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<li>Even though UMN has the best OOS rates out of all the public schools out there, AND is a member of the big 10, it ranks 7th on Kiplinger for OOS value, when it is about 10 thousand dollars cheaper than most of the schools on there. </li>
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<p>I live too far from Minnesota to know anything about the school other than what I see on the internet, and nothing has really hit the mark as to why there is this sort of negative vibe. I just can't figure it out. Good research, big uni, wonderful city...Why is there this negativity associated with it? :/</p>
<p>p.s. how is the marking @UMN? I don't expect an easy ride, of course, but I don't want anything brutal. How possible is it to get, say, a 3.5-3.7 GPA?</p>
<p>I think most of the negative vibes you get are because of the large class sizes and the huge feeling of the school. That and it’s not until recently that the undergrad student quality and selectivity have risen significantly, so the rankings are probably a little behind in this regard. </p>
<p>Either way, I go to the U and I love it here. I think most students would tell you the same thing. </p>
<p>It has to be something in the ranking methodologies, because it’s seriously underrated.</p>
<p>Edit: Your GPA depends on what major you’re in. If you’re in ChemE or something like that, it’s going to be a lot harder to maintain a high GPA than someone who’s an education major or something (nothing against education majors). And obviously…the largest factor by far is how hard you work.</p>
<p>7th is a pretty good ranking. What’s the problem?</p>
<p>************** is not a credible source because they do not authenticate users and in general tend to attract those with very, very strong emotions. Perhaps those who dislike UMN simply are more vocal than the fans.</p>
<p>I don’t think PR releases a methodology at all, so I would not trust their results.</p>
<p>Part of the turn-off for the U of MN no doubt comes from its low 4-year graduation rate – 37% in the Kiplinger Report you cite and only 64% over 6 years. And possibly another large negative for the U of MN is that it has a large commuter culture with so many students living either at home around the large Twin Cities metro area or off-campus. So for OOS students espcially, U of MN may not be appealing in part for those reasons.</p>
<p>Nonetheless the U of MN is a terrific school and I believe is making it easier for students to graduate in 4 years by now offering a 4-year graduation guarantee. Look it is a large place with some huge classes in an urban setting. That understandably does not appeal to some. </p>
<p>Our D is doing very well there – she is OOS. And it is a great value for OOS and well worth taking a long, hard look at. Merit scholarships and AP credits are generous. I agree with Nomad that it is seriously underrated.</p>
<p>@Nomad9: I agree, 7 is a GREAT ranking. The thing is, UMN is cheaper than all the schools above it by differences ranging from 2-10 thousand dollars :
I also agree that that source isn’t too reliable, but most schools similar to UMN still had at least 60-70 percent of students saying they would return.</p>
<p>@amkev: I’m glad to hear your daughter’s doing well. I plan on being in her shoes one day, which is why I posted this thread. How does she feel about the academic environment? What’s her major?</p>
<p>Our daughter is one month into her second year at UMTC and loves it so far. Made a bunch of close friends and has found the classwork challenging. She is in the college of design and is also pursuing a minor in business management so she has taken classes on the West Bank, East Bank, and St. Paul campuses. Minnesota’s ranking is rising and it has gotten more selective in the past few years (53% acceptance rate last year and the average incoming freshman ACT score was 27.8 for Fall 2010).</p>
<p>I’m in my senior year at the U. While you probably know the pros of a large research university, the cons I’ve experienced are that its not only HUGE but VERY CROWDED. Imagine walking into the science and engineering library and wandering the 3 floors of study tables and there is NOT A SINGLE PLACE TO SIT AND STUDY. There is a line to use the computer lab. At the Rec center, you have to sign up a on a list to get in line to use a treadmill. The campus connector bus will zoom right by you when you are waiting at the bus stop because it is full. Don’t even think about buying lunch over the noon hour at the student union. You will wait in line for 30 minutes and then realize you have to sit on the floor in the corner to eat. Add these annoyances to the expected stress of classes, ect. and you may find yourself quite frustrated. </p>
<p>However, I am getting a good education and have great professors and a 2 research jobs.So it’s a mixed bag.</p>
<p>I think the sheer size of the school (student wise) hurts its rankings.</p>
<p>UMN is becoming more selective in its admissions to curve that. School is almost too eager to educate students, some of whom really shouldn’t be there.</p>
<p>I have been here 8 weeks and I totally love this school. I never feel overcrowded because the U is so huge and you have your own college with your own facilities (I am in Carlson and there are only about 3000 students there) I haven’t had to line up at the Rec center or Dining Halls for too long (like, over 10 minutes), either.
FYI, I am an international student and the price at the U is the best deal that I had.</p>
<p>I looove the UMN (Twin Cities)/ the “U” it’s great! Even though I’m not a big fan of staying in Minnesota the school is really nice and most of the students are generally very friendly and helpful…and there’s tons to do on campus since it’s right in MPLS and there’s something like 600+ organizations/clubs to join so it’s always fun and you can find events to go to like “African Night” that’s hosted by the ASA in april is always soo much fun even though im technically not a student there (only thru CIS if that counts?) i might volunteer there and get a free tshirt haha…there’s literally a club/org for everything out there so it’s seems easy to make friends…</p>
<p>At their info session they said that the average class size is around 25-30ish so I’m not sure about that because i don’t go there. Yes, it’s a huge school but i see it as a way of not getting bored and there are shuttles/buses that can help assist you…many students also use bikes (from what ive noticed).</p>
<p>For In state students (including WI,IO,SD,ND i think) it’s super affordable…not sure about for OSS students but it’s a great vaule for you education.</p>
<p>If you’ve never experienced Upper Midwest winters, negative 40 degree windchill temperatures are colder than you can even comprehend. That’s 72 degrees below freezing. </p>
<p>Anyway, I toured the campus and it’s really nice. It’s within walking distance of Minneapolis which is an awesome city. However, the campus is separated enough from the city that it seemed safe and clean. The campus is like an island within the city with a nice view of the skyline. There’s also a system of tunnels connecting most of the buildings on the campus so that you don’t have to go outside as often in the winter. And, it seemed like all the buildings were new except for the historic buildings.</p>
<p>The only thing that I don’t like about the school is that it’s not as selective as I would like. The average ACT score is 26 or 27 if I remember correctly. (it varies a lot depending on your major)</p>
<p>I’m a freshman at the U and I love it here, but it does take a certain type of student to fit in. I feel like a lot of the reasons students don’t come back or finish a degree is because the classes ARE challenging. I’m in the Honors program and I’ve heard a lot of my friends are having issues even in regular courses, but a lot of that is from the difference in teaching styles. A lot of people have very large lectures (500+ in some cases), but normally you will have a smaller discussion or lab section, and the professors have multiple opportunities for students to get help. Most of the people I’ve met from the U who aren’t satisfied with their time here are in extremely rigorous programs, such as ChemE, but they admit that the higher standard at the U will make it easier for them to get jobs or go to graduate school. Getting one-on-one attention from advisors may be difficult if you’re in a bigger college, such as CLA, but if you look hard enough, there are plenty of resources. If you’re willing to be independent and take initiative for yourself, the U is a great place with a ton of internship, research, etc opportunities.</p>
<p>lol the campus is terrible. terrible placement of building. STSS is a horrendously designed building. how many times have you cursed it’s design when you have to walk all the way around to get to the stairs from washington entrance? student union is in a corner essentially. not much in the way of food choice at university dining places. you would have to go to dinkytown or stadium village.</p>
<p>the class sizes are ultra-massive. many students are very mediocre. the standard is very low. everyone talks about how chemE at U is so good, but it really is the graduate department that’s “good”. undergrad chemE is merely average.</p>