The class content depends a bit on what the class is. Especially for first-year classes (1000 level), there are the joke classes that only require a bit of realizing what the professor wants. Good news (maybe...?), however, is that this changes a lot with higher level courses (starting even with the 2000 level ones). All of my professors so far do know their material; when signing up for classes during orientation, try to get into more advanced classes and to pick professors that have won the Morse Award or some other designation. All of that said, what someone learns depends mostly on that person's effort put into the class.
Do you enjoy the experience at your school?
Twin Cities is... awesome. The university is split between Minneapolis and St. Paul with about a 10-15 minute transit way (using the free campus bus) between the two campuses. The Minneapolis half is about a 5-10 minute walk away from downtown, and there are great restaurants on both campuses and in downtown. Dorm food is all right. Middlebrook (honors dorm) and Sanford (more the sports dorm) are supposed to be the best. There are obviously a lot of clubs here. You can check out most of the clubs when walking across the Washington Bridge that goes across the Mississippi River; most clubs have painted an advertisement on panels spanning the inside of the bridge walkway. Oh, and the people here are awesome, too. Don't worry about not making friends.
Do you feel you’re getting value for the money you’re spending on college?
UMN is VERY generous with scholarships. There's no real application. Most merit-based scholarships just use the information that you fill out when you apply to the university; you may also be asked to write a 100-500 page blurb for some more specific awards. Another great thing is that UMN accepts AP credit, so that will allow people to go into more interesting classes earlier.
College is expensive, but UMN isn't too bad with its rates. The professors, like mentioned, know their material; the majority do research, so it's possible to find a job in a lab the first semester. If you get tired of dorm food, there are a lot of places to eat out at or order from. There are also convenience stores located within the dorms. Just swipe the UCard here. You only need to swipe the UCard for laundry, renting movies from the dorm front desk, getting packages, borrowing vacuums, etc, as well.
Do you have any tips for prospective students?
For those thinking about applying: UMN is a competitive public school in a big city that is very generous with scholarships. Just think about what all of that means. Its grad schools are nationally ranked (3rd in pharmacy, 7th for primary care, for example); the undergrad has to live up to that.
For those accepted: Sign up for the earliest orientation you can make. That's where you'll be registering for you fall semester classes, and there might not be seats in the classes at the times you want. It's not necessary to know exactly what you're going to major in (people don't need to declare until sophomore year), but it's useful to have a general idea. You'll meet your adviser during orientation and he or she will, well, advise you, as well. Otherwise, follow deadlines, and have fun! Oh, if you forget to bring stuff with you to your dorm, it's ok. During Welcome Week, UMN will bus people to Target for a midnight run.
Which types of students will excel at your college?
*insert description of person reading review*
But really, UMN is a great school. UMN offers opportunities for everyone since it is a big place. For example, my friend from Arizona claims that he fought in his first snowball fight last month.
The class content depends a bit on what the class is. Especially for first-year classes (1000 level), there are the joke classes that only require a bit of realizing what the professor wants. Good news (maybe...?), however, is that this changes a lot with higher level courses (starting even with the 2000 level ones). All of my professors so far do know their material; when signing up for classes during orientation, try to get into more advanced classes and to pick professors that have won the Morse Award or some other designation. All of that said, what someone learns depends mostly on that person's effort put into the class.
Twin Cities is... awesome. The university is split between Minneapolis and St. Paul with about a 10-15 minute transit way (using the free campus bus) between the two campuses. The Minneapolis half is about a 5-10 minute walk away from downtown, and there are great restaurants on both campuses and in downtown. Dorm food is all right. Middlebrook (honors dorm) and Sanford (more the sports dorm) are supposed to be the best. There are obviously a lot of clubs here. You can check out most of the clubs when walking across the Washington Bridge that goes across the Mississippi River; most clubs have painted an advertisement on panels spanning the inside of the bridge walkway. Oh, and the people here are awesome, too. Don't worry about not making friends.
UMN is VERY generous with scholarships. There's no real application. Most merit-based scholarships just use the information that you fill out when you apply to the university; you may also be asked to write a 100-500 page blurb for some more specific awards. Another great thing is that UMN accepts AP credit, so that will allow people to go into more interesting classes earlier. College is expensive, but UMN isn't too bad with its rates. The professors, like mentioned, know their material; the majority do research, so it's possible to find a job in a lab the first semester. If you get tired of dorm food, there are a lot of places to eat out at or order from. There are also convenience stores located within the dorms. Just swipe the UCard here. You only need to swipe the UCard for laundry, renting movies from the dorm front desk, getting packages, borrowing vacuums, etc, as well.
For those thinking about applying: UMN is a competitive public school in a big city that is very generous with scholarships. Just think about what all of that means. Its grad schools are nationally ranked (3rd in pharmacy, 7th for primary care, for example); the undergrad has to live up to that. For those accepted: Sign up for the earliest orientation you can make. That's where you'll be registering for you fall semester classes, and there might not be seats in the classes at the times you want. It's not necessary to know exactly what you're going to major in (people don't need to declare until sophomore year), but it's useful to have a general idea. You'll meet your adviser during orientation and he or she will, well, advise you, as well. Otherwise, follow deadlines, and have fun! Oh, if you forget to bring stuff with you to your dorm, it's ok. During Welcome Week, UMN will bus people to Target for a midnight run.
*insert description of person reading review* But really, UMN is a great school. UMN offers opportunities for everyone since it is a big place. For example, my friend from Arizona claims that he fought in his first snowball fight last month.