Any UMN CSE students willing to talk?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Minnesota
1

Hi there. I’ll try to make this quick. I am a South Dakota high school senior with three days to make his final college decision. I am looking at an engineering career with the hopes of eventually working in renewable energy or green materials. I am trying to decide between this school and a small STEM school closer to home (South Dakota School of Mines and Technology).

In summary, at the STEM school, I think I could really appreciate the somewhat luxurious financial break (full-ride there vs 5-7/year for the U), small class sizes, accessible professors, and conveniences of a smaller campus. At Minnesota, I think I could really appreciate the expansive opportunities, both academically and in the cities; the diversity, as it relates to a global perspective; and the academic focus and community of the honors program at Middlebrook. If I choose the STEM school, I will be a little worried that I am missing out on what could be the experience of a lifetime at Minnesota in exchange for a straight-up STEM education. If I choose Minnesota, I will be a little worried that I will “feel like a number” and have a hard time forming strong relationships and making my own name in such a huge university.

If any CSE students at UMN would be willing to talk (preferably over phone) later today or tomorrow night, I would really appreciate it. I have been researching these colleges for months, visited them both twice, and have spoken to many students before, but I have just been speaking to a few students from the other college and it would be great if I could address some of my specific concerns with Minnesota students too.

Thank you for any and all connections you can help me make! I really appreciate it.

2

What does the cohort look like at SD? So far you have turned down Cornell, right?
The CDS info of SD mines indicates 15% of kids have an ACT of 30-36. Average ACT 26. HC at Uminn is average about 34, CSE is 31. I don’t think you are comparing similar educations at all.

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Alfonsia, I will agree with you that the student profile at Mines, especially of incoming students, is going to be considerably lower than that of Minnesota. That is one thing that I have thought about. There are two sides to the issue. On one hand, I will presumably be one of the stronger students if I go there, so I will be more competitive for research and internship opportunities. It would be far easier for me to stand out. On the other hand, I really do like the idea of surrounding myself with super-smart well-rounded students, which seems more likely to happen at Minnesota.

And I don’t think it is fair to say that Mines has a bunch of weak students just based on that statistic. They are big with national employers (think NASA, Dow Chemical, etc.), and you can’t be a weak student and survive a rigorous engineering curriculum. You just can’t. Only a third of the kids who enter SDSMT graduate. They are ABET accredited jut like Minnesota, and I have had plenty of people tell me (Minnesota students included) that the education will be similar. I do believe that much of the education is what you make of it. The way I see it, they both have their advantages academically. One is smaller and more personal, while the other offers a wider array of opportunities, which just take more work to earn.

And by the way, I never even applied to Cornell or anywhere else in that “elite realm.” It wasn’t financially feasible.

4

You are so lucky to have 2 amazing options…you cannot make a bad decision in this situation. Some kids do better being a big fish in a small pond and other enjoy being a small fish in a big pond. Which school just FEELS right to YOU.

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@Kajon I definitely am very blessed to have nice options. But right now I would be lying if I didn’t say that it felt like a little bit of a curse.

“Feel” is definitely part of the problem. I’m really not sure which school “feels” right to me. For some reasons, I do have a hard time getting excited about going to SDSMT. The school, in my mind, is in many ways the epitome of awkwardness, and it lacks much of the traditional college experience. I like the area, but it’s somewhere I’ve been plenty of times, and it sure isn’t Minneapolis. And I’m really not a fan of SDSMT’s overall mantra that it uses in attracting its students. I feel like going to SDSMT would be a little bit of a one-sided experience just by virtue of how focused the school is on engineering. You go to the college to earn a really rigorous degree and then earn a lot of money. That’s a lot of what they advertise. (Our graduates make more money than those of Harvard! etc.) I’m not going to school just to get make money. I’m going to school so I can fulfill a purpose and do some cool, good things for other people. It’s also not school that seems to attract the “best and brightest,” as evidenced by their average ACT, etc.

On the more positive side, I will be far more comfortable in some ways. I am just between two and three hours from home, and by South Dakota standards, that is very close. I am also very close with my family, and I know it would be a huge benefit to be able to be home for birthdays, Easter, weekends where I am just burned out, etc. My family also makes semi-frequent visits to the area, and I have family already in the area as well. The class sizes are also small, which is a more positive aspect of the “feel.” In high school, I have been overall pretty big on participating in class, and I have some great relationships with some of my teachers. I know I could do that at UMN, but it would require a lot more initiative that I am only so sure I will have the time to take.

At Minnesota, I find the overall “feel” to be a lot more exciting. The opportunities there are huge, whether it be in terms of people to meet, research to get involved in, things to do in the city, or organizations to join. The social dynamic won’t be anything like high school, just by virtue of the size of the university. Minnesota, unquestionably, offers me the better opportunity to “expand my horizons.” The size is intimidating, but from the discussions I’ve had with students, the downsides of said size can for the most part be circumvented. This also is definitely worth mentioning: If I fail to build a support group at Minnesota, I could find myself miserable, lonely, and entirely detached from my family. That would be tough, and I would really have no choice but to power through it.

And I guess money has to be part of the final consideration. I will know my final, final financial situation by Wednesday. Hears the deal: at Mines, I am pretty darn sure I have a full-ride and maybe even a little bit beyond one. At UMN, I will have to pay out of pocket. I could graduate debt-free, but I might end up with as much as 8-10k in loans worst case scenario. It is what is.

6

So to summarize what you just said. At SD Mines you would get a great education and be live a comfortable four years. At Minnesota you would get a great education and have an exciting four years.

If my kids would have had to take on debt, I would have said to the Uof MN electrical engineering student “only if the max is $20,000 over 4 year, but try really hard to find a job and keep it under $15,000”. To the general business major I would have said do not go above $10,000.

My engineering son had an internship after soph year that paid $13 hour at a bank, after Junior year $23 an hour at an energy company and and this year between graduation and starting his masters he will make $28 an hour for an aerospace company. He is only about 30 minutes from home, yet he rarely stays here. He pops in an out for a few hours every couple of weeks. He loves the size and the energy of UMN and has developed some great relationships with professors including his senior honors thesis advisor.

My other son went 6 hours away to a smaller college for a business degree. For him this was a great move. He really did well in a smaller setting and took on leadership roles which surprised us all. The 6 hour distance gave him a true sense of being “away”, but it really is a long drive…after the first year, he only made the drive home for Christmas, spring break and summer.

Good luck with your decision