Written by Samantha Steven
The University of Montana offers all of the close-knit intimacy and emphasis on mind enrichment that typifies a liberal arts college, but with the debt-free price and athletic spirit that characterizes state schools. The University's strong programs, from both the left and right side of the brain, merge humanities and sciences. In addition, the University's honors college offers the opportunity for students to take discussion-based courses, in a class under 20, with the University's best professors (note: it's usually the non-tenured professors who haven't been labeled as "best" who truly are the best teachers).
UM uniquely offers a combination of journalism and creative writing major options, where most liberal arts schools only offer creative writing and most state schools only offer journalism. UM's MFA Creative Writing program always makes the top 10 lists, and those same professors teach in the undergraduate creative writing program. Its journalism school consistently produces Hearst scholars and houses students in a state-of-the-art facility. UM is one of the few schools in the nation to offer majors in geography, forestry, wildlife biology, Irish studies, and Native American studies. In addition to diverse subjects, the University also engages students academically in many ways. The Davidson Honors College places a huge emphasis on community service and has a separate office for civic engagement. In addition, the Davidson Honors College sends weekly newsletters to its students about scholarships, study abroad opportunities, and contests.