I am a current student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, and I just finished my first semester in the College of Science and Engineering at the U this past month. Last year at this time, I was trying to make my own college decision, and I found asking questions to current students, some of which I did through this site, to be extremely helpful. I had a very difficult college decision myself, but so far I am more than pleased with the choice I made.
I would be happy to provide honest answers to any questions about my first semester thoughts and experiences, as well as general questions about the school and why I ended up choosing to go here/why I am pleased with my choice. Like I said, I found these types of answers to very helpful to me last year, and I am excited to answer any questions you might have. I am in no way affiliated with admissions, and I won’t sugar-coat any answers. Nonetheless, I think what I have to say about the U will be largely positive.
I just got my acceptance letter from UMN and I’m still making my final decision. I’m planning to major in economics (BS) but I’m not sure how’s the undergraduate econ program in UMN. I heard some people said that econ classes in UMN are very large and most econ classes are taught by Ph.D. students. So are undergraduate econ program in UMN good? If I also want to study math or computer science in CSE, am I able to earn a double degree?
Not goldergopher19, but I would like to add a suggestion that you don’t overlook the Applied Econ department at U of MN, where the classes are smaller, grad students do not teach the courses and many of the profs have won teaching awards. It is a second econ department that has strong specialties in environmental econ, food policy, and development. There are two econ departments at Minnesota, although the real econ one is the one famous for macroeconomics and having had Nobel winning profs.
Edited to add that the econ major is very popular despite the fact that many courses are taught by grad students. It is very possible to add an math or CS double major.
I just got accepted to CLA and I have around 60 credits from PSEO but I wanna transfer to CSE. I want to graduate in two years. when should I transfer? can you apply every semester to transfer if they dont accept?
Thanks for your advice! I was accepted into CLA and I’m actually interested in macroeconomics. I’m just worrying about classes with large size and not able to reach professors. Why are most classes taught by grad students instead of profs? I’m planning to pursue a Ph.D. degree in econ. Thus, I wonder can I apply for grad econ program with a degree in Applied Econ. I’ll take my time to consider Applied Econ. Thank you!!!
Hi! I also got accepted into CSE. Which dorm/apartment would you recommend living in? (How is the atmosphere/location like? Are you in a Living Learning Community?)
I got accepted to Carlson and plan to major in finance while doing dental prerequisites. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Why would I choose a business degree when I plan to go into dentistry? In case I realize dentistry is not for me, I have a major that I can find a decent job with instead of not being able to do anything other than cheap lab work with a science degree since I heard maaaaaaany pre-med and pre-dental students switch majors when they realize that they can’t handle the workload. In addition, if I do get into dental school and graduate, I know how to operate a private practice which almost all dentists do and if I’m going to do nonstop science, why not do an alternative major non-science major while I still can.
I think I drifted off focus. So I guess my main question is how is the grading curves across departments? I know engineering is probably brutal, but do you know specifically how the grading/difficulty is for CBS prereq courses and Carlson known for the “Carlson Curve” from what I’ve heard. I want to keep gpa my top priority and hit the ground running.
I made one of these threads last year and eventually the mods shut it down for some reason. I would be happy to answer questions as well. I’m a junior CLA student who transferred here, heavily involved in greek life and the social scene
You can apply every semester starting after your first semester, but it will realistically take more than two semesters if you don’t get accepted the first time. It’s also very risky if you don’t get accepted because you won’t have any credits towards your CLA major and it will take more time. Also, the U is really fun. I could never see leaving after just two years.
I would definitely recommend living in a dorm, I’m a big fan of 17th avenue residence hall because it’s the nicest, but it really depends on what you want in a residence hall.
@EconJK I can’t comment very much about the econ department, as I really have no knowledge in that area. As another poster mentioned, it is definitely possible to double major. It may or may not be very difficult, depending on how much overlap there is.
As for the class sizes, I wouldn’t worry too much. Obviously, you aren’t going to have the same experience in a 20-person classroom as in a lecture hall with 100 people, but I really do think that professors are very reachable if you put forth a little effort (talking to them after class, going to office hours, etc.) All my professors this past semester seemed willing to meet with students one on one if necessary.
@freakofnature22 Sorry, can’t really help with that kind of question. I would try to get in contact with someone from admissions. From what I have heard and read, it doesn’t sound too difficult to transfer colleges, provided you earn a good GPA in your technical courses.
@UniversityGeek I’m not sure about grading curves. I’ve heard about the Carlson Curve before, but I’m not aware of a specific grading system for CBS. Grading in my courses was largely decided by the professors. Honors classes are also known for having more friendly curves. You can, however, access past grade distributions for some classes here: https://onestop.umn.edu/registration/GradeDistribution.html
@minnesota98 Where you live, in my opinion, comes down to personal preference. All the dorms have pros and cons. (And I would definitely choose a dorm, by the way. It would be hard to meet other freshman in an apartment.)
The SuperBlock (Pioneer, Centennial, Territorial, and Frontier) will house the largest population of freshman. Frontier houses the first-year CSE LLC, which I strongly considered. Pioneer is generally regarded as the worst of the four (no AC, if I remember correctly). Territorial has the reputation of the party dorm. I haven’t spent a lot of time there, but I hear that it lives up to the expectation. Superblock food is definitely lower tier.
Middlebrook is on the West Bank, and it houses the Honors LLC (roughly floors 5-10), where I live, as well as other LLCs for international students and the fine arts. It’s very likely the quietest dorm, which I think is a huge plus when you’re in CSE. Also has what is generally regarded as the second best food. Has semi-private bathrooms, too. I have really enjoyed living in the honors community. Most people are pretty sociable, and I’ve met all my best friends through the dorm. Being around so many smart and highly-motivated people has been pretty incredible. Living on West Bank hasn’t been a problem. The walk across the bridge isn’t bad, and it’s super quick if you can bike or board.
Comstock is centrally located, so it’s close to where you’ll have class. Otherwise, at least in my eyes, it doesn’t have any great positives. 17th Avenue is the newest dorm, and the food is far above any of the other dorms. The building is also super nice in general. It houses a lot of the athletes. Note that you can still eat there even if you don’t live there. Location is also pretty nice if all your classes are on the East Bank. Sanford is near Dinkytown. Haven’t been there a lot. Food is supposed to be on the better side.
If you get into Honors, I would probably go with Middlebrook. Otherwise, think about Taylor Hall in Frontier. If you want to party hard, probably don’t choose either one, haha. Let me know if you have any other questions. Also, search r/uofmn. You’ll find tons of advice.
@EconJK , you can apply for a PhD program in econ with either a major in econ or applied econ. Once you have had principles and intermediate econ, what math courses you take are even more important. Applied econ also has a number of masters level econ courses that a senior or junior could take.
@goldengopher19 Thank you so much for replying, that was really helpful. I think I’ll apply for the Taylor House in Frontier (I don’t think I’ll make it into honors). I originally considered Yudof since my brother lives there and his room has a kitchenette and a shared bathroom. But if SuperBlock is better for meeting new people, I’ll go with Frontier. I also have the option of joining the Women in Science and Engineering LLC that’s also in Frontier. I don’t know if there’s a big difference between those two LLCs. Do you think Living Learning Communities are critical for when trying to meet people freshman year?
Thanks again!
@goldengopher19 Where are most of your fellow freshman honors friends planning to live for their sophomore year? Will some stay in Middlebrook?
Did you take honors CSE classes, or more just general studies courses? Is the CSE study environment in Middlebrook as good as advertised? U of M continues to stay at the top of my son’s list due (in large part) to what he heard at the honors preview day we attended in summer.
@minnesota98 I definitely don’t think Living Learning Communities are critical for meeting new people. I would say the biggest plus to joining one would be having friends with whom to work on homework. My first semester was pretty tough, and having classmates to consult and work with on homework was very helpful. Joining an LLC also helps create some continuity in that you’ll likely make friends who are also in your classes.
@Mtriplee I know that many people will be moving into apartments (I believe this is what the majority of people do.) However, some people will stay in the dorms, and I also know that there is a second-year LLC for Honors students in the east wing of Middlebrook.
I took almost entirely CSE honors classes this past semester. I’m not sure how the study environment was advertised to you, but I would say that Middlebrook has a pretty great setup. If your son lives in the Honors LLC, rest assured that there will be plenty of hard-working CSE students on the floor. Each floor also has a study lounge, which can be useful for group work. I also can’t really think of even one time that I was bothered by noise.
@vvfor3 Sorry, but again I don’t know very much about transferring, as I haven’t gone through the process myself or known anyone who has.
@CyclonesGrad I actually only applied to a few other schools. I looked into some “top-tier” schools but didn’t bother applying largely as the financial investment would have been ridiculous in comparison to a school like the U. My other two main options that I was considering were a couple of small, STEM schools. One of them was Illinois Institute of Technology, to which I was actually offered full tuition. I also had a very substantial scholarship offer at the other school.
There were a lot of reasons that I chose UMN. The most obvious ones were the strength of the programs within CSE and the overall cost of the school. I do get in-state tuition, but I think the U is relatively affordable either way. Scholarships were fairly generous as well. Another substantial reason was the Honors program. I thought it had a legitimate chance of being a great thing, and so far it’s delivered pretty well. My honors peers have been great, my classes are challenging, my lectures are substantially smaller, and my honors adviser has been very personable, helpful, and accessible. I also wanted more of a traditional college culture, versus the more niche environment of a small engineering school. Being located in the Twin Cities was a nice bonus too, just for all the great sights, food, and events. Another big reason I chose to attend here was for the breadth of opportunities available, just given the sheer size of the school. When I chose the U, I figured I could find ways to make it feel small when I wanted it to be, and so far, I’ve been able to do that. I also wanted to be around super-smart students (the average CSE honors ACT is on the order of a 35) but at the same time avoid the cutthroat competition at other schools. The U strikes a nice balance in that area. I think that covers most of it. Let me know if you have further questions.