Lanae Flatness: Finding a place to spread her wings
Lanae Flatness, a current student in the accelerated MBA program, explains the benefits of attending Missouri State from a local student perspective. Growing up in Rogersville, Missouri, she knew a lot about Missouri State. She had been going to Lady Bears games with her dad since she was little. That familiarity with the school, numerous scholarship options and a great academic program made Missouri State the place for Lanae.
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“I don’t have a class now that I don’t know someone in. I think that is really unique for the number of people we have. I think people overlook what Missouri State has to offer — it’s the thought of not being good enough if I don’t have to go three hours away. It’s a quality education,” Lanae, an international business major, explains.
“It alleviates some of the pressure going into the new college atmosphere.”
“It was a difficult decision because you’re always saying, ‘I want to go away,’ but once getting here, I was able to live on campus because of the scholarship I received, so I was away,” she says. “But then again, if I forgot something or there was some kind of family event, I could go home for a couple of hours. It’s nice on breaks.”
Being close to home for Lanae is about more than convenience. She explains that it gave her one less worry when transitioning to college: “You already know the area, so that’s one thing you don’t have to worry about. You can focus on meeting people, getting involved in your classes and organizations. It alleviates some of the pressure going into the new college atmosphere.”
“Studying away was very important to me.”
Although Lanae stayed close to home for college, she knew she wanted the option to travel during her college years. “I knew the business school was a great school. Studying away was very important for me and knowing that the international business degree requires you to study away. I thought that was important. How can you experience international business without going abroad?” she explains.
Already she has participated in a short-term study away trip to Italy for a geography class. Lanae plans to spend a semester in either Spain or London during her junior year.
She is also taking advantage of every opportunity to build connections stateside with professors, professionals and administrators through her involvement with Alpha Kappa Psi, a professional business fraternity.
“I am looking forward to seeing how much farther Missouri State will take me. It’s provided so many assets, whether it is the Career Center, all the interviews lined up with different companies or a professor. I’m looking forward to what’s next—where my education and the networking I’ve been able to so far are going to take me in my future,” says Lanae.
Lanae doesn’t regret letting go of her preconceived ideas about Missouri State and seeing it for what it truly is — the gem in her backyard. “Everyone has preconceived notions about Missouri State,” says Lanae. “I already had a preconceived notion about it, but once you get past that, you can find so many unique environments, atmospheres and experiences that you’ve never had before.”