The college of Saint Scholastica has provided me a small community setting hosting roughly 4,000 students in total, allowing for incoming freshman to have an easier time with meeting other students. With a 14 to 1 ratio between students and professors the class sizes tended to be small and provided good learning experiences and easy communication with professors. My freshman experience was also enlightened by joining clubs and organizations which helped to find like-minded people to interact with, allowing me to conclusively state that I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a freshman at CSS!
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
Throughout the year I heard of a few horror stories from other freshman pertaining to their experiences at Saint Scholastica as well as the University of Minnesota Duluth. Almost every case has to do with newly met peers from the dorms or the lounges. Because the freshman population is very small there is a guaranteed chance of encountering the same people on a weekly bases. The best way to deal with unfavorable relationships, in my opinion, is to join clubs, groups and other organizations on campus to meet students with similar interests. These organizations will bring you into a pool of people from freshman to seniors as well. Straying away from social matters I will now bring up a point that may save you a great amount of cash: be conservative on how you buy books! Most students will buy the brand new versions of the textbook required for class costing them an average of over $100. Be smarter than them and look for either an older edition or an international edition. Why these? They have the same content, or slightly altered content to what is in the latest version. The international edition is not for sale in bookstores and must be purchased online because it is technically not legal for sale within the united states; therefore, do so at your own risk (which is hardly even worth calling a risk) If you're planning on majoring in any health science related field (nursing, PT, Exercise Phys) I suggest that you fulfill classes that will help you with entrance into a medical school. This keeps your options open and hardly increases scheduling difficulties. Last, but not least, take summer classes! These classes are about a third of the fall and spring credit costs and can help you take any extra classes you might want (ex. pre-reqs for med school).
Do you find there’s enough academic rigor at your school?
Classes at CSS can be very challenging depending on what professor is teaching the course, and how often you study. Ask other students, especially those who have been on campus for a few years, about professors and consider consulting ratemyprofessors.com Any class can easily become a nightmare if you fall behind on studying.
Describe the dorm life at your college.
I was placed in overflow housing with 7 other students which turned out to be a blast. Besides having to share two bathrooms with nearly 18 others the experience was positive. Within seconds I was able to meet up with several friends, or walk a minute or so to the regular dorms. Having viewed the regular dorms I can say that they were larger than most dorms located on other campuses. Most nights had something going on in someone's room so finding something to carry away the night was not difficult. Cable, and wifi are available throughout the dorms allowing for mobility of movie nights from in the dorm to out in a lounge. Entertainment value is easy to come by, yet does not spoil the ability to stay academically afloat making the dorms at CSS a good decision as an incoming freshman.
Describe the food and dining at your college.
The campus hosts two large sources of food, one being the greenview dining center which is a cafeteria style food service. One swipe of your school i.d and you have permission to eat until you burst. Each day the menu varies and has reasonably wide selection of foods for being located on a small campus. The second main food source is known as Storm's den, named after the St. Bernard mascot. The food service within is much like a store in the way that items are selected and brought to a cash register where either your dining dollars or cash is accepted in exchange for food.
What’s there to do for fun at your college?
In a mile radius the campus is located near woodland trails, UMD, and a small shopping center. As most incoming freshman will not own cars, these are most likely to be among the most common destinations throughout the year. Buses pick students up from campus and can deliver them to the mall area, or to downtown Duluth where many tourists and couples reside for relaxing evenings.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
Though a private school and seemingly overly expensive, the degrees handed out will enable you to make some big bucks. Most students receive financial aid which lowers the cost to about the same price as a state university such as UMD. Never let tuition be too large of a factor in deciding whether or not to attend a school. Wise actions such as low interest rate loans, applying for scholarships as both a senior and high school and as a college student, and having a job getting roughly 15+ hours a week will keep debt to a minimal.
If you decide to have the smallest meal plan the college has to offer it would be smart to cook meals from scratch that can be easily saved for left overs. Discuss penny-pinching techniques with friends and be sure to follow their advice because every penny counts!
Are you involved in any clubs or activities?
For anyone who tirelessly engages in extra curricular activities this campus will have plenty of organizations to participate in.
How would you describe campus safety? Do you feel safe on campus?
Campus safety is excellent as far as I noticed during my first year of attendance. RA's and campus security are constantly roaming the campus and are available through incident report. Telephone stations for security summoning are located throughout the roads allowing for secure transport to a destination on campus if needed.
The college of Saint Scholastica has provided me a small community setting hosting roughly 4,000 students in total, allowing for incoming freshman to have an easier time with meeting other students. With a 14 to 1 ratio between students and professors the class sizes tended to be small and provided good learning experiences and easy communication with professors. My freshman experience was also enlightened by joining clubs and organizations which helped to find like-minded people to interact with, allowing me to conclusively state that I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a freshman at CSS!
Throughout the year I heard of a few horror stories from other freshman pertaining to their experiences at Saint Scholastica as well as the University of Minnesota Duluth. Almost every case has to do with newly met peers from the dorms or the lounges. Because the freshman population is very small there is a guaranteed chance of encountering the same people on a weekly bases. The best way to deal with unfavorable relationships, in my opinion, is to join clubs, groups and other organizations on campus to meet students with similar interests. These organizations will bring you into a pool of people from freshman to seniors as well. Straying away from social matters I will now bring up a point that may save you a great amount of cash: be conservative on how you buy books! Most students will buy the brand new versions of the textbook required for class costing them an average of over $100. Be smarter than them and look for either an older edition or an international edition. Why these? They have the same content, or slightly altered content to what is in the latest version. The international edition is not for sale in bookstores and must be purchased online because it is technically not legal for sale within the united states; therefore, do so at your own risk (which is hardly even worth calling a risk) If you're planning on majoring in any health science related field (nursing, PT, Exercise Phys) I suggest that you fulfill classes that will help you with entrance into a medical school. This keeps your options open and hardly increases scheduling difficulties. Last, but not least, take summer classes! These classes are about a third of the fall and spring credit costs and can help you take any extra classes you might want (ex. pre-reqs for med school).
Classes at CSS can be very challenging depending on what professor is teaching the course, and how often you study. Ask other students, especially those who have been on campus for a few years, about professors and consider consulting ratemyprofessors.com Any class can easily become a nightmare if you fall behind on studying.
I was placed in overflow housing with 7 other students which turned out to be a blast. Besides having to share two bathrooms with nearly 18 others the experience was positive. Within seconds I was able to meet up with several friends, or walk a minute or so to the regular dorms. Having viewed the regular dorms I can say that they were larger than most dorms located on other campuses. Most nights had something going on in someone's room so finding something to carry away the night was not difficult. Cable, and wifi are available throughout the dorms allowing for mobility of movie nights from in the dorm to out in a lounge. Entertainment value is easy to come by, yet does not spoil the ability to stay academically afloat making the dorms at CSS a good decision as an incoming freshman.
The campus hosts two large sources of food, one being the greenview dining center which is a cafeteria style food service. One swipe of your school i.d and you have permission to eat until you burst. Each day the menu varies and has reasonably wide selection of foods for being located on a small campus. The second main food source is known as Storm's den, named after the St. Bernard mascot. The food service within is much like a store in the way that items are selected and brought to a cash register where either your dining dollars or cash is accepted in exchange for food.
In a mile radius the campus is located near woodland trails, UMD, and a small shopping center. As most incoming freshman will not own cars, these are most likely to be among the most common destinations throughout the year. Buses pick students up from campus and can deliver them to the mall area, or to downtown Duluth where many tourists and couples reside for relaxing evenings.
Though a private school and seemingly overly expensive, the degrees handed out will enable you to make some big bucks. Most students receive financial aid which lowers the cost to about the same price as a state university such as UMD. Never let tuition be too large of a factor in deciding whether or not to attend a school. Wise actions such as low interest rate loans, applying for scholarships as both a senior and high school and as a college student, and having a job getting roughly 15+ hours a week will keep debt to a minimal. If you decide to have the smallest meal plan the college has to offer it would be smart to cook meals from scratch that can be easily saved for left overs. Discuss penny-pinching techniques with friends and be sure to follow their advice because every penny counts!
For anyone who tirelessly engages in extra curricular activities this campus will have plenty of organizations to participate in.
Campus safety is excellent as far as I noticed during my first year of attendance. RA's and campus security are constantly roaming the campus and are available through incident report. Telephone stations for security summoning are located throughout the roads allowing for secure transport to a destination on campus if needed.