Mises Wire

What Students Are Saying About Mises U 2016

It's hard to believe that Mises University 2016 ended just last week. While most of the Mises U lectures are available for free, it's impossible to capture the true essence of Mises U from these alone. 

Luckily, Mises University left such an impact on the students who attended that many have felt compelled to share their experiences. 

Writing for The Liberty Conservative, Chris Calton described some of his favorite parts of the Mises U curriculum, and the value its instruction in Austrian economics can even offer those who don't (yet) consider themselves libertarian: 

In a world dominated by the Progressive Left and a rapidly increasing trend toward socialism, the case for capitalist anarchism should easily fall under the umbrella of conservative “limited government” principles. It is worth mentioning, though, that the Mises Institute is not an anarchist organization; it is an economic one. The namesake of the institute, Ludwig von Mises, was certainly not an anarchist. He was, as the title of Jörg Guido Hülsmann’s great book on Mises asserts, a liberal, in the classical sense.

The Institute is a welcome place for ideologues of all stripes, from the left to the right and those who fall outside the political spectrum, as many of its faculty do. But as the world moves increasingly in a socialist and totalitarian direction, there is no building on the planet that at any given time holds as many intellectual powerhouses making an argument in favor of virtues that most conservatives hold dear: free market capitalism and its corollary of a limited government. Now more than ever, friends of these ideas need to arm ourselves with the intellectual ammunition to combat the destructive ideas of socialism, and there is no better place for young (or old) conservatives to do this than the Mises Institute and its annual Mises University.

Writing for his own personal blog, Joakim Book, a student who came to Auburn from Sweden, described his experience taking the Mises U Mündliche Prüfung - a multi-part exam where our top student this year won the Douglas E. French Scholarship worth $2,500. 

I got through to the second stage of interview-examination, I passed with honors, but failed miserably. My best, most highly-praise academic achievement ever - quickly followed by the most intimidating experience ever. 

Mises U sure delivers! And now I have at least another year to improve - pretty darn inspiring!

Christian, another Mises U student who co-hosts the podcast  Newborn Libertarian, described his full experience in Auburn, sharing some of his favorite moments, lectures, and professors. In particular, he loved the legendary PowerPoint presentations of Dr. Roger Garrison, that highlighted the technical differences between Austrian economics, Keynesianism  and monetarism.  In describing the impact Mises U had on him, Christian said:

I would encourage anyone who is thinking about signing up as a student...

You honestly learn more in 45 minutes in one of these [lectures] than you do an entire course in some colleges. It's just insane to go to...

I feel like I've come out a new person. 

People like Chris, Joakim, and Christian, along with the rest of the 180+ students and faculty who were able to spend last week at the Mises Institute, are what makes Mises University the best week of the year. The Austrian school of economics is stronger now than it has ever been before, and Mises University stands as the largest international student program dedicated to that proud tradition. 

If you are a student interested in registering for Mises U 2017, registration is now open!

Click here to learn how you can sponsor a Mises U student, not only making a profound impact on their life, but making a vital contribution in spreading the ideas of Mises, Hayek, and Rothbard.

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Note: The views expressed on Mises.org are not necessarily those of the Mises Institute.
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