University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Top Questions

So far everyone has been very nice, and it is in Minnesota so I am assuming that is the stereotype so yes its accurate.

Not really. Though many students are Minnesota natives, the campus is very urban and there is pretty good student diversity. And I've only met a couple of students with a real strong Minnesota accent, though accents from student's home countries abound. The Chem E department especially doesn't fit these stereotypes. Because it's so nationally respected, students come from all over for the program. We are crazy about hockey, though.

U of M student talks about the stereotypes of the U.

U of M student talks about the stereotypes of her school.

The U of M is a big university and that's why I love it. It gives you so many opportunities for networking. If you can't find an internship or a club your into it's because you didn't look. The class lectures can be up to 200+ people especially in math and science classes. It can be overwhelming to some. This is not a school for someone looking for lots of one-on-one attention. As for the teachers the rumor about no English speakers is a bit stretched, but almost all the TA's for math and science courses will be graduate students from foreign countries and English will be there second language.

Um, considering I did PSEO in my junior year adn was recently admitted into Carlson, this might sound biased... but myself and the other PSEO students I've seen/talked to are usually more serious about their schoolwork, and yes, they're very smart. I'll still have to wait and see about other Carlson students, but I for one do like to "fight" to eke out as many points as possible :D

Although the campus is large, it feels small because usually all of your classes are in one area (the mall area, knoll area, west bank, etc.) and there is a good system of buses in place for getting around if you do have to go between campuses. There are such a wide variety of clubs and student groups to get involved with that it makes it feel much smaller. Rather than 50,000 students, there are just a handful that share your same interests. As for the class sizes: although there are a few lower-division classes (intro chem, biology, etc.) that are very large, I have never sent a professor an email that went unreplied or went to a professor's office hours and not received help. The help is available, it is just the student's initiative to go get help. That is better in preparing for real life, as well. In the real world, you have to help yourself. No one is going to hold your hand through all the troubles you might have. But, the help is available and easily accessible.

Not at all. Professors encourage students to visit their office during office or after class to get to know them better. True, some classes are large but I had a Public Speaking class of 20 last semester. Your success depends on how much you're willing to put into your college experience.

It is true that you can become a number in a big University, but you get out of school what you put into it. I always make a point to see my advisor every semester to make sure I'm on track and make contact with each professor individually.

I have found that some of the stereotypes are true. The friendly aspect of Minnesota people is totally true and you can find the hippies in certain colleges at the University of Minnesota.

Yes

Some are true but some are not. I think at every school you run into people who are spoiled and some are not. You are definatly not just a number, in fact, I knew most of my professors and T.A.'s very well and had great experiences in my huge lectures.

Accuracy for stereotypes at the UMN lies on a continuum that fluctuates. However, in general it seems that there is a high level of accuracy with these stereotypes.

I was known by name by multiple instructors. I never really felt like just a number.

Don't know.

Yes, some people do fill these stereotypes, but there are 60,000 kids enrolled at the U. So there are obviously exceptions

Yeah, the revenue ones have sucked.

No.

All those stereotypes are completely inaccurate. I love the size of the campus, I've found tons of things I enjoy doing, and I've met lots of people I enjoy hanging out with. I also disagree that private schools are better than the U of M. Many people I know were not accepted at the UMN and went to private schools as the next option.

The frat one is.