If you want to customize things, click on profile ... forum profile and then in the page that comes up, you'll see a highlighted "modify profile". Hover over that and get a drop-down menu, then click on "look and layout". There's your settings.
Read each one carefully, as if you scan over them you'll miss things like "Return to topics after posting by default." and "Use quick reply on topic display:" at the bottom. I have them set to on and on for new users, but if you got here in the last few days, I'm not going to force changes on you, even if you want them that way, since I don't know if anyone went, "phew! It's so refreshing to have the quick reply not on and for me to leave a thread after posting! Thanks!" ;D