OT: Ever have 2nd thoughts about attending MSU?

leeinator

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Feb 24, 2014
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My Mom was an Ole Miss fan and my Dad graduated MSU in engineering. Mom talked me into going to BAMA to keep me from MSU. She did my application and got me accepted. I was a huge BAMA fan in my early younger life. Once Dad got wind of how serious I was of going to BAMA, he bribed me with a car if I went to MSU....saying he'd save enough money through the alumni scholarship fund which paid for my out-of-state tuition at MSU. Had I gone to BAMA, I would have had to pay out-of-state tuition. So, I caved at the last minute and went to MSU. Not many kids had cars unless their parents had money back then. I felt lucky to have a Ford Pinto Wagon!!......ha,ha!!
 

Dawg1976

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Aug 22, 2012
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No. I have always been satisfied with my degree from State and enjoyed my time there.
 
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Dawgbite

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Nov 1, 2011
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I was headed to Georgia Tech but the summer before my freshman year my Dad got a serious cancer diagnosis. I decided that I needed to stay close to home so I enrolled at State at the last minute. Don't regret it at all. It's kinda mind boggling to think about how different life would have been had I gone to GT
 

Crazy Cotton

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Aug 26, 2012
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I've thought about this a lot with grad school. Came down to Columbia in NYC or UC on the California coast for my PhD. I ended up in California. I'd have been in NYC for September 11th if I'd have made the other choice, that kind of freeked me out at the time. My academic area is kind of like rap, there's a west coast way and an East Coast way, so its had a big impact on my professional networks, etc.

I came to State chasing a girl who dumped my that same semester. Loved it.
 

Bulldog from Birth

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Jan 23, 2007
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Never once. The degree has served me well. But even if it hadn’t, the lifelong friendships that began in Starkville are priceless.
 

goindhoo

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Feb 29, 2008
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No regrets on undergrad. I was too proud to go to ole miss law school. Went to MC. Still paying for it $$$
 

Hugh's Burner Phone

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Aug 3, 2017
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While in high school the other school that recruited me the hardest was auburn followed by Alabama. I gave them some thought, but it was never serious. After a year at state I did a year at a juco and decided to change majors from aerospace. That was when I really looked long and hard at meteorology. I started looking at Oklahoma really hard because I didn't want to do the broadcast thing at msu, but my parents weren't too keen on me heading off to Norman so I ended up back at state in wildlife biology. Haven't really given it much thought after I made that decision until I saw this post tonight.
 

IBleedMaroonDawg

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Nov 12, 2007
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MSUGUY

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Oct 11, 2020
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More specifically, if MSU was one of multiple opportunities for college for you, have you ever looked back at the “road(s) not taken?”

ETA: MSU typing class fails me with my Android
,don’t think so, It was the time of my life
 
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IBleedMaroonDawg

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Nov 12, 2007
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Well, I was majoring in.

Yes, I think about it.

Where I went to college at?

No, I still don't have a doubt that Mississippi State was supposed to have wanted to be.
 
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coach66

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Mar 5, 2009
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No regrets here, MSU is a special place with down to earth “real” people. I credit the place with putting me on a path to success and for that I am grateful. Both my kids have had similar experiences and it’s nice when the entire family is on the same page. We spend a lot of a great family time at MSU.
 

HammerOfTheDogs

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Aug 6, 2004
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Sophomore year of High School, considered two schools- Ole Miss and Livingston, because they both had Navy ROTC and wanted to become a Marine officer. By my junior year decided I didn't want to go into the military, so my two choices were either....Millsaps or USM.

So, naturally, wound up at Mississippi State. No regrets.
 

HeCannotGo

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Feb 23, 2011
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No regrets at all but there was a brief period when I wondered if my MSU education would prove adequate.

On the first day of law school at Emory University in 1994, they hand us a booklet like a high school yearbook. It has a photo of each member of the first year class, along with undergrad institution and major. Class ranking was the most important factor in getting a job, so these were the people I'd be competing against for the next 3 years.

On the row with my picture, the undergrad schools were Tulane, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame, Duke, Cornell and...Mississippi State. Hmmmm. Which of these is not like the others?

But it worked out fine. I finished near the top of my class. Grindin' for my State and stuff.
 

Boom Boom

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Sep 29, 2022
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More specifically, if MSU was one of multiple opportunities for college for you, have you ever looked back at the “road(s) not taken?”

ETA: MSU typing class fails me with my Android
A few. I didn't give college much thought while in HS (what a dubmass), but I was leaning MIT. Missed that they and some others have very early submission deadlines for financial aid, so that was out. Never considered Ivy League though I would have had an outside shot, never cared about the prestige like others do and knew I wanted to do Engineering anyway. Vandy was in the mix but even with a good scholly offer were not comparable on cost, and Nashville sounded like country music hell (dubmass). Georgia and GT were under heavy consideration. GT's campus did not appeal to me, and GA looked awesome but I ruled them out after finding out Engineering is a 5 yr program there (dubmass, ended up nearly a decade at State). Ole Miss gave a better offer than MSU but I thought they were aholes (ok, not a complete dubmass).

I'm sure other schools would have been a better fit for me. But it all worked out and I don't regret it.
 
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Ranchdawg

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Dec 13, 2012
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I grew up an Ole Miss fan but wanted to get an Electrical Engineer degree. I took a tour of State and Dr. Ball showed me around the new Simerall building. I was impressed that the Dean spent time with me. I paid my own way through school with savings from a year and a half of work. I thought about Auburn and visited Ole Miss but I really enjoyed my visit at State. I also enjoyed my 4 years at State. I rarely missed a football or men's/women's basketball games and went to a lot of baseball games. I liked the fact that most State students had a blue collar mentality so I fit in.
State had a great reputation with employers back then. I had 12 job offers and really did some soul searching to decide where to go. I went to work with National Semiconductor in Salt Lake City and learned to snow ski. I wouldn't trade anything for my time at State and the education I received. One of my goals was to see the world and over the years I've enjoyed realizing that goal.
 
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Lucifer Morningstar

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Aug 30, 2022
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Gonna break Kayfabe for just a second, I know, I know never break Kayfabe. That being said, considering I was a third generation dawg I really never had a second thought. I know my father really wanted to go Ole Miss in the 1960s, but being the son of a pulp wood logger from southwest Mississippi that was not really an option for him. He applied to State and the rest was history for my family as they say. He ended up getting a PHD in accounting from State and thanks to him myself, sister, and brother all hold advanced degrees today. I tell people all the time State is my home.

On a side note since we are talking about the road less traveled I often wonder what would have happened had I made the decision to follow football opportunities. I had offers from Southern and other smaller schools around the South. I also had offers from pretty much every Ivy League school of course they only offered partial leadership style scholarships. I decided to go the JUCO route in the hopes of making a bigger schools roster. Blew out a knee and drove my but up 25 to Vegas.
 

The Cooterpoot

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Sep 29, 2022
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I drank, smoked dope, and chased poon for three years of the first degree. Luckily my scholarship money wasn't tied to good grades. After that, had to get after it to catch up. Now, I'm a brain surgeon with a hot wife and a condo in Hot Coffee. *
 
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MaroonOldCrow

Member
Aug 22, 2012
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Don't regret it a bit, it led me to where I am today. I was also accepted to/had scholarship offers from UTK, OM, Bama, Auburn, and Memphis State. Having said that, my scholly was tied to grades, so I only made it at State for two years before I lost that money. Oddly, I'm literally right now taking the last class to finish my degree (through Troy; I guess I'm on the 34 Year Plan), but I'll almost certainly be a State student again either later this year or some time next year as a grad student.
 

ckDOG

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Dec 11, 2007
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Not a bit. State subsidized education is where it's at. Set me up fine to compete in an accounting world. Set my wife up well to be competitive for med school. Unless you are pursuing something incredibly niche or you get a free ride, I see little reason to take on the added debt load that comes with going to school out of state or an expensive private school.
 

HumpDawgy

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Apr 6, 2010
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First day it was pouring rain and I had to climb up hernia hill. Definitely second thoughts that day.
 
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theoriginalSALTYdog

Well-known member
Jul 10, 2021
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More specifically, if MSU was one of multiple opportunities for college for you, have you ever looked back at the “road(s) not taken?”

ETA: MSU typing class fails me with my Android
,
Yes, I regret not taking that full scholly to Cambridge. They have a hell'uva physics curriculum. Seriously though, NO, I have no regrets. Sometime it's not the degree but how well you can put what you have to use.
 

Wesson Bulldog

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Nov 3, 2015
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I graduated in Dec. 92. The only regret, maybe, that I have is my general business degree. When I finished, I had no idea what I wanted to do. My first job ended up being Debone Supervisor at Sanderson Farms in Hazlehurst. Boy what a culture shock that was, but I digress.

Mama tried to tell me to go into a computer science program because 'the nerds will rule the world one day'. Of course I didn't want to be a need, so...and now they do.
 

Webbmoore

New member
Feb 10, 2016
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I think I’ll weigh-in as I’m married to a State Alumni and love y’all’s board. I went to Ole Miss and loved it. M-Club guy but have always respected State. I’ve loved ever coach y’all have had but Mullen and I hated Hugh Freeze, still do. I loved and respected Leach!

Meet my wife in Columbus while flying, I’m a retired military aviator. 24 years in the military…

She gave me so much hell about Ole Miss that as she said “I hated you so much that I loved you”. She said the flight suit is what did it. 11 weeks and we were engaged.

School wise, my wife loves State but her heart has Ole Miss in it too now, same for me. I pull for State unless it’s against my team. Our daughter is going to SMU in a couple of years so we are a mixed family.

I always tell my young enlisted and officers
to go where it’s free and no debt. I loved Ole Miss and my wife loved State, they both were free for both of us. She was a cheerleader for State and I had a full ride as well. Always go where it’s free!

For grad school I really wish I had gone to State but went to Duke and hated it. Duke wants you to think one way and I wish I had listened to my wife.

Both my wife and I love the board!
 
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