Truman State University
Reviews

Drugs Are a Rarity

Drugs are a rarity. i would say a very small percentage of the student population actually does any form of drug. There are a few members of Greek life that seem to have become labelled as 'druggie' frats but other than that drug use is remarkably small. Alcohol, on the other hand, is easy to get and there is almost always a few parties going on somewhere.

Mixers

Instead of open parties like at the big schools. Every sorority sets up a "mixer schedule" for the semester. The frats host the parties at their houses and the sorority girls show up around 10-11pm. Non-greeks are not allowed in until after 12am unless it is a very special occasion. The majority of campus is unaffiliated but if you want to party then going through recruitment helps.

Scholarships

Most people come in with scholarships. You have to work a scholarship job (starting your sophomore year) which some people make a big deal about, but in reality it's not that many hours a week and you choose where you work at.

Perfect Small Town

Kirksville is a cute little town that I have come to love. It gets cold and windy, but a few shops are just down mainstreet. You can find pretty good food. We have a walmart. We have a gorgeous park nearby Thousand Hills which is a must see along with Train Bridge. And Columbia, MO is just about an hour and a half away if you get desperate. But the area is really pretty and the campus puts on tons of events.

On Campus Life

I live in the most expensive dorm, but it is definately worth the 4000 a semester. It is basically it's own apartment, instead of a whole in the wall. The rest of the dorms range from habitable to pretty nice, but West Campus is definately the best.

Truman Dining Experience

The food at Truman is not as bad as I expected it to be. Here we have three dining halls, all of which serve the same menu on a day to day basis. The is a wide variety of food entres and plenty of side dish options. If you don't like the main dish then there are other options that are always available for you to create your own meal. They provide different soups, a salad bar, and various types of ethnic food eat day. As an athlete the middle meal plan worked perfect since I wasn't always in town to be eating meals. Students can also use dining dollars in the sub for a meal. If you don't plan on living on campus next year I would probably get on of the smaller meal plans though so that you don't have as much meals left over at the end of the semester.

Very Diverse

Truman State University is a very diverse school in many ways. As an International Student myself, I have noticed that people from other cultures are well respected and we are always given chances to express ourselves in every way. One thing I like about Truman is that people's opinions and views are highly respected, no matter the color, political affiliation, religious belief or sexual orientation. We are all open minded and willing to learn.

Smooth Process

It is incorporated in the admission process so it makes it easier. But then you have to have good grades and standing to be eligible.

"A Bunch of Friendly Geeks"

I loved Truman after my first year. An older friend who graduated the same year I was a freshman described the school to me as "a bunch of friendly geeks." And that's exactly what it is. For the most part, students really embrace each other's differences and have a good time together. In a nutshell, Truman is a community of unique and intelligent young people living and learning together.

Not Completely Necessary but Nice

Since Truman is such a small campus and Kirksville is such a small town, students without cars can still go lots of places. Pretty much the entire campus (the university farm and things like that are farther) small enough so that you can walk from one place to any other in about 10 minutes (and that's to the farthest places; most of the places I go to are 2-5 minute-walks away). And as for off-campus activities, downtown Kirksville is a fairly short walk (10-20 minutes depending on your pace) and includes many stores and shops, a good variety of unique restaurants, and the movie theater.

Awesome Rec Center and Student Union Building

Truman has an 8 million dollar recreation center with an indoor track; basketball, volleyball, and badminton courts; and aerobics room; a weight room of about 4,700 square feet, and many many cardio machines such as treadmills, free climbers, recumbent and upright bicycles, rowers, step mills, and crosstrainers.

The student union building (the SUB) has Mainstreet Market inside, which has lots of food, including a few restaurants, which can be paid for by transferring meals from your meal plan. There is also a smoothie place and a coffee place which can also use meals. There are also lots of places to study, many rooms for events, the school bookstore, ATM's, and some video games etc such as WII and DDR.

Business Admin/Poli Sci

The School of Business at Truman is intense to say the least...but it really does prepare you for anything and everything you will face after college.

Political Science is another fantastic program. Truman is a leader in poli sci education and prides itself on preparing students for actual political science related work...not just discussions of current events like so many other schools do.

It's the Harvard of the Midwest

My academic advisor explained Truman's academics as this: "there are two kinds of kids that come to Truman...those who easily coasted through high school with excellent grades, and those who had to work their butts off just to do well. Those who coasted will learn the meaning of hard work here and those who already work hard are going to have to work even harder."

Isolation Would Be an Understatement

Kirksville is a nice small town, with relatively friendly people. It's strange though, because Kirksville isn't quite a small town, but by no means is it a large city...this bizarre limbo status coupled with Kirksville's location makes for an awkward and out of the way place. Many of the people in Kirksville have lived there their entire lives, and many of their kids have never even been to St. Louis...this town's idea of vacation or a trip to the "big city" is Columbia.

There are a lot of places to get...

There are a lot of places to get meth in Kirksville, so it seems, but if you are on meth, chances are you aren’t in college.

Personally, I don’t even notice a...

Personally, I don’t even notice a drug problem on campus. Thus, I think it’s safe to say that if you work at avoiding it, no one’s going to bother you.

All parties are essentially the...

All parties are essentially the same—drunk people in an empty room. You really have to be belligerently drunk to think it is a good time. Some of the bars host some good music occasionally. As far as parties go, Truman’s got a lot going for it, but if that’s what your decision is based on, this is not the school for you.

When I first got to Truman, I was...

When I first got to Truman, I was informed of a thing called ‘Truman vision,’ the term used by some guys on campus to describe the tool necessary for finding women. This implied that the women at Truman aren’t much to look at, and it is assumed that this is because they are smart. I’m not really sure how that logic works, but from what I can tell, it is pretty accurate. This is not to say that there aren’t very attractive people at Truman, but the percentage of them is far lower than at a place like Mizzou. That said, I must say that that trend has been slowly changing with the crop of young women getting better each year I attended. I’m not sure what’s up with that, but who’s complaining?

Most of the student population is...

Most of the student population is pretty friendly and open, and it’s not hard to meet someone with similar interests. Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.

It depends on how you look at...

It depends on how you look at diversity. Truman is rather diverse when it comes to things like opinions and philosophies. In addition, the student exchange programs provide for some real diversity of culture and language, as well as some customs and activities.

You have to live in the dorms...

You have to live in the dorms freshman year. If you’re a girl, live in Centennial because the bathrooms are nicest. And Centennial’s good for guys, too, because girls are right across the hall.

I think that, as a whole, our...

I think that, as a whole, our dorms are all very nice. I have lived in Ryle for three years and absolutely love it. It’s one of the newer dorms, but it is small enough so you feel like you can really get to know the people you live with. Suite living is really nice because it allows you to meet both guys and girls, since a room of the opposite sex is just across the hall.

Centennial is one of the nicer...

Centennial is one of the nicer coed dorms in terms of quality and location. Missouri Hall is great for freshman art, music, and theater majors as it is 30 feet away from the fine arts building, Ophelia Parrish. If you can, avoid dorms with no cafeteria because in the winter, you have to walk out in the cold when you want to eat. That means no shorts and flip-flops.

Should you have an affinity for...

Should you have an affinity for eating absolute filth, Truman is for you. The food is terrible. You can spend all your money for a halfway decent—not healthy, just decent-tasting—meal at the SUB, but you use up your money quickly, and you will pack on the pounds. The whole food system is really ridiculous. Your best bet is to get a place with a kitchen and never touch on-campus dining. Of course, it is inconvenient, but so goes life.

The department of public safety...

The department of public safety monitors several emergency alert centers around campus, and access to the dorms is limited after 10:30 p.m. Truman has a well-lit campus that few would ever hesitate to walk through during the night. Naturally, as with any school, there’s safety in numbers, so it’s probably best to walk in groups. But it’s rare to hear about any safety concerns on campus.