University of Montana students start new semester in Missoula

Missoula, Mont. — A new semester at the University of Montana brought a mix of nerves, excitement and new routines as students settled into campus life.

Some students arrived for their first day of pharmacy school and said they were already getting a sense of the work ahead.

“All of us are starting pharmacy school today, so it’s a lot of work, but I feel like we’re all pretty excited to start,” Kylee Gardipee said.

Others were brand new to the University of Montana and were taking in campus for the first time.

“This is my first day at UM, training and kind of just being here. It’s great. It’s nice out. Everybody’s outside. It’s awesome, I love it... so far,” Kaitlyn Thomas said.

Graduate students also said the semester was starting with pressure right away.

“We're in grad school so thats... fun. It's a lot harder already,” Courtney Bliss said. “They already have like two assignments for us. So we’re like, it’s anxiety, but it’s expected from grad school.”

Three freshmen from Dillon said the larger campus gave them more chances to get involved and try new activities.

“I’d say something I’m excited about is intramural sports, sign up for clubs and just trying to do as much as I can,” Casey Stanton said.

“Yeah, it’ll be fun too, but I’m excited for the fishing,” Colin Peterson said. “I’m stoked to be, like, a part of the campus and, like, student sections and just be a part of the college life,” Sawyer Platt said.

The first day energy also tied into a bigger goal for the university as it worked to help students stay on track through graduation. UM reported record retention last fall.

“We don’t see the first day of school as the finish line. We want to make sure that when students come to our campus, they’re able to succeed all the way through to that graduation stage,” UM spokesperson Dave Kuntz said.

Official fall enrollment numbers were not expected to be finalized until the 15th academic day of the year. For students on campus in Missoula, the focus right away was on classroom numbers, assignment due dates and the countdown to the first Griz football game.