College visit: University of Montana Western

Last week I paid a visit to the University of Montana Western, located in Dillon, Montana. Dillon is a small town of 4,200 people, and Western has about 1,300 undergraduate students. My tour guide told me that the largest classes at the university this fall are capped at 27 students. So if you're looking for a small-town feel, with a tightly knit campus community where everyone knows each other and small class sizes throughout your undergraduate years, Western might be the school for you.

One of my favorite things about the University of Montana Western is its block schedule, called Experience One (X1). With X1, you take one course at a time for 18 days, take a short break, then move on to your next course. This structure provides students with immersive experiential learning, giving them a distinct advantage in their future careers and preparation for graduate school. Montana Western is the only U.S. public university offering this unique scheduling option. (There are a handful of private colleges that do this.)

Popular and high-quality majors at Montana Western include early childhood education, business administration and management, and exercise science and kinesiology. Beyond these, Montana Western has several unique programs, including the nation's only bachelor's degree program in natural horsemanship. Students in the Natural Horsemanship program are taught the “La Cense Method,” a progressive, step-by-step process that blends the best of traditional horsemanship training with the art of training and riding horses—all in a manner that works with a horse’s behavior, instincts, and personality. Taking a positive and respectful approach, the La Cense Method gradually builds trust and frees horses to be confident in all they are asked to perform. During my visit, it felt like every person I met on campus had some connection to horses, rodeos, and ranching, and the Dillon area feels like the ideal place to pursue equine studies as a field of serious academic study.

If you'd like to learn more about Montana colleges and universities, as well as colleges nationwide, use the contact form on my website to schedule a free consultation.

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