Bozeman and MSU

u of m close to where ever. really comes down to what you want to be

If you choose to come, come to MSU for MSU not for Bozeman or skiing. So many kids come here to ski and then drop out within the first 3 semesters. Don't waste your effort and money doing that. If you are serious about school then MSU is a really great school. What are you interested in studying?

brobyu of m close to where ever. really comes down to what you want to be

U of montana isn't very close to skiing, snowbowl is pretty meh and lost trail is about an hour and a half away. MSU is the better choice IMO, better town, better skiing.

Yeah Bozeman is sick but if you just want to ski just take a gap year somewhere.

you can make good money late night serving here. If your serious about school it’s a good school too

ReturnToMonkeyIf you choose to come, come to MSU for MSU not for Bozeman or skiing. So many kids come here to ski and then drop out within the first 3 semesters. Don't waste your effort and money doing that. If you are serious about school then MSU is a really great school. What are you interested in studying?

Tbh I have no idea. I just want to go somewhere fun and hope the major just comes. I wouldn’t go there just for skiing but it looks like such a good spot and Bozeman looks great. I’ve lived in the mountains my whole life and never plan on leaving. How’s your experience there?

Coleg55Yeah Bozeman is sick but if you just want to ski just take a gap year somewhere.

you can make good money late night serving here. If your serious about school it’s a good school too

I want a good school and good skiing. I looks like the only good school for that in the us. Idk why but my parents don’t want me to take a gap witch sucks or else I would

Joshf687I want a good school and good skiing. I looks like the only good school for that in the us. Idk why but my parents don’t want me to take a gap witch sucks or else I would

University of Calgary is a good school and has access to great skiing.

but honestly if you don’t know what you’re wanting to do id just go gap year and try to convince. Looking back I would have been better off just waiting a year instead of taking bs classes that didn’t help me

Definitely not a bad idea to listen to others and take a gap year. However going out on your own at 18 without having somewhat of a routine/guidance through college can be scary.

Here's my story if it helps...

From MN, skiing has been a huge part of my life. Didn't want to go to college but I come from a family heavily involved in academia and I am a somewhat smart kid who wanted to be around other smart so I went.

Really liked Portland, OR so I applied to Lewis & Clark. Got in. Went for a year and a half, Covid happened. Did 2 semesters online and then took a year off. Lot of stuff happened in between, now I am going back to school in Duluth at U of Minnesota. Switched majors as well so even though i should have graduated college this year i probably have 2 years left at the U. I definitely don't regret my decision to go out of state and experience a completely new place even if I a lot of shit has changed.

That being said, try not to get too worried or discouraged when it comes to these decisions. Easier said than done, trust me I know.

I think Bozeman is a really fun college town. Lots of like-minded folk who enjoy the outdoors and skiing. MSU is also a really good school from what I have heard with lots of good programs. I have two friends who are there now and one friend who graduated. All 3 love it out there. I am actually thinking about transferring out there myself if I can figure out money.

As far as "don't go to college unless you're focused on school" I agree and disagree. You've got to understand that you need to have something other than skiing in your life, even though you can live cheaply and make skiing all there is, you're more than likely not going to want to be a ski bum in 20 years.

So try and find a major you enjoy and it will be a bit easier. The first year at college is usually a breeze and don't feel too bad about exploring your options.

ScootSkiLyfeDefinitely not a bad idea to listen to others and take a gap year. However going out on your own at 18 without having somewhat of a routine/guidance through college can be scary.

Here's my story if it helps...

From MN, skiing has been a huge part of my life. Didn't want to go to college but I come from a family heavily involved in academia and I am a somewhat smart kid who wanted to be around other smart so I went.

Really liked Portland, OR so I applied to Lewis & Clark. Got in. Went for a year and a half, Covid happened. Did 2 semesters online and then took a year off. Lot of stuff happened in between, now I am going back to school in Duluth at U of Minnesota. Switched majors as well so even though i should have graduated college this year i probably have 2 years left at the U. I definitely don't regret my decision to go out of state and experience a completely new place even if I a lot of shit has changed.

That being said, try not to get too worried or discouraged when it comes to these decisions. Easier said than done, trust me I know.

I think Bozeman is a really fun college town. Lots of like-minded folk who enjoy the outdoors and skiing. MSU is also a really good school from what I have heard with lots of good programs. I have two friends who are there now and one friend who graduated. All 3 love it out there. I am actually thinking about transferring out there myself if I can figure out money.

As far as "don't go to college unless you're focused on school" I agree and disagree. You've got to understand that you need to have something other than skiing in your life, even though you can live cheaply and make skiing all there is, you're more than likely not going to want to be a ski bum in 20 years.

So try and find a major you enjoy and it will be a bit easier. The first year at college is usually a breeze and don't feel too bad about exploring your options.

Yeah it looks like a really good school for learning but also seems to have everything else I want

Joshf687Yeah it looks like a really good school for learning but also seems to have everything else I want

Including soaring tuition and housing prices, overloaded infrastructure, and a lot of bullshit people?
I'm serious, these are huge problems here and make me want to leave asap but also that's pretty much where the bad things end. Don't worry I have a good response coming from my laptop for your prior questions

Coleg55University of Calgary is a good school and has access to great skiing.

but honestly if you don’t know what you’re wanting to do id just go gap year and try to convince. Looking back I would have been better off just waiting a year instead of taking bs classes that didn’t help me

The ideal move is a gap, and kinda get all my skiing out so I don’t make a decision solely based off skiing

Note that I have never attended another university, so any comparisons I make are based on word of mouth or what I've read. Also I just want to say that Western State is a really great place and you should consider it, at least for some classes, although I totally understand you wanting to do something new and get out of where you grew up.

When you come to MSU, be prepared to pay for a lot of extra things that you may not use. Some of my friends and I were comparing our financial statements and MSU has twice as many extra costs for things like technology, the gymnasium, student health care, etc.. This means you have all these things available to you, but I certainly have not needed to use most of them. You cannot opt out afaik. However, that means MSU gets all this money to go into Cruzado's pocket- err I mean to give us one of the best engineering programs of any state school in the country, certainly the best one with so much outdoors access. We also have really good science programs, particularly biology and ecology, with countless real-world, real-data opportunities to do hands-on learning. There's a soils class that I swear 20% of people have taken and they just go around the region looking at dirt and everyone loves it. We have the only Snow Science major, with an advanced subzero lab that can simulate so many kinds of snow and ice you can't even imagine. As far as business goes, it seems alright. I don't think business programs differ that much across schools but there's a lot of money in the Yellowstone region, which means quite the potential for connections to be made. Young_Patty is an English education major, the program seems really good, he has some qualms with it but I think most of them are the fact that these professors have to teach some kids from rural towns that children can come from many backgrounds, not just white-dominated cow towns. There's more, but I think the most stand-out programs at MSU are engineering and bioscience, as those are research based and we are a research institution.

Comparing my curriculum with my mechanical engineer major friend at Cal Poly, his definitely seems more rigorous. Is that better? I don't know. I do know he goes to school for almost 2 months longer than me each year. I need 128 credits for my major, he needs over 200! On the other hand, my friend at Creighton (NE) gets like 5 day breaks for every holiday lol. That school seems so ass, though. He always is complaining about bad group members and dumb people doing stupid things, has very few friends there. That leads me to the people here. You will probably meet more people from more places than you ever have in your life. It's the most diverse white culture I've experienced and I love it. I really miss Colorado's actual diversity, but you probably are not as used to that coming from the mountains. We have everything from cowgirls and hicks to hippies and commies, with everything in between. It's a polarized place, but not as bad as the internet! Most people are actually moderate and get along, it's a cool blend of cultures. Most of my friends do not go to school, which is a big problem. They all started, then dropped out. This is why I warn you against coming to MSU. I've seen wayyy too many people say they will figure out what they want but the only thing they figure out is how much money school really costs. It's only getting worse and worse as the school ropes in more rich kids who can pay the price, even if it's only for one year, it's the school's money now and Cruzado is hooked on that model, I tell ya what.

Freshman year, I lived in South Hedges. North and South are easily the best dorms. They are closer to most of campus than most the other dorms and (this is huge) you don't even have to go outside to go to the dining hall. Miller used to be really really good but I hear it's super ass now. Me and Young_Patty met while working there freshman year, and he still does. They are struggling for staff and being hit hard by supply chain issues, all the while privileged immature 18 year olds and 38 year olds yell at them for not having chocolate milk. That's certainly part of culture here... So much privilege. (Check out the instagram page overheard_bozeman). You'll likely start looking for off-campus housing for sophomore year. Avoid Stadium view and the Arrow, they are shitty, evil money pits. It's best to get a house or apartment with your friends, but that's so hard to do here. I found my way into a nice house with some strangers from Marketplace but I regret it and wish I lived in a shittier place with my homies. I also wish I made better friends freshman year. Nothing against those I have, but my only group pretty much all dropped out or went to their home states for price, leaving me as the fringe guy in other groups... Don't drop out and leave your friends here hanging.

As far as outdoors rec goes, I mean it's a wonderland. I won't really go into it here because there's just no need. Big Sky and Bridger are both better than every Colorado mountain I've been to except maybe Crested Butte. We have 3 big rivers less than an hour away and endless hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, rafting, climbing, camping, etc etc opportunities. You're used to this though. It's a privilege not to take lightly! You easily could stay where you're at, attend Western for a year or two and take the core classes for super cheap while living a lifestyle you love. Then transfer for when you really get to take advantage of what MSU has to offer in higher-level courses and experience what Bozeman has to offer. The best part, Montana is only a 30 minute drive from Bozeman!

Joshf687Tbh I have no idea. I just want to go somewhere fun and hope the major just comes. I wouldn’t go there just for skiing but it looks like such a good spot and Bozeman looks great. I’ve lived in the mountains my whole life and never plan on leaving. How’s your experience there?

Coleg55University of Calgary is a good school and has access to great skiing.

but honestly if you don’t know what you’re wanting to do id just go gap year and try to convince. Looking back I would have been better off just waiting a year instead of taking bs classes that didn’t help me

Cole hit the nail on the head with the gap year. I knew what I wanted to do from the start and never took unnecessary classes (bowling, skiing, power cycling were very necessary) and I STILL wish I had taken a gap year. It would've helped me for a lot of personal reasons, but mainly I frequently find myself burning out and spending 16 years taking school seriously without any long breaks has taken its toll. I am a nerd at heart and love learning, but I'm so ready to be done. (And yet I still am considering grad school lol)

ReturnToMonkeyNote that I have never attended another university, so any comparisons I make are based on word of mouth or what I've read. Also I just want to say that Western State is a really great place and you should consider it, at least for some classes, although I totally understand you wanting to do something new and get out of where you grew up.

When you come to MSU, be prepared to pay for a lot of extra things that you may not use. Some of my friends and I were comparing our financial statements and MSU has twice as many extra costs for things like technology, the gymnasium, student health care, etc.. This means you have all these things available to you, but I certainly have not needed to use most of them. You cannot opt out afaik. However, that means MSU gets all this money to go into Cruzado's pocket- err I mean to give us one of the best engineering programs of any state school in the country, certainly the best one with so much outdoors access. We also have really good science programs, particularly biology and ecology, with countless real-world, real-data opportunities to do hands-on learning. There's a soils class that I swear 20% of people have taken and they just go around the region looking at dirt and everyone loves it. We have the only Snow Science major, with an advanced subzero lab that can simulate so many kinds of snow and ice you can't even imagine. As far as business goes, it seems alright. I don't think business programs differ that much across schools but there's a lot of money in the Yellowstone region, which means quite the potential for connections to be made. Young_Patty is an English education major, the program seems really good, he has some qualms with it but I think most of them are the fact that these professors have to teach some kids from rural towns that children can come from many backgrounds, not just white-dominated cow towns. There's more, but I think the most stand-out programs at MSU are engineering and bioscience, as those are research based and we are a research institution.

Comparing my curriculum with my mechanical engineer major friend at Cal Poly, his definitely seems more rigorous. Is that better? I don't know. I do know he goes to school for almost 2 months longer than me each year. I need 128 credits for my major, he needs over 200! On the other hand, my friend at Creighton (NE) gets like 5 day breaks for every holiday lol. That school seems so ass, though. He always is complaining about bad group members and dumb people doing stupid things, has very few friends there. That leads me to the people here. You will probably meet more people from more places than you ever have in your life. It's the most diverse white culture I've experienced and I love it. I really miss Colorado's actual diversity, but you probably are not as used to that coming from the mountains. We have everything from cowgirls and hicks to hippies and commies, with everything in between. It's a polarized place, but not as bad as the internet! Most people are actually moderate and get along, it's a cool blend of cultures. Most of my friends do not go to school, which is a big problem. They all started, then dropped out. This is why I warn you against coming to MSU. I've seen wayyy too many people say they will figure out what they want but the only thing they figure out is how much money school really costs. It's only getting worse and worse as the school ropes in more rich kids who can pay the price, even if it's only for one year, it's the school's money now and Cruzado is hooked on that model, I tell ya what.

Freshman year, I lived in South Hedges. North and South are easily the best dorms. They are closer to most of campus than most the other dorms and (this is huge) you don't even have to go outside to go to the dining hall. Miller used to be really really good but I hear it's super ass now. Me and Young_Patty met while working there freshman year, and he still does. They are struggling for staff and being hit hard by supply chain issues, all the while privileged immature 18 year olds and 38 year olds yell at them for not having chocolate milk. That's certainly part of culture here... So much privilege. (Check out the instagram page overheard_bozeman). You'll likely start looking for off-campus housing for sophomore year. Avoid Stadium view and the Arrow, they are shitty, evil money pits. It's best to get a house or apartment with your friends, but that's so hard to do here. I found my way into a nice house with some strangers from Marketplace but I regret it and wish I lived in a shittier place with my homies. I also wish I made better friends freshman year. Nothing against those I have, but my only group pretty much all dropped out or went to their home states for price, leaving me as the fringe guy in other groups... Don't drop out and leave your friends here hanging.

As far as outdoors rec goes, I mean it's a wonderland. I won't really go into it here because there's just no need. Big Sky and Bridger are both better than every Colorado mountain I've been to except maybe Crested Butte. We have 3 big rivers less than an hour away and endless hiking, biking, hunting, fishing, rafting, climbing, camping, etc etc opportunities. You're used to this though. It's a privilege not to take lightly! You easily could stay where you're at, attend Western for a year or two and take the core classes for super cheap while living a lifestyle you love. Then transfer for when you really get to take advantage of what MSU has to offer in higher-level courses and experience what Bozeman has to offer. The best part, Montana is only a 30 minute drive from Bozeman!


Cole hit the nail on the head with the gap year. I knew what I wanted to do from the start and never took unnecessary classes (bowling, skiing, power cycling were very necessary) and I STILL wish I had taken a gap year. It would've helped me for a lot of personal reasons, but mainly I frequently find myself burning out and spending 16 years taking school seriously without any long breaks has taken its toll. I am a nerd at heart and love learning, but I'm so ready to be done. (And yet I still am considering grad school lol)

Thanks so much for this info. Kinda liking the idea of doing some classes at western then possibly going up to Bozeman. I’ve thought about engineering and I didn’t know msu was great for that. Thanks again for the info it helped a lot

Went to MSU from outta state my Freshman year because I heard Bridger was close by... turns out it's close by, but the lines are out the ass and a less than ideal park lead me to Big Sky.
Big Sky was worth the 1.5 hour drive/shuttle, the pass was spendy though.
Check out OSU: Cascades in Bend Oregon. It's a small brand new school, ~1,500 students, Mt. Bachelor has a crazy ski scene and it's 25 minutes from the dorms.
Spent 1 year in Bozeman, 3 in Bend... Bend has better vibes but no "Greek life" if that's what you want, but a solid community of freshma between OSU and the local community college, which is more like a 4 year university than community college.

If you want the "freshman experience" you see on TV and in movies, go to MSU. If you want your largest class to have 30 students and a tight knit college campus, OSU Cascades.

Idk about msu, but Bozeman is sweet other than the cost of living. Bridger lines really aren't bad, and you'll probably find yourself hiking the ridge anyways.

I went to Western WA university and I feel like Bozeman might have been too big of a distraction from school and I probably would have dropped out.

elm.Idk about msu, but Bozeman is sweet other than the cost of living. Bridger lines really aren't bad, and you'll probably find yourself hiking the ridge anyways.

I went to Western WA university and I feel like Bozeman might have been too big of a distraction from school and I probably would have dropped out.

I’ve heard mix things about Bridger lines. I’m from Colorado so anything will be better, long lines to some are probably nothing to me. But thanks for the info

QuaggyWent to MSU from outta state my Freshman year because I heard Bridger was close by... turns out it's close by, but the lines are out the ass and a less than ideal park lead me to Big Sky.
Big Sky was worth the 1.5 hour drive/shuttle, the pass was spendy though.
Check out OSU: Cascades in Bend Oregon. It's a small brand new school, ~1,500 students, Mt. Bachelor has a crazy ski scene and it's 25 minutes from the dorms.
Spent 1 year in Bozeman, 3 in Bend... Bend has better vibes but no "Greek life" if that's what you want, but a solid community of freshma between OSU and the local community college, which is more like a 4 year university than community college.

If you want the "freshman experience" you see on TV and in movies, go to MSU. If you want your largest class to have 30 students and a tight knit college campus, OSU Cascades.

What is long lines at Bridger, since I’m from Colorado long lines are normal. I’d take big mountain over park, so is bachelors big mountain any good?

idk why your parents would want to drop money on your gap year, which would become gap yearS

Joshf687I want a good school and good skiing. I looks like the only good school for that in the us. Idk why but my parents don’t want me to take a gap witch sucks or else I would

Abomber22idk why your parents would want to drop money on your gap year, which would become gap yearS

I’m mean it’s not that hard to get a job and ski bum for a year, I’d pay for myself

Joshf687What is long lines at Bridger, since I’m from Colorado long lines are normal. I’d take big mountain over park, so is bachelors big mountain any good?

long lines at bridger are average lines in Colorado

Jemslong lines at bridger are average lines in Colorado

Not even, during the heart of winter

Yeah

eheathU of montana isn't very close to skiing, snowbowl is pretty meh and lost trail is about an hour and a half away. MSU is the better choice IMO, better town, better skiing.

close to whitefish and closer to canada

brobyclose to whitefish and closer to canada

while also being a boof school

QuaggyWent to MSU from outta state my Freshman year because I heard Bridger was close by... turns out it's close by, but the lines are out the ass and a less than ideal park lead me to Big Sky.
Big Sky was worth the 1.5 hour drive/shuttle, the pass was spendy though.
Check out OSU: Cascades in Bend Oregon. It's a small brand new school, ~1,500 students, Mt. Bachelor has a crazy ski scene and it's 25 minutes from the dorms.
Spent 1 year in Bozeman, 3 in Bend... Bend has better vibes but no "Greek life" if that's what you want, but a solid community of freshma between OSU and the local community college, which is more like a 4 year university than community college.

If you want the "freshman experience" you see on TV and in movies, go to MSU. If you want your largest class to have 30 students and a tight knit college campus, OSU Cascades.

Osu cascades is dope. Their still adding a ton of stuff to the campus as well

Joshf687What is long lines at Bridger, since I’m from Colorado long lines are normal. I’d take big mountain over park, so is bachelors big mountain any good?

Bachelors big mountain is fine. Not much steep shit your bibs terrain tho. More of a snowboard mountain but still awesome on skis

Joshf687What is long lines at Bridger, since I’m from Colorado long lines are normal. I’d take big mountain over park, so is bachelors big mountain any good?

Yes and no. Bachelor is pretty flat and only has a few “big mountain” lines up on summit, which is most of the time pretty variable but occasionally exceptional. The lower mountain and west side of the mountain has lots of fun freeride lines with lots of wind lips and jumps around. Pretty much no drops or cliffs tho. Also the park is bomb.com imo. Beware tho, the lift lines have been getting much worse in the past couple years especially after ikon got ahold of bachy

ScootSkiLyfeAs far as "don't go to college unless you're focused on school" I agree and disagree. You've got to understand that you need to have something other than skiing in your life, even though you can live cheaply and make skiing all there is, you're more than likely not going to want to be a ski bum in 20 years.

So try and find a major you enjoy and it will be a bit easier. The first year at college is usually a breeze and don't feel too bad about exploring your options.

There are plenty of things outside of skiing that aren't college. There are plenty of people with crippling student loan debt that will never pay it off. Plenty of people use their degrees, plenty of people don't, people can have a great experience that helps them even if they're career isn't necessarily related to their major.

People are different, college is expensive. Honestly I'd never encourage anyone that was thinking of not going to college, to go. There are specific jobs that you really need to go to school for, and the people that want them already know that. Thankfully it isn't being pushed nearly as hard as it was.

Plenty of people that don't go to college aren't bums. That idea was played years ago. You can absolutely be successful without ever going to college. You can absolutely graduate and work a normal job, broke ish with stacks of college loans.

mrk127Yes and no. Bachelor is pretty flat and only has a few “big mountain” lines up on summit, which is most of the time pretty variable but occasionally exceptional. The lower mountain and west side of the mountain has lots of fun freeride lines with lots of wind lips and jumps around. Pretty much no drops or cliffs tho. Also the park is bomb.com imo. Beware tho, the lift lines have been getting much worse in the past couple years especially after ikon got ahold of bachy

Anything 15-30 ish

theabortionatorThere are plenty of things outside of skiing that aren't college. There are plenty of people with crippling student loan debt that will never pay it off. Plenty of people use their degrees, plenty of people don't, people can have a great experience that helps them even if they're career isn't necessarily related to their major.

People are different, college is expensive. Honestly I'd never encourage anyone that was thinking of not going to college, to go. There are specific jobs that you really need to go to school for, and the people that want them already know that. Thankfully it isn't being pushed nearly as hard as it was.

Plenty of people that don't go to college aren't bums. That idea was played years ago. You can absolutely be successful without ever going to college. You can absolutely graduate and work a normal job, broke ish with stacks of college loans.

I wasn't saying people that don't go to college are bums, nor was I trying to push OP to go to college necessarily.

A few of my friends didn't go to a 4-year college and are making way more money than any of my friends who just graduated last year. They also have to grind pretty hard at jobs not everyone is going to want to work. In the end its gonna be to each their own.

I've just run into a few guys who don't seem all that happy because they didn't take into consideration that they might not love skiing/the ski community quite as much 10-15 years down the road and they feel kind of stuck. Just want OP to keep his options open I guess.

TBH I am not the best person to ask for advice on this as I am pretty lost in my decisions and somewhat lost in general at this point.

Just gotta keep on keepin on

Joshf687Anything 15-30 ish

Up in the bowl on summit there are for sure some sizable hucks