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STEM standouts and rigorous academics will fit right in at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Aspiring engineers 鈥渁re exposed to just about every different type of engineering鈥濃�攊ncluding aerospace, metallurgical and mechanical鈥攎aking it 鈥渙ne of the best universities that prepares engineers for industry.鈥� Students acknowledge that courses are 鈥渧ery tough and intimidating,鈥� to the point at which 鈥渋t鈥檚 not uncommon to have a 55 percent or less average on a test.鈥� That said, the purpose isn鈥檛 to deflate GPAs; it鈥檚 to 鈥減repare students to find a job in the real world and help us to get the experience to succeed in it,鈥� and graduates claim 鈥渢he quality of education and availability of resources here is second to none.鈥� Undergraduates master material via 鈥渉ands-on learning, small class sizes, and caring professors鈥� who are 鈥渟ome of the smartest professors in the world.鈥� And though 鈥渢he professors are there to challenge you鈥� and matriculants caution that you should 鈥渘ot expect to be babied at all,鈥� enrollees make clear that 鈥渁ll of the professors have office hours, whether open or by appointment鈥� and they consider 鈥渢he accessibility of instructors and other faculty/staff 鈥� one of the school鈥檚 strengths. Plus, all that time spent puzzling over problem sets typically pays off; Missouri S&T 鈥渃omes in the top ten schools in average starting salary for graduates and won鈥檛 guarantee a huge debt burden.鈥�

The Missouri S&T campus is a safe place to be smart and draws an accordingly bookish student body. As students put it, those who were 鈥渁 little nerdy鈥� and out of place, 鈥渘ow can be themselves鈥� as proud S&T Miners. And while they 鈥渃ame here primarily to learn,鈥� they鈥檙e not opposed to socializing or making new friends鈥攊n fact, that commonality makes it 鈥渞eally easy to just to strike up a conversation with someone.鈥� The 鈥渧ery friendly鈥� folks on campus 鈥渓ive together in harmony鈥� and with over 200 student organizations, 鈥渆veryone can find a place to fit in.鈥� While the majority of the students enrolled are from Missouri, the others hail 鈥渇rom the edges of the nation and even some foreign countries, which is astounding considering our small enrollment size.鈥� Regardless of their origins, students say they 鈥渁dapt to the social environment鈥� fairly quickly and then, for the most part, coexist happily as like-minded, hardworking peers.

Missouri S&T may be 鈥渁 small school in the middle of Missouri,鈥� but its 鈥渞ange of student organizations is mind-boggling.鈥� Besides joining such groups, students can participate in Greek life and partake in school-sponsored recreation like 鈥渟cavenger hunts, video game nights, cooking classes, viewing parties, dance lessons, and much more.鈥� That said, at a place where 鈥渁ll of the students are always worrying about that next exam in calculus,鈥� it isn鈥檛 surprising that undergrads spend a lot of their free time studying. Here, 鈥渁cademics are everyone鈥檚 top priority.鈥� But students say that when they鈥檙e not hitting the books, 鈥渄rinking is pretty big on weekends鈥� and also cite athletics and fitness as popular pastimes. Those who need to get off-campus note that 鈥渢here鈥檚 not so much to do in the town鈥� of Rolla but say that St. Louis is accessible for day trips. Most enrollees busy themselves on campus with extracurriculars or further exploration of their academic interests. 鈥淰irtually every student is either heavily involved in a diverse group of these student organizations or devotes much of their time to design teams or research.鈥�

Success is often synonymous with Missouri S&T graduates. And this does not go unnoticed by current students. As one senior boasts, 鈥淢any employers place Missouri S&T candidates at the top of their list.鈥� A fellow senior concurs, adding, 鈥淢issouri S&T provides a first-class education, and employers know the quality of student that graduates from this institution, so finding a job is no problem at all!鈥� Certainly, some of this professional achievement can be chalked up to a 鈥渇antastic [career services office].鈥� With the help of digital platforms like Handshake and Miner Network to connect students with employers and alumni, the office of Career Opportunities and Employer Relations shows some impressive numbers. Nearly 30,000 jobs are posted yearly for S&T students, and many students take advantage of the Cooperative Education Program (co-op), with more than 200 companies hiring students annually. Students can work full-time for a semester or two, allowing them to showcase their experiential learning history to potential employers upon graduation. As if that all weren鈥檛 enough, according to PayScale.com, the median starting salary of S&T graduates is $79,300, with 52 percent of students stating that their work has a meaningful impact on the world.