COLUMN: One in 6,000: First-Year Student Perspectives on MU’s Historic Enrollment

In front of Jesse Hall, two historic sights stare at one another. In one direction, the University of Missouri Columns frame the setting sun with their magnificence. In the other, a crowd of over 6,000 students nervously wonder how they will manage to squeeze through the gaps between the pillars. For MU’s largest incoming class in 10 years, finding where they “fit” is still a struggle. 

The Columbia Missourian has placed the number of students in the class of 2028 at 6,243 hopeful graduates, a noticeable increase from the average 5,753 students admitted yearly since 2014. This statistic may seem like an encouraging display of MU’s growth and advancement through the years, but many students have been feeling adverse effects from this record-breaking enrollment. 

These issues began before students even arrived on campus with the Federal Application for Student Aid mistakes that created an American admissions apocalypse. For the class of 2028, college application stress skyrocketed when the FAFSA forms were released three months later than expected, as noted by NPR. 

NPR also details the consequences of this late release, including the horrifying financial purgatory that captured thousands of college applicants. Without knowing how much financial aid they would receive, many high school seniors were left uncertain of which schools they would be realistically able to attend in the fall, or if they would be able to afford college at all. 

Needless to say, MU’s freshmen were already under stress before making the extreme transition to living away from the homes, family and friends they grew up with. Once they arrived on campus, the traditional welcoming events were unable to cope with the number of attendees. 

First Roar, the night when new students walk to Faurot Field to learn classic cheers for their school’s football team, began almost an hour after its projected start time as thousands of students struggled to squeeze through lines and into the stadium. Similarly, Tiger Walk, the tradition of running through the Columns for a cup of ice cream, began late and took ages for everyone to exit Francis Quadrangle after. The Midnight Barbecue left students in line for 45 minutes to receive their food. The overcrowded events were difficult to enjoy while having your personal space invaded or standing in never-ending lines.

First-year student Gabe Mahan mentioned the lack of preparedness to accommodate students for Welcome Week. 

“It was a pain in the ass,” Mahan said. “We waited in line for hours to just… get a sandwich.” 

His friend, first-year Roman Muñoz, had similar qualms with the events. When talking about First Roar, he said, “I like football, but it was a waste of time.” 

This issue seems to have impacted social life the most. In my own experience, the number of students made the atmosphere too overwhelming to attempt to make new friends. It seemed as though there were too many people to try and speak to any singular one.

In multiple interviews I conducted, other MU first-year students had similar complaints about the class size. Bella Bujnak, a health sciences major, discussed with me at length the issues she has had with finding her place on campus. 

“I just hang out with people from my school,” Bujnak said. “Everyone already had their cliques.” 

Fun events and socializing are not the only affected areas of freshmen life; academics have been suffering as well. Every one of my classes was full to absolute capacity. 

“The teachers are gonna be strung pretty tight,” Mahan said when asked if he thought there was a good teacher to student ratio on campus. Muños added that he believed there were far too many students in each class. 

With only one professor in many giant lecture halls, asking a question or receiving feedback can feel like an obstacle course.When I asked Bujnak if she felt comfortable asking questions or requesting help in large lectures, she said she felt nervous to do either in her “super large” classes. 

These comments create a compelling discussion: Is it possible for the students of MU to receive a hands-on, “Missouri Method” education with so many first-years? In a school which prides itself on learning by doing, it would seem logical to refrain from over-enrolling students to provide each with ample opportunities to deeply interact with material and gain experience. 

When asking a simple question in class is a Herculean feat, admissions should know that there are too many students on campus. 

You may have already been frustrated by the over-enrollment of the class of 2028. You may be angrier now that you know others feel similarly. The good news is that you do not have to agree to this next year. 

A quick email to the admissions office politely stating your concerns could make all the difference for both next year’s first-years and continuing students who will have to feel overcrowded as well. Invest in the future and integrity of your education this admissions season. 

Edited by Preston Smith | psmith@themaneater.com

Copyedited by Claire Bauer and Hannah Taylor | htaylor@themaneater.com 

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com