Ask A Current Freshman Anything!

<p>so, I’m thinking about living in an apartment instead of dorm…
I saw that Seven Corners is one of the cheapest ones out there and it’s very close to CSOM…
Have you ever heard of it? Is it a good apartment?
Would you recommend me living in apartment or dorm?
I prefer apartment because it’s actually cheaper and cleaner and I dont have to share the bathroom with like 8 different people…
Do you know any other apartments on campus that are cheap? (either in eastbank or westbank)</p>

<p>My son lives in GrandMarc and really likes it. They have 4 kids in one unit. Full living room and kitchen. (they rent it furnished) Each side has a bedroom and a den with a bath. The den is small, but fits a single bed and dresser. Downstairs there is a Quiznos and a Chipotle.</p>

<p>He did Middlebrook freshman year and was glad he spent a year in the dorms. He made a ton of friends, there were plenty of on site study groups and they claim to have the best cafeteria. they had no bathroom sharing issues - only 2 rooms to a bath</p>

<p>There are many good off-campus apartments but I’d recommend on-campus for freshman year unless you already have a social group set. Maintenance does a good job of keeping the dorm bathrooms clean, no worries there. As long as you are near campus getting to West Bank is no problem.</p>

<p>My D is admitted to CSE honors. What math sequence are you taking, how do you find it and what was your math background coming in, like AP credit, etc? They have such a large choice of intro math sequences. Are you in a small math class or huge lecture? How is teaching?</p>

<p>How has the scheduling process been? Do you get classes you request? Do honors advisers really help you if you have scheduling difficulties or how are they involved?</p>

<p>How was your freshman seminar? Did you do an honors one? Which one? They have some pretty interesting topics, just looking at catalog.</p>

<p>Is there a lot of dust/noise from light rail construction? It was really quiet the days we were there.</p>

<p>Do you have to be in honors to get a spot in middlebrook? I sent out my housing application the first day it came out with middlebrook listed as my 1st choice.</p>

<p>They have several LLCs - honors 1st year, honors 2nd year, substance free, international, and arts(music,etc.) I don’t know if you have to be in an LLC to be in the hall though. You could e-mail them if noone responds to this with a more definitive answer.</p>

<p>

There are four choices for the math sequence:

  1. CLA (1271-1272-2243-2263)
  2. CSE (1371-1372-2373-2374)
  3. Honors (1571H-1572H-2573H-2574H)
  4. Math Honors (AP-3592H-3593H)</p>

<p>AP Calculus credit can satisfy the first two courses from any of #1-3; it is assumed for #4. The CSE calculus track is a good choice for science and engineering students. Honors is similar, but with more theory and less computer lab time. If a math major is in the picture I highly recommend honors as it will eliminate another course (2283/3283W) from the lower division sequence. Otherwise, the Mathematica/MATLAB experience from #2 is nice to have. The Math Honors sequence requires a year of calculus and an application. It is supposed to be more rigorous and is designed for math majors. CSE students shouldn’t need to worry with the CLA sequence.</p>

<p>For #1-3, expect moderately large lectures with smaller discussion or lab sections. #4 is a smaller and more selective group. Some profs/TAs are very good and others aren’t.

Scheduling is generally not a big deal, especially for lower-division courses with a ton of sections. AP credit can be very helpful following the first term (orientation is the same for everybody) because registration times are based on accumulated credits.

My non-honors seminar was very interesting (I don’t think it exists anymore so I won’t mention the title). These can be hit or miss - check RateMyProfessors for reviews.

I think most of the heavy lifting is done. Regardless, it’s not an issue except for one or two buildings that directly face the project.</p>

<p>^
Thanks, the explanation of the math sequences was very good and helpful.</p>

<p>If a student comes in with 37 cr from AP, would she get priority over freshmen with fewer credits right away, or have to wait until 2nd semester?</p>

<p>Celeste. Your D will really enjoy having an honors advisor. First semester is taken care if at orientation, but your D must remember to make an appointment for spring semester. I think they send out a reminder, but the best slots fill up fast so make sure she stays on top of it.</p>

<p>Hello:</p>

<p>My daughter has been accepted to the CSE for the Fall of 2013; also for Chemical Engineering. We are from the mid-Atlantic so she is a bit freaked out about the cold. Any impressions from your first semester and first January in Minneapolis. We are coming out for a visit in late January and would appreciate any advice you could offer about how a warm-blooded Marylander should dress for January in Minneapolis.</p>

<p>Thanks,
Kevin</p>

<p>@magothyboy: Looks like you aren’t too far from where I’m at (Virginia)! I had a slight worry that I would have a hard time meeting new people since I didn’t know anyone coming into my first semester. Although there are a lot of old friendships from high school that remain among the Minnesota natives, I have found that there was still plenty of opportunity to meet all these in-staters and form friendships. In fact, I think it honestly helps to be from a place where not too many students come from since that can often start a conversation right there due to the intrigue from the in-staters. Academically, like I’ve said to other posters, it’s demanding but not too demanding first semester since the coursework is mostly general requirements.</p>

<p>I’ve only spent a few January days in Minneapolis so far, and it honestly wasn’t too bad. One day it was actually 40 degrees, which is apparently almost unheard of for January weather. Fortunately it’s not Chicago, so there isn’t much blistering wind to go with the cold temps. Sure, it’ll get below freezing, but most of the days I’ve been there there’s almost no wind chill so I can get by with just a couple layers. If you’re going to visit in late January there’s a chance the temperature could drop dramatically, so definitely bring a heavy jacket and some kind of clothing for the head, whether that’s a hood on the jacket or a hat. I’d also suggest some kind of boots since there is probably still going to be snow on the ground. It’s not like the east coast where snow melts after a week at the most…the snow the area got in early December is still here.</p>

<p>Hope you enjoy the visit…that was what made up my mind to attend the U!</p>

<p>magothyboy - a tucked in base layer and a scarf make huge differences in keeping up with the Minnesota weather. For your D toss in a long sleeve silk tee and for you an Under armour top. The scarves work well because they are easy to remove once inside. (we don’t like to overheat from the excess clothing)</p>

<p>

First registration is at orientation and is not based on normal staging. Don’t worry about it; required freshman courses have lots of sections and spaces are reserved for new CSE students.

I don’t find Minneapolis weather dramatically different from the DC area. Just buy a warmer jacket and expect a bit more snow, less rain.</p>

<p>Thanks for the advice. Looking forward to the visit. She has been accepted to four schools so far, with varying scholarship offers. So putting some eyes on the campus will be important for her. We are going to the hockey game on Friday. She LOVES hockey. Could not get two seats together so I got two rink side seats about ten seats apart. Is is a faux pas to ask someone to switch seats so we can sit together?</p>

<p>Kevin</p>

<p>Fun, fun, fun! We love our Gopher hockey! As for the seats…it never hurts to ask. Who knows, maybe someone in the rink side area won’t show and you can grab their seats.</p>

<p>My S has student season tickets. I think it was $99 for the season and you pick Fri or Sat out of each weekend ticket set.</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Prophetic words indeed!! For those students returning for the new semester, they’ll be greeted by a balmy overnight low of -11 degrees and a high tomorrow of -5 degrees, with windchills as low as -35 degrees possible. Welcome back Gophers!!</p>

<p>A bit of parental advice…don’t be suckered into any triple dog dares to stick your tongue on the flagpole. Trust me. :)</p>

<p>I got accepted to CLA in January. I’m about to submit my appeal to the Admissions Office. How likely am I to move from CLA to CSE?</p>

<p>Stats:
GPA: 3.389 Unweighted, 3.511 Weighted
27 ACT (24 English, 31 Math, 22 Reading, 31 Science, 8/12 essay)
Won the First Robotics State competition, 120 service hours: Volunteered at the hospital and library, Science Bowl, Odyssey of the Mind.</p>

<p>I was accepted into CLA as well as the Honors program, which I am planning on doing. If I’m doing honors, should I apply for honors housing? I filled out the application the day it came out, so I am able to change it and still have that priority date. I like to have my privacy, but at the same time I want to make friends and go out on the weekends. Right now I’m thinking either a single or suite in Middlebrook or a suite in Frontier. I will be double majoring in Psychology/Philosophy with a minor of Gender Studies. Does anyone know if my classes would be East or West bank? Also could anyone give me the pros and cons of Middlebrook vs. Frontier? Thanks :)</p>

<p>Hi All - I’m new here. I grew up in MN and still all the info people have shared here is so helpful - things I didn’t know. S is interested in math major at UMN - would apply to CSE and hope for honors program. He will have a lot of AP credits by end of Sr year & I understand the U is very generous in granting credit for AP. </p>

<p>Hopefully honors CSE students wouldn’t mind weighing in about using AP credits? Do you mostly use them for distribution requirements and not for science requirements of program (eg you would take the program classes in chem, CS, physics, etc even if you have AP credits toward these intro classes?)? </p>

<p>My son is also in UMTYMP and will likely do PSEO to continue math when UMTYMP ends. I assume the UMTYMP coursework will still be sufficiently rigorous for even CSE honors intro courses? Hopefully this isn’t a wrong assumption on my part?</p>

<p>It seems so attractive to be halfway through credits-wise upon enrolling b/c of all the AP credits, but I’m wondering how realistic this is to consider as a factor in considering colleges?</p>

<p>Thanks for any info & apologies about long post.</p>

<p>Hey I was just wondering if Minneapolis/St Paul are really college cities as I was hoping for a college town but obviously as they are big citites Im not sure.</p>