MTSU Worth It?
OVERVIEW
Middle Tennessee State University, home to the Blue Raiders and an aviation, audio production, and concrete programs that draw students from around the world. While there are many differences between the aspiring professionals, we all have one common goal: working towards our degree at MTSU. The campus itself is pretty flat and everything is centralized, making it easy to locate dining halls and classes. The transition from high school to college is a daunting one full of unknown conflicts but the students at MTSU would agree this is the place to handle those conflicts. MTSU is home to about 22,00 students, with 86% of these students being undergraduates aiming to complete their bachelor’s degree in four years’ time. Most students, approximately 77%, are between the ages of 18 to 24. Of the 22,000, 55% of these students are female while the other 45% are male. African Americans and Caucasian students make up the bulk of the student body comprising 85% of students. This allows a lot of diversity to flourish across the campus of MTSU.
CLASSES & CAMPUS
During your time on campus you’ll meet plenty of new people especially if you’re not afraid to talk amongst other students and put yourself out there. Students, for the most part, are less social during school hours, often walking from class to class with headphones in and attending lecture halls with an intent to learn rather than socialize. Due to this finding your group can be a little bit of a challenge at first, but the longer you’re here the easier it’ll become to pick people out from the crowd and your classes that you click well with. The classes pertaining to your specific major, most students would agree, are worthwhile and interesting to the students which is what keeps them coming back across the span of the four years. However, a lot of students have issues with Gen Ed. Classes, claiming they’re just ways to get more money from students since we’ve been through twelve years of Gen Eds prior to entering college. Although Gen Eds may seem trivial and obnoxious, those classes alone aren’t enough to prevent students from continuing their schooling on the campus of MTSU. Living on campus is a beast many first-time freshmen encounter.
DORMS
The dorm quality, according to reviews by students on Niche, is rated at about 51% overall quality. The individual rooms themselves aren’t much more than four walls and a window you’re unable to open but bringing items from home can help to take away from the prison-like demeanor of the dorms. All dorms across campus have public bathrooms for the students which can be disgusting at times. The janitorial staff provide great service keeping these bathrooms clean, however, they can’t be available to clean messes in one area around the clock as they’ve got other responsibilities to maintain. Students, for some reason, still don’t understand proper bathroom etiquette, often leaving the toilets clogged and dirty. The showers remain fairly clean, considering the state of the toilets, which helps provide a good bathing experience. Dorms are all equipped with designated hours allowed for visitation and quiet hours so that students are able to have a good night’s rest before classes the next day.
DINING
Every first-time freshman currently living on campus is enrolled in a meal plan for the semester, which consists of three meals a day for the duration of the semester at one of the dining halls. However, students have the option to go to different dining locations at participating times and using their meal plan there for anything up to $6. In addition to the meal plan, students also receive $275 worth of flexbucks, which is the tax-free currency that allows students to purchase food and other items at pods and dining locations that don’t participate in the meal plan. You can add funds to your flexbucks at any time during the semester but if utilized alongside the meal plan $275 should be able to make it through the semester. Many students are concerned with the amount of money they’re given for food because they don’t eat as much as they’re allowed on a daily basis, which leaves them wondering if any unused days from the meal plan will move over to the next semester or if it will just be void upon completion of the current semester.
PARKING
Parking at the university is a nightmare. This is in part due to the construction that’s been ever present since we arrived, some parking lots are under construction which is limiting the already minute space available. Luckily living on-campus, parking is less of a worry because the majority of the time your car will remain stationary as everything you need is readily available within walking distance. The weekends on campus are completely desolated which makes the parking problem a little easier. So if you have the luxury of living on-campus avoid driving until late evening on the weekdays or any time during the weekend.
CLOSER
Overall, most students would agree that MTSU is a quality place to study for a degree. The programs offered within this institution draw students from around the world looking to earn a degree in higher level education. Although it can be a daunting jump from highschool to college, MTSU does a great job of easing people into that leap and making them feel them feel at home during their time studying here.
SOURCES
https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/middle-tennessee-state-university/student-lif
https://www.forbes.com/colleges/middle-tennessee-state-universit
