Story By: Preston Bennett

MONTEVALLO, Ala. — There are many students who attend the University of Montevallo, and each of those students have a unique experience at the University. One of those students is Meg Wallace, a junior at the University. To fully understand her experience at UM, you need to why she is here in the first place. So, let’s answer that question.

Why is she here?

Wallace says that she was drawn to Montevallo because she wanted to major in theatre.

“It was the top theatre school in Alabama, and I was going to do theatre,” she says. She also was very drawn to College Night, a tradition that has been around for years at the University. “I had never seen anything like it,” she says. When she got on campus, she was a theatre major for only one semester. She says that her freshman year was “a nightmare.”

“I’m from very north Alabama, so three hours away, and I was the only person that came to Montevallo,” she says, “so I didn’t know anybody, and I just isolated myself a lot my freshman year and it was really depressing.” She also discovered that what she had planned to do for her entire life wasn’t what she wanted to do at all. Wallace then switched her major from theatre to art, and is now majoring in mass communication.

“I’ve always been a good writer, and I wanted to do something with that,” she says. Wallace says she feels she would have more stability in what she is doing now, but is “still looking into” exactly what she wants to do with her major.

By her sophomore year, Wallace joined Alpha Gamma Delta, one of nine sororities at the University.

Wallace is now in her fifth semester at UM, and with all those semesters come a few opinions on her time at the University so far. So, that leads to our next question.

What are her opinions?

Wallace says joining Alpha Gamma Delta was helpful in that it gave her “a core group of friendships.”

“I’m glad I did it as a sophomore otherwise I probably still would not really know anybody,” she says. Since joining the sorority, Wallace says that she has gotten involved in more things and that she feels better about the University. Wallace did say that it’s not for everyone, and she is still trying to figure out if it’s for her.

“It’s a lot of time and effort and energy that I don’t always have,” she says, “there’s a lot of socializing that comes with it, which is what I wanted it for, but it is definitely excessive.” Wallace says that you have to remember to make time for yourself, and that school is the number one priority.

One thing that Wallace says is nice about UM is the class sizes. She has attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and she says the class sizes at the University have really helped her.

“I could never have went to a bigger university because I just need that closer attention,” she says. Wallace also feels like it’s been really helpful getting to have more of a connection with people on campus.

“I feel like I could reach out to and set up a meeting with anyone on campus,” she says, “It’s so tight knit and everyone is always available to talk to you.”

With all that being said, one last question remains.

Are you interested in UM?

For students who are interested in attending UM in the future, Wallace has some advice for you.

“I think if you really want to get the most out of Montevallo, you kind of have to put yourself out there and get to know people and get to know organizations that you would be interested in,” she says. If you are somebody who likes to get involved, Wallace says Montevallo is a good place to be.

“You genuinely can get involved in anything that you want to,” she says. When it comes to the college experience, Wallace thinks you can “build it the way you want it.”

“You genuinely can get involved in anything that you want to.”

Meg Wallace, a student at the University of Montevallo

“If you want to just go to class and then go home and not do anything you can do that,” she says, “but if you want to be involved you can also do that.”

Wallace also says that there isn’t as much competition for involvement at the University when compared to larger school.

“At bigger schools there’s like so many more hurdles and barriers,” she says.

All in all, Wallace says she has had her “ups and downs” at UM. She plans to graduate in the spring of 2026.