We’re celebrating five years of the Ursa Experience and welcoming our next class of Bears 8/12/19-8/14/19! Previous attendees share the reasons they think new Bears should take part in the Ursa Experience!
1) Ursa helps you make new connections and friendships coming into Missouri State.
Bailee Finn (2015): I loved URSA. It was an experience that I feel lucky to have had the chance to be a part of. It was a great chance to meet so many people and be able to make connections before starting school. It helped create a foundation that was easier to start from, especially for me since I didn’t know anyone coming into Missouri State. It’s the foundation and starting point that URSA helped to create that is the reason students should join, as well as the entire experience being a lot of fun. 
Lauren Silva (2015): When I think about my experience in the Ursa program my first thought is inclusiveness. While going through the program I felt as if I was being welcomed to MSU with open arms. The Ursa program left me with lasting friendships that I still cherish today. Throughout the program you make everlasting friendships, learn the ropes of Missouri State, and learn how to bear up. If I could give incoming students one piece of advice, I would say to go through the Ursa program and get as much out of it that you can. This program will one day repay you tenfold.
Lauren McDowell (2016): There is nothing that has influenced my college experience so far as much as the Ursa Experience has. From making connections with upperclassmen that help you get involved on campus to making new friends, Ursa has had a long lasting impact on my life as a Bear. I met my two best friends at Ursa. I know more about Missouri State than most people on campus because of the knowledge Ursa gave me of our school’s history and traditions, which helped me to get into the University Ambassadors program on campus. If you are considering going to Ursa for any reason, just go! I promise you will get so much more out of it than you think you will.
Kayley Clements (2018): Incoming freshman should attend URSA because it gives you an extra opportunity to make friends. We are all new here at MSU and share a lot of the same fears. URSA allows you to move past those fears and prepare for your journey at Missouri State University!
2) Ursa eases the college transition.
Megan Berry (2015): In my experience, coming to college was very intimidating. I was coming from a very small school, so campus seemed huge and the crowds even bigger. If it wasn’t for my experience at Ursa enabling me to make some initial connections with fellow bears, I know that I would have felt like just a face in the crowd at welcome weekend events. Because of Ursa, I was able to walk around greeting people by name and people could call me out by name. For me, that made all the difference in the world. The connections and confidence you build at Ursa don’t stay there; they follow you back and have lasting impressions on you and your time at Missouri State. Ursa was the first step in going from just a face in the crowd to being an individual in the Missouri State Community.
Rachel Reed (2017): Incoming students have a lot of questions, including: where will I make friends? When will I get familiar with my new campus and all it has to offer? What is my university really about? What opportunities do I have to get involved in my new community? And more. The answer to all of these questions is the Ursa Experience! All of these are the central purpose the Ursa Experience, and freshmen come out of the experience being more prepared to be a bear. Students should attend the Ursa Experience because it is an opportunity for them to make memories and connections they will never forget, preparing them to start their first year. These memories include fun, laughs, and learning; those connections include faculty, other students, yourself, the world around us, and the university as a whole.
3) Ursa immerses you into learning about Missouri State campus life.
Carly Beck (2015): Going through the Ursa Experience reminded me of why I chose Missouri State! It gives you a jump start into the welcoming feel that the campus always has, and allows you to meet some awesome people right off the bat that you might not meet otherwise! It’s a great way to start off your time at Missouri State and it will make your love for this school grow even more!
Emma Drace (2017): Incoming students should be a part of the 2019 URSA experience because it is a great way to meet fellow incoming bears. When I came to Missouri State, I hardly knew anyone, but after URSA I got to meet so many awesome people that I even had in some of my classes. The URSA experience helped me to grow as a leader, problem solve by working in a team, and to understand the 3 pillars of Missouri State before I even started class. I would encourage incoming students to be a part of this program because it helps grow them as a student and as a leader for Missouri State.
Abby Falgout (2018): The URSA experience is a great way to make friends right off the bat! I learned a lot of information about MO State that was extremely helpful during my first semester as a bear. It also encouraged me to step out of my box and made me more comfortable with being on my own in a new city. It might seem crazy that the URSA experience can do all of this in just a few short days, but it truly changes you. I highly recommend any incoming freshman to join the URSA experience!
4) Ursa helps you grow and build confidence.
Sydney Lorenz (2018): I attended Ursa in the fall of 2018 and I absolutely loved it. It is a great way to get oriented with the university and have the opportunity to meet a great group of people. I met one of my best friends because she was in my group for Ursa. Ursa pushes you to go outside your comfort zone and try new things. When people asked me about it when I got back I used the analogy of getting your toes wet when getting in the pool except Ursa was more like jumping in head first so you were challenged to open up and start your college experience. I would recommend the experience to all incoming students one hundred percent.
Manda Baranowski (2018): I tend to be a little shy when making new friends and talking to new people, but URSA gave me the chance to make lifelong friends from around campus while also preparing me for my first year as a bear here at MSU. URSA also taught me, that even though I’m more of an introvert and tend to run on feelings, I can still be a strong leader within my community and my field of study.
5) Ursa builds pride in being a Bear.
Micaela Phillips (2016): Incoming freshmen should go through the Ursa Experience so they can experience what it’s TRULY like to be a Bear with other incoming bears. They’ll gain a better understanding on the history, the traditions, and Missouri State’s public affairs mission. On top of that, they will create friendships that will likely last them throughout the school year, and possibly way longer, as well as gain connections with upper classmen who are MORE than happy to help with any questions or advice that the incoming freshmen may seek. It’s a 10/10 recommendation from me!
Amy Miller (2018): The Ursa Experience was like a welcome home before I even knew MSU to be my home. I had an early opportunity to meet so many amazing people who I still keep up with as the semester comes to a close. I also learned a lot about Missouri State’s Public Affairs Mission through the interactive activities which I still refer back to all the time. It was really a solid introduction to Missouri State that made me feel more comfortable in those first few weeks by making me feel like I was a part of the family. Also, thanks to Ursa, I know the fight song by heart now!