Montana, a state not known for much, but full of secret gems. With the Rocky Mountains leaving a nice backdrop and being a beautiful environment feature, it offers more than just plains and endless roads. 

It is also home to the University of Montana. The University of Montana was founded in 1893 and is ranked #277 on the National Best Colleges list. That might seem low, but it’s ranked out of more than a thousand colleges. The University of Montana offers an inviting and engaging lifestyle on campus. 

Since it is a public university, there is a larger population of students, however, that is something found at most if not all public universities. With an enrollment of 6,975 undergraduates, there is something to say for its easy admissions rate and affordability. 

Speaking of money, as an out-of-state student it may get relatively expensive, however, the University of Montana is one of the many colleges in the Western portion of the United States apart of the Western Undergraduate Exchange Scholarship (WUE for short). This helps students who live in Oregon, like us, to better afford the out-of-state tuition. 

The WUE is a merit-based scholarship that looks at your academic performance and helps to determine the value of your scholarship from that. “The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is an agreement among WICHE’s 16 member states and territories, through which 160+ participating public colleges and universities provide steep nonresident tuition savings for Western students,” which helps so many students to explore outside of their home states and relieve them of some of that student loan debt burden. 

Programs and academic opportunities offered at the University of Montana are wide and expansive. The University of Montana offers a variety of majors and minors, and also offers internships that can allow you to obtain credit that way as well. 

The University of Montana also has an endless amount of clubs and organizations you can join to make new friends and connections. They also offer all your normal sports teams, including opportunities to go on their Varsity teams as well. In addition, this is a fun fact the Varsity Girls Basketball team is currently 5-1 wins!

Fun fact, some famous or well-known alumni that have come from the University of Montana are: “Carroll O’Connor, who starred as Archie Bunker in the television show “All in the Family”; Colin Meloy, the lead singer of The Decemberists; and actor J.K. Simmons, who has appeared in the “Law & Order” television show and in the “Spider-Man” movies.”

Montana itself offers a similar climate to Oregon, however with the added bonus of so much more snow during the winter months. This means those dreams of a white Christmas may come to fruition. Summers are quite similar to that of Oregon with high 80’s and mostly sunny days. It offers all four seasons but adds some variety. 

Montana also offers, for me at the least, a chance to be more of an individual and have an opportunity to explore. It also is relatively close to Yellowstone National Park, which for a history nerd and someone who enjoys animal life, is really exciting. Montana may seem like a faraway state that will take you far from home, but it’s still close to Oregon, and sometimes a little distance to find yourself is needed.