@Mtriplee I’m not certain how much smaller they are in general. All the honors classes I took were just general CSE classes, which would likely be some of the largest honors sections. In my case, I had honors classes that were 70 or 80 students rather than 200. The discussion sections for these classes had about 15-20 students. My math lecture probably had about 30 or 40 students. If a class is less general/a higher level, I think you’ll see even smaller numbers.
@goldengopher19 Are you from IL? Your reasons are why I think UM is good. My twins both got IS tuition but not sure if they would get honors. Would they be in large lectures for Chem, Calc, and Physics if they are not in honors?
BTW, totally agree on cost of “top-tier” schools. My kids did not even apply to them, UM, Purdue, or UM because the cost was high and none of the state schools give much merit money. UIUC was also off the board because Tuition/R&B is $31K for an IS student.
I consider UM a very good engineering school as they have attracted many top tier students with the low cost for OOS students. I understand that UM is going to raise the OOS student tuition significantly over the next few 4 years by 15%/year. Have you heard that? Has there been discussion on-campus about that?
@CyclonesGrad I’m actually from a state with reciprocity. I’ve heard a little bit about an OOS tuition increase, but I don’t think action has actually been taken yet. There’s definitely discussion going on. Lectures would likely be pretty large, not going to lie. I went and looked at some sections from this past semester for regular physics and calc. Physics looked like about 300 students a lecture. I did see a Calc I class with about 80 students though. Discussion sections will still be small though (capped at 20 students). Discussion is once a week for physics and twice a week for calc.
@EconJK - will you have AP credits for economics coming in? The U is very generous with AP credits (only need a 3) - my S started with 33 credits technically making him a sophomore. He is planning to double major in Economics and CS so applied and admitted to CLA. If u have completed AP Micro and Macro you will then move on to intermediate level economics which should have slightly smaller classes. My S is actually not taking any economics classes this year as he also has to fulfill the stats requirement to move on to the intermediate coursework.
If interested in CS through CLA, the requirements have changed. You must apply to the program after completing some required coursework in which you must achieve a minimum 3.2 GPA or department recommendation. Additionally, he was not made aware until school started (so not even at orientation when he picked courses) that he had to fill out paperwork and get approval from the CSE department in order to take the CS class. It didn’t end up being a problem but he did get different advice from CLA and CSE departments which messed up his schedule a bit (regardng AP credits and which course he should begin with).
S chose the OOS LLC (called At Home) largely because it is in Centennial which has nearly all singles and he preferred a single room. He’s made great friends (says his entire floor is friendly) and his only complaint is the terrible food in the dining hall. He tries to go to 17th to eat at least once or twice a week but it’s not as convenient as having it right in your building.
My younger S stayed over one night with his brother in the dorm and seems heavily inclined towards the U. I’m quite upset about the increase in tuition for OOS (we are from IL). Unlike some of the other nearby state universities, very little is given out for merit except to very high stat students (like OP). My S got the top merit awards to some other universities but nothing from UMN. However, with OOS currently a great deal, it was still one of the most affordable options. I’m concerned that the increase in tuition will result in a big decrease in talented OOS students thus affecting the quality of the programs.
@singermom4 Your S did not get the Gold National? The OOS increase will be an issue unless a student gets the Gold National.
I would say many high stats kids will apply but not enroll unless they get the Gold National.
@CyclinesGrad - no he did not get anything from UMN but it was still cheaper than UIUC. Current students will have their increases capped at 5% per year.
@singermom4 UIUC is ridiculous for IS COA in engineering. My twins did not even apply because we felt the cost was way too high compared to other places, i.e. UMN, Alabama, and Iowa State.
I cannot believe people pay those kind of prices to go to UIUC.
I am in-state for UIUC so not that much higher for us but the CS program is very difficult to get into and if you are not a direct admit you will not able to enroll in the courses. Despite not being a COE student at UMN my S is not having trouble getting his CS classes.
@cyclonesgrad But unless one is getting a UMN in-state tuition waiver, the prices of UIUC engineering (in state) and UMN (OOS) are pretty similar.
Even though UIUC is high priced compared to most other state flagships, I can still see why people are willing to pay $36K for OOS College of Engineering, especially for their most-competitive majors. Their ranking are SO high (in many engineering disciplines) that applicants are comparing UIUC to higher-priced schools like MIT, Carnegie Mellon, Stanford, Michigan, etc. $36K doesn’t look too bad compared to those!
I’m the first to acknowledge that rankings are not the be-all, end-all, but UIUC definitely stands pretty tall compared to UMN, Wisconsin, ISU, etc., when it comes to engineering rankings.
goldengopher19:
When I was a student at UIUC, many of the faculty and TAs had heavy foreign accents. Their English skills were quite poor and my education was negatively impacted. Have you encountered teachers of this sort at UMN?
@Mtriplee The rankings do not mean a whole lot to me. Unless a school is not accredited by ABET, I do not think there is a whole lot of difference. I have been in industry since 1982 and worked with engineers from all kinds of schools, high ranked to low ranked.
I have hired many engineers and some of the very best have been from lower ranked schools that had more hands on learning.
In my eyes, UIUC, UMN, ISU, UM are all the same. I will tell you that I would not hire a student from MIT or Stanford because my thinking would be that they are into research/high tech and why would they want to work for a lowly truck manufacturer. The school you go to can work against you!
One of my professors had a noticeable accent this past semester, but it was pretty light and actually fun to listen to rather than difficult to understand. It does seem fairly likely (just guessing) that I’ll eventually run into a professor or two who are hard to understand. I think this is a pretty ubiquitous problem, though. I don’t think the U is different from any other school in this regard.
We are out of state, S was born in MN now live in New England. Waiting on acceptance but are filling out the dorm application in anticipation of a positive response from the school soon. With 5 other yes responses I hope we hear in the next few days. Have to say I appreciate so much the current student prospective. Trying to figure out a dorm for him is difficult. He is excited but won’t know a soul there. Coming from a small high school, loves sports and social life. Any additional insights would be great!
Still willing to answer questions. Second semester starts next week, and then I probably won’t be back too often. But until then, feel free to fire away!
@goldengopher19 Were you involved in any outside activities last semester? I know everyone has different study habits and responses to the workload, but as a CSE honors student, did you feel there was time for anything else? On a more-specific note, were you acquainted with anyone who was in the marching band? Just wondering if that will be feasible.
@Mtriplee I haven’t gotten super involved yet, but I did play an intramural sport and also did some work with the Honors Ambassadors program (helping out with prospective student events, etc.) The CSE workload is definitely tough, but there is still time to do other things. I have a friend who is heavily involved with a few different student organizations, and he managed it well. I don’t know anyone in marching band very well, but from my understanding it’s pretty time-consuming. I’m sure it’s doable though.
I know you can’t speak for the entire student body, but what’s the atmosphere there? Are people real party people or are there some introverts there too? Also what’s your favorite thing about The school? Do you think someone from Miami can survive the Minnesota winter? Okay last question: be honest, is there a lot of diversity?
The atmosphere, in reference to the student body, is extremely variable. The student body is absolutely gigantic, and I don’t think it’s possible to do very much categorization. The atmosphere will definitely feel different depending on where you live and with whom you spend most of your time.
I live in Middlebrook in the Honors program, and I spend the majority of my time with kids taking CSE coursework. These factors contribute to a very academic environment. The students I spend my time with work very, very hard. We still do, however, find a little time to have fun. I’ve worked hard from 3 to 7 on many a Friday or Saturday night, but a piece of the weekend is always left open (or shall I say reserved by requirement) for fun and relaxation. From a personal standpoint, I don’t think I could have afforded to party last semester, had I wanted to. No way my grades could have held up as well if I was throwing away entire days of my weekends. Still had plenty of fun times though. And don’t worry about finding introverts. Definitely not hard in Middlebrook, haha. And you can find real party people if you want to. Just think about these things when you’re deciding where to live.
My favorite thing about this school is probably a combination of a couple things. I love the amazing people I have gotten to know, who are incredibly intelligent, talented, and share similar perspectives on life. I wanted a traditional college experience with a strong STEM school education thrown on top. (The people were a big reason I wanted to come here.) I also love the beautiful, bustling campus and the wonderful cities that border but not engulf it. And I am able to feel that my education, though undoubtedly the hardest thing I’ve ever worked for, is a great investment in my future.
Is there a lot of diversity? I certainly think so, but I come from a pretty not-that diverse background, so your mileage may vary. Look up some stats. For the school, I think it’s reasonably diverse. The CSE honors program is definitely lacking though. Sorry if I talked to much about CSE. I just think it has a substantial effect on my personal experience.
Let me know if you have any questions. Might not answer quickly though.
Oh, and yeah. You can survive the Minnesota winter. Just don’t skimp on winter gear. If you come here, you might even learn to love the weather.
I was accepted into the retail merchandising program and was wondering if the school has a strong connection to the twin cities/a good alumni network to help get jobs upon graduation? Also, i am considering combining another area of business with my major; how difficult is that? Finally I’m visiting the campus and was wondering what are some places I should visit–restaurants/places on campus or the city-- to get a vibe of the campus/city? Thanks!
Hey guys! My application status just changed to “Your application is being very carefully considered” today and was wondering if anyone else has gotten this? If so, were you waitlisted, accepted or denied? Thank you for your time!