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April, 2025

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Official "Incoming Montana State Freshman/Transfer" Thread

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Zypher
Posts: 2337 - Karma: 2,268
Don't know if this will take off but worth a shot. Thought it would be cool to have a little thread where incoming people to Montana State could ask questions to people already there or discuss about new room assignments, classes, rides to the mountain, etc. Also, some people haven't really been away from home and this is a big step for them so maybe figuring out some people they can talk to in a community they are familiar with would be a good thing.

I'll start off here with some Q's of my own
Where are some of you NSers rooming? I'm over in Roskie Hall and have heard from a few friends that roommate assignments are going out today.
Difficulty/ workload of Freshman classes?
Did any of you guys already at MSU find it super easy to go skiing in the winter on weekdays/weekends?
Is it worth it to bring a car and park it on campus or is public transport easy enough?

Discuss away my friends.
7 years ago
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doubleu
Posts: 90 - Karma: -58
What are the women at MSU like?
7 years ago
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whiteboi
Posts: 477 - Karma: 1,228
Rooming in South Hedges, I've heard that having a car is nice but i've also heard that the public transportation is pretty solid for getting around
7 years ago
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Zypher
Posts: 2337 - Karma: 2,268
whiteboiRooming in South Hedges, I've heard that having a car is nice but i've also heard that the public transportation is pretty solid for getting around


Yeah, I heard that public transport around town and up to Bridger is pretty frequent and easy to access. Ill be bringing my rig over so for the small price of some gas money yall can have a personal shuttle bitch haha.
7 years ago
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kootenayklaus
Posts: 3914 - Karma: 2,179
doubleuWhat are the women at MSU like?


If you're into livestock judging I reckon you should be fine.
7 years ago
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doubleu
Posts: 90 - Karma: -58
LampardIf you're into livestock judging I reckon you should be fine.


I will take them any way they come.
7 years ago
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ModMommy
Posts: 10877 - Karma: 58,289
Hi, i’m a super senior but if y’all have any questions shoot them my way.
7 years ago
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ModMommy
Posts: 10877 - Karma: 58,289
ZypherI'll start off here with some Q's of my own
Difficulty/ workload of Freshman classes?
Did any of you guys already at MSU find it super easy to go skiing in the winter on weekdays/weekends?
Is it worth it to bring a car and park it on campus or is public transport easy enough?
.

Difficulty/ workload of Freshman classes? – Depends on your class. Lots are easy, but some (like chem) require you to work hard. It’s mostly basic introductions to topics. Use your office hours, your prof is going to be the who decided how difficult your class is. I had no problems with 101/202 classes.
Did any of you guys already at MSU find it super easy to go skiing in the winter on weekdays/weekends? Yeah, it’s not difficult. A bus runs on the weekend. If you want to ski weekdays bring your car, or ride with a friend.
Is it worth it to bring a car and park it on campus or is public transport easy enough?
Public transportation is okay; I brought my car up after winter break. It was worth it, parking is hard though with more and more students coming here. It's (the bus) best for downtown, but the times are not consistent.

**This post was edited on May 31st 2018 at 3:00:09pm
7 years ago
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Daph
Posts: 5978 - Karma: 5,011
Only did a brief stint at MSU but have lived in the area for 8 years and work at big sky so holler if you have any questions about Bozeman or skiing
7 years ago
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whiteboi
Posts: 477 - Karma: 1,228
ZypherYeah, I heard that public transport around town and up to Bridger is pretty frequent and easy to access. Ill be bringing my rig over so for the small price of some gas money yall can have a personal shuttle bitch haha.


lmfao me too, i’m all about having my own ride.
7 years ago
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IanAvery-Leaf
Posts: 9937 - Karma: 9,479
DaphOnly did a brief stint at MSU


lol so many people on that boat, MSUs 4 year retention rate has got to be one of the worst

also can't believe they're still operating Roskie. I went to MSU and lived in it '13/'14 and rumor then was it'd be done the following year, now 5 years later that structurally failing crack isn't getting any smaller....

absolutely love Bozeman, not so much MSU
7 years ago
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ModMommy
Posts: 10877 - Karma: 58,289
IanAvery-Leaflol so many people on that boat, MSUs 4 year retention rate has got to be one of the worst

also can't believe they're still operating Roskie. I went to MSU and lived in it '13/'14 and rumor then was it'd be done the following year, now 5 years later that structurally failing crack isn't getting any smaller....

absolutely love Bozeman, not so much MSU


From 2016:
Graduation Rate Within 4 Years 24.0 %
Graduation Rate Within 5 Years 46.5 %
Graduation Rate Within 6 Years 52.8 %
7 years ago
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IanAvery-Leaf
Posts: 9937 - Karma: 9,479
safarisamFrom 2016:
Graduation Rate Within 4 Years 24.0 %
Graduation Rate Within 5 Years 46.5 %
Graduation Rate Within 6 Years 52.8 %

how different is that calculated vs retention though? I’m just thinking the percent of people who come in for freshman year and bail before sophomore year (myself included) has got to be a decent amount
7 years ago
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ModMommy
Posts: 10877 - Karma: 58,289
IanAvery-Leafhow different is that calculated vs retention though? I’m just thinking the percent of people who come in for freshman year and bail before sophomore year (myself included) has got to be a decent amount

76% retention rate.
7 years ago
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IanAvery-Leaf
Posts: 9937 - Karma: 9,479
safarisam76% retention rate.

wow that’s not even remotely what I would have guessed, goes to show how different facts can be from personal viewpoint
7 years ago
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Huck.Fin
Posts: 19 - Karma: 48
I'll be there, assigned to Langford and always down to throw a frisbee around.
Also, I play guitar and banjo, so let me know if you'll be looking for someone to jam with.
7 years ago
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IanAvery-Leaf
Posts: 9937 - Karma: 9,479
Huck.Finassigned to Langford


yikes, see if you can switch to Roskie or even S Hedges before it’s too late
7 years ago
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ched_der
Posts: 362 - Karma: 867
Got put in Roskie for this fall, room 306. If anyone else is going to the June 25-27 orientation hit my dm and I’d be down to link up some of you guys.
7 years ago
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ched_der
Posts: 362 - Karma: 867
safarisamHi, i’m a super senior but if y’all have any questions shoot them my way.


Yo! Whats the party scene like? I’ve heard mixed reviews, many saying it’s mostly dorm stuff but others saying bars are the main night life. Just curious
7 years ago
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ModMommy
Posts: 10877 - Karma: 58,289
asap.maxYo! Whats the party scene like? I’ve heard mixed reviews, many saying it’s mostly dorm stuff but others saying bars are the main night life. Just curious


Freshman year it was lots of dorms/freshman apartments. Sophomore yet lots of my friends had them in their apartments, usually small, though there are a few houses with reputations. Lots of it focused on the bar scene. I’d say now my friends meet at bars and hang out, if you really want to party there are bar designed for that.
7 years ago
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roddy116
Posts: 10656 - Karma: 7,741
safarisamHi, i’m a super senior but if y’all have any questions shoot them my way.


me too, graduation is for the tryhards.
7 years ago
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roddy116
Posts: 10656 - Karma: 7,741
IanAvery-Leafwow that’s not even remotely what I would have guessed, goes to show how different facts can be from personal viewpoint


yeah the problem is a lot of the core classes are designed to fuck you up, half of the math classes are thought up by MSU professors, when i did summer school in MN the content was taught completely differently using different formulas that made more sense. I have noticed that the upper level classes have better teachers, better books, and way better content. Even the upper math and stats classes actually make some sense.
7 years ago
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Kooky_Lukey
Posts: 1002 - Karma: 1,966
I'll put in my two cents since I'm bored at work. Graduated in '16 btw so some stuff could be different.

Difficulty/ workload of Freshman classes?
I coasted through high school getting B's and A's and failed my first test in college, realized I had to study and then was back to getting solid B's. A lot of the elective classes are straight forward and not hard just busy work type stuff. I went for computer science and the CS classes were obviously a little more rigorous, but once you get the hang of it you'll be fine.

Did any of you guys already at MSU find it super easy to go skiing in the winter on weekdays/weekends?
Freshman year on the weekends, super easy. Take the bus to Big Sky or Bridger or drive/find a buddy who can drive. Weekdays freshman year was a little harder. I always got a pass to Big Sky so Bridger might be easier, but until I had more control over picking what days I had class I didn't really go up on weekdays. Once I did though I had off every tuesday and thursday and would normally go up at least one of those days along with the weekend.

Is it worth it to bring a car and park it on campus or is public transport easy enough?
Sort of touched on it before. It's really easy if you live on campus or right next to it not to have a car as the streamline/Big Sky bus and your bike can get you just about anywhere around town. When you move off campus though a car is definitely a lot more helpful.
7 years ago
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chris.goodhue
Posts: 946 - Karma: 6,213
Graduating with a Geology degree this December from MSU, been 4.5 years haha.

Skiing is super distracting from school... especially when you have hard engineering / science pre-recs freshman / sophomore year. If you really want to ski and are less focused on school I HIGHLY recommend taking a year off before starting school..I wish I did, know lots of kids who did it and really enjoyed it / got their skiing / partying / fuckoff year out of the way. I didn't have a car the first semester and found it tough coming from having a car in highschool, but you can definitely get by without one, just meet the right people. There's plenty of attractive women in town, but probably 2x as many dudes who shred just as hard or harder than you so do the math or take your turn haha.

Bozeman is rad, definitely getting big and boujee but what do you expect with such a killer place to live. MSU is also cool, it gets better when you get to know the faculty, I recommend getting to know you professors sooner than later, I just got to know mine this year and it made things much better academically.
7 years ago
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chris.goodhue
Posts: 946 - Karma: 6,213
asap.maxYo! Whats the party scene like? I’ve heard mixed reviews, many saying it’s mostly dorm stuff but others saying bars are the main night life. Just curious


House parties until your 21, then the bars once your of age, DT is super fun, lots of live music, the hauf, scoop, crystals power hour exct... You'll probably get a fake and have it for a few months until its taken at bar 9 or something dumb

Get a house sophomore year and go nuts, its mad fun

In the winter the party scene definitely isn't as good, its cold so people get high and ski

If you want to party all the time its there, but its not like boulder or some big school, sort of the trade off for the great outdoor activities.
7 years ago
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Dddsz
Posts: 3042 - Karma: 7,323
I'm in North hedges! Coming off a gap year in the Bozeman area, so skiing is taking the backseat for awhile. I could easily shuttle three people and gear to Bridger on the weekends if any of y'all are game.
7 years ago
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dadi
Posts: 449 - Karma: 972
doubleuWhat are the women at MSU like?


Nonexistent

Jk. There are beautiful girls that send hard but ya gotta get to them early, because there are 3x as many boys.

**This post was edited on Jun 23rd 2018 at 5:05:30pm
7 years ago
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dadi
Posts: 449 - Karma: 972
Hi, I'll be a MSU Sophomore this year (but going abroad to ski for fall semester yay), but I'll throw my two cents in anyway.
Roskie is the place to be. Literally so many cool kids live there. It's a shit hole and the elevators break down at least once a day but its amazing who you'll meet. (Speaking of elevators I would seriously consider taking the stairs no matter what floor you're on. You don't get trapped in the elevator and it helps you keep the weight off). North Hedges and South Hedges are both great dorms but Roskie is where the concentration of skiers really was.
Fall semester can be fun but there's no skiing until like the dead end of it so I would recommend packing your workload pretty full for the first semester. Then in the spring you can have like 12 credits and ski either Monday Wednesday Friday or Tuesday Thursday. Speaking of classes I would learn how to use CatCourse early on. If you know how to use the software then you can make better schedules and hopefully get to ski more.
Public transportation is really good on the weekends but during weekdays you have to be yourself to Bridger. This means you need a car or you need a friend with a car that has the same class schedule/days off as you. This isn't super hard but I would definitely find those people and gravitate towards them.
For classes I would just take what they tell you to take. Economics 101 has a huge drop rate because if you don't go to class you don't pass. I think it's a super easy class if you show up and do your homework.
So bring a car, Bring a fake ID, and in the first week of school really get outside and try to meet people better that have similar interest to you.
If any of you have questions you can message me, I love talking about MSU and last year I was in your position and NS helped me. So gotta pass it on.

**This post was edited on Jun 23rd 2018 at 5:00:38pm

**This post was edited on Jun 23rd 2018 at 5:03:00pm
7 years ago
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Cadenmccullough
Posts: 628 - Karma: 2,648
A little late to this thread but move in day is tomorrow so why not a bump. I'm a freshman and got a room in Yellowstone. I've lived in Bozeman my whole life so hit me up if your bored or looking for fun things to do or if you just want to take some park laps. I'm a ski instructor at Big Sky and also have a Bridger pass.
7 years ago
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fries
Posts: 2978 - Karma: 7,522
Threads, currently working on application stuff for fall 2019. MSU is at the top, can't imagine going anywhere else but we'll see what happens.
7 years ago
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ModMommy
Posts: 10877 - Karma: 58,289
CadenmcculloughA little late to this thread but move in day is tomorrow so why not a bump. I'm a freshman and got a room in Yellowstone. I've lived in Bozeman my whole life so hit me up if your bored or looking for fun things to do or if you just want to take some park laps. I'm a ski instructor at Big Sky and also have a Bridger pass.

Let me know if you need help finding your class. It doesn’t hurt to do a walk thru campus this week figuring out where you need to be. I’ll be on campus all day in my lab.
7 years ago
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Zypher
Posts: 2337 - Karma: 2,268
Anybody want to do an nw meetup? At the orientation right now!
7 years ago
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