmentalists or materialistic. We love Montana the way it is and would never want to try to change it. The strange thing is that my boys and I (not as much my wife) hate the almost year-around summer here, we don't even like the beach but we do enjoy the snow and the cold more in Montana. We have visited the area for many years now and have fallen in love with it up there. My parents have retired and moved to the Flathead lake area and absolutely love EVERYTHING about it. The thing is my oldest son is graduating this year from HS and wants to get out of California (which I don't blame him) and move there with my parents. His plan is to go to community college in Kalispell, become resident and then attend the University of Montana in Missoula. I am encouraging him to check out Montana State in Bozeman to. My son is very conservative and he wants to be a teacher. Those who can please provide a fair comparison for me between the two college towns and Universities would be much appreciated. I hope you all and the students in school in Montana will welcome him as graciously as everyone has welcomed my parents. Thank you for your help! No negative comments please. Believe me I have read them all. Thanks!

[bigtrees]

Well, when you introduce yourself as southern Californians, you're bound to get complaints. I'll hold off on my complaints, but you'll hear plenty more from others.

As far as school, I don't know of a lot of students that attend community college out of state. Most or many students who have enough money to go to school out of state (even at community college tuition is more expensive) start at the university rather than at a community college.

Your son will be limited to six or fewer credits and have to hold a job for a year in order to qualify for in-state tuition. If he takes more than 6 credits at FVCC he will continue to be out-of-state.

As far as comparing to beaches, I grew up in Whitefish and didn't ski! Snow and winter is especially fun around Christmastime but not so much fun for spring break. I went home many times over spring break to a foot of snow and that wasn't so cool.

[Brad4JC]

Bigtrees, all I asked for was a comparison of the two schools and towns. Also I did say that he was going to community college until he does become resident. I have done all the research on the tuition and I understand it is expensive but not nearly as expensive as going to the University as a non- resident. He needs to take 6 units a semester for one year and then he will be resident without having to have a job although he will be getting one. Thank you anyway for your response.

[bigtrees]

Originally Posted by Brad4JC

Bigtrees all I asked for was a comparison of the two schools and towns. Also I did say that he was going to community college until he does become resident. I have done all the research on the tuition and I understand it is expensive but not nearly as expensive as going to the University as a non- resident. He needs to take 6 units a semester for one year and then he will be resident without having to have a job although he will be getting one. Believe me when I tell you that is not nearly as much money as going full time at a University. Thank you anyway for your response.

I surely understand that community colleges are less expensive than universities. I'm a MSU-Bozeman graduate and certainly heard my fair share of out-of-state students complaining about high tuition costs. It's not cheap by any stretch of the imagination.

OK, here is my analysis of the two schools. The school that your son should go to depends on his interest in a major, what he wants to do with life, the kind of person he is, and what he enjoys. It'd help a lot if you'd share some more information about your son in order for me to say very much about the schools.

But basically, the University of Montana is more of a liberal-arts college and the Montana State University is a land-grant university that focuses more on science and engineering. So if you son wants to study philosophy, Missoula is a better choice, but if your son wants to do engineering, then Bozeman is a better choice. But if he is going to school at FVCC for a year, he'll learn a lot about the schools by talking with his classmates at school and by living there.

Skiing is much better at Bozeman than Missoula, so if he'd like to be a big-time skiier/boarder, then Bozeman is the better choice. Some of my classmates liked to ski but not many could afford it very often.

I'd personally encourage him to go to a 4-year University because he's only in school a short length of a time and those college years are special. He'll be a freshman only one time, and the universities are much more fun than the FVCC - there are more activities, more things to do, you live in a college town, it's just a lot nicer in my opinion. Others here may have other opinions.

[Interpol76]

Originally Posted by Brad4JC

Hello Montanans ! My family and I are those Southern Californian's that most Montanans seem to dislike. In our defense we are NOT the type of Californian that most Montanans seem to stereotyp us as. My family and I are all very conservative Christian, Republican, simple and not at all environmentalists or materialistic. We love Montana the way it is and would never want to try to change it. The strange thing is that my boys and I (not as much my wife) hate the almost year-around summer here, we don't even like the beach but we do enjoy the snow and the cold more in Montana. We have visited the area for many years now and have fallen in love with it up there. My parents have retired and moved to the Flathead lake area and absolutely love EVERYTHING about it. The thing is my oldest son is graduating this year from HS and wants to get out of California (which I don't blame him) and move there with my parents. His plan is to go to community college in Kalispell, become resident and then attend the University of Montana in Missoula. I am encouraging him to check out Montana State in Bozeman to. My son is very conservative and he wants to be a teacher. Those who can please provide a fair comparison for me between the two college towns and Universities would be much appreciated. I hope you all and the students in school in Montana will welcome him as graciously as everyone has welcomed my parents. Thank you for your help! No negative comments please. Believe me I have read them all. Thanks!

FYI....the city of Missoula itself is very liberal. Especially the section of town near the University of Montana which is comparable to Berkeley or Santa Cruz in my opinion. He would probobly be much happier at MSU-Bozeman or MSU-Billings.

[Joe Doer]

Missoula and Bozeman are quite different and each will appeal to different people. They are separated by the continental divide with Missoula on the west side in a big valley in the mountains. Missoula is the largest city in the Rockies, with the Clark Fork River going right through town. On the west end of town the Bitterroot River meets the Clark Fork and east of town the Big Blackfoot flows into the Clark Fork. With a lot of water and trees the area can be beautiful. My wife got her undergraduate degree in education there. It was a very good school.

Bozeman is nice but has grown too large. There is an area of Bozeman with homes that rival many of the high end neighborhoods in California with prices even higher. The attraction to Bozeman is access to great outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking, snowmobiling, and the list goes on. One huge problem in Bozeman is that most years they barely have enough water to provide the increasing population. MSU has some good schols. I have two sisters who went to school there but had to finish at UM.

If your son follows football, MSU lost to UM for about the the 20th time in 21 years. The rivalry isn't much anymore.

If he likes skiing, Bozeman is closer to a couple of great ski hills.

If he likes fishing, both have world class rivers and streams very near.

[RobinD69]

My oldest is going to MSU Bozeman next year. Our Church has a large youth group of MSU students and many of them like to pretend to be from southern California so I think your son will fit in fine.

[Vulcan500]

IMHO, all universities tend toward liberal. That said, (having had kids attend both) U of M @ Missoula is waaaay more liberal (er...trying to be polite, here) than Bozeman. Bozeman has *not* gotten "too big". Yep, it is a growing town but has a small town feel. Many more sunny winter days than UM if that's a concern.

[elliottmew]

I attended both MSU-Bozeman and UM-Missoula, and I prefer Missoula over Bozeman quite a bit. It is much more liberal, and has more to offer students for arts, live music, cultural and community events, etc. Missoula feels more like a "little city" and Bozeman more of a "big town".
Both universities are good, though. Since your son is going into education, I really think either school would be good academically.

[GEORGIAINMT]

If your son has to be away from home anyway when he finishes junior college maybe you should consider looking at MSU-Billings. That is where I went and got an excellent education in education. Their special ed program is fabulous. Also, Billings, not being as much of a "college town" I feel is more conservative than Bozeman or Missoula. Might be worth considering! Please congratulate your son on his dream of becoming a teacher. We need more good teachers !