Missouri State University - Springfield

The only thing the big city school had over MSU was its proximity to the city, the number of job opportunities and name recognition. I’m still not sure that I would have stayed at MSU for my degree but it was definitely a great place to get a well-rounded, high-quality education while paying a low tuition (especially for in-state students). I used it as a jumping off point where I finished my general curriculum credits and moved on to a specialized school.

Okay, with that out of the way, MSU is a great school, but you only get out what you put in. Speaking of the Anthro professors, they are simply wonderful. End of story. They get really involved with their students and even host ethnic dinners and events, which you don't often see until grad school.

MSU is for people who can motivate themselves and want a good education without the paying a fortune. You can get good grades without really applying yourself, but in the end that’s your loss because there are some really wonderful opportunities if you look and apply yourself.

Springfield is a great town, but small. Despite its size, it’s got a good local music scene, lots of bars, and a surprising amount of artists. There are actually several universities in Springfield, so there is a huge population of people 18 to 35. There isn’t a huge Greek population (I think around 13%), but plenty of other great student organizations to join.