My S is considering this LLC. Any feedback on the pros and cons? The possibility of getting a single also looks attractive to him. How is Centenial as a dorm? While he doesn’t need super quiet, he’d probably prefer not to be in party central. Also considering Comstock and Middlebrook but no specialty floors in those two.
Can anyone share their experience/opinion of the @Home LLC?
No help on that but my son who graduated May 2014 was in both Middlebrook and Comstock. He was in the honors section of Middelbrook his freshman year. He thought Middlebrook had the best food on campus, but its location on the West Bank meant he needed to add more time to get to/from classes. There is a campus bus that does run through the campus but he mostly walked. He liked the fact that only 2 rooms (4 boys) shared one hall bathroom and it was cleaned and stocked by the janitorial staff. It was a pretty quiet dorm. He stayed in Comstock his sophomore and junior years. The food wasn’t as good, but he loved the location being right behind the union, and near his engineering classes. In the mornings he would lliterally roll out of bed, brush his teeth and head to classes. It was a more social dorm, but it could be because he was more social after his freshman year. He went to alot of movies and events at Coffman because he was so close. He did not room in a LLC or at in the super block so I can’t help. If the 17th Avenue dorm was available for engineering LLC then, I might have suggested he look into that his freshman year or I might have had him look into the LLC in the superblocks. I am not sure if Centennial is one of he quieter ones. I know 2 of the 4 had more of a party reputation.
Thanks @kjcphmom . Centennial is supposed to be the quietest in Superblock and he is also interested in a single room. Also one thing I didn’t consider - he will have many AP credits and so will likely have few freshman classes. Is he better off in a dorm with mixed years or are there usually enough freshman in the same situation?
I’m pretty sure he would prefer the suite style set up in Middlebrook and food is important to him too which is why it is a hard decision. Is Comstock near 17th? I hear the food is best in 17th. If convenient he could eat some of this meals there.
I am not sure where the new dorm is located. You could probably look it up and see how close/far it is from the superblock to get an idea. However, normally you are only “allowed” in the cafeteria if you live in the dorm. However, they do make exceptions. When my son was in Middlebrook his freshman year, he was able to have lunch at Comstock, however, he had to get permission to do this (his card then let him in the building). I am not sure what the policy is now but I wouldn’t be surprised if its the same as they want to keep these dorms secure from outsiders.
Having classes with other freshmen is one of the best ways to meet people, however, many freshmen have ap credits like your son so there will be plenty of them in the higher level classes too. If he really wants to meet people, living in an all freshman dorm is probably the best way or in a LLC where people are interested in the same things. A single dorm room is nice, but I like a double for freshmen only because a roommate can double the people you meet.
One of the best things UMN has that other schools does not is their Freshman Week before school starts. Unless its changed, freshman come several days earlier and spend time with their freshmen class going to a welcome, a pep rally (where a picture is taken on the field), go to the amusement park at the Mall of America, have a Target night, and are split into groups to explore the campus and St. Paul. My son loved that week! It was also a great way to make friends.
Good luck to your son.
I don’t have any experience with that specific LLC, but I’m in an LLC right now and I really like it. I think LLC’s are good.
If he gets a single he will need to make sure he is socially active, because it is harder to make friends in a single.
Centennial is nice, it’s in superblock which will have aspects of parties every week. Territorial is the party dorm.
Comstock is fine and average, Middlebrook is very nerdy and socially awkward.
Thanks for the info!
@kjcphmom - university website says that students can eat at any dining hall. I don’t know if that is a change or whether a special card is necessary - @TransferGopher - as you are a current student can you comment?
My S lives in Centennial. Belongs to @Home LLC. First year has been a very good experience. Fun activities. Lots of opportunities to meet other students and explore Minneapolis.
@singermom4 You can eat wherever you want!
Glad they changed that then. My son had to get special permission to eat at Comstock his freshman year.
@dkdibble - thanks for the feedback. I think the LLC will be a good way to make a large university feel smaller. It’s great there are so many choices here but I feel it can easily lead to overload. S decided on UMinn too late for drum line auditions so it would be helpful to start out with some kind of smaller group.
@singermom4 As a parent, my biggest concern with a single room at Centennial was that my S would never leave his dorm room. UMN/Minneapolis/St Paul have so much to offer. The LLC had lots of activities keeping him busy. And now it seems like every weekend a dozen or more friends are off on some less organized adventure. @Home LLC was a good choice.
S assures me he will not stay in his room and wants to socialize. He is just worried about getting a bad roommate. So it sounds like the single room as worked out okay? Now that he’s been there a year, would he have made a different choice? It seems convenient to have the dining hall in the building as well as a convenience store.
Next year he’s living in 17th Ave with a roommate. And SYE LLC. He’s been pleased with his choices. Centennial is convenient to campus. Close to the connector buses and close to the Green Line station.
S also has 17th on his list though his app was probably in too late (beginning of February) for that building. Do you still think Centennial @Home would be better for first year? How early did he need to apply for SYE LLC?
Centennial is almost entirely freshman. Because of @Home , there are many OOS students and many students from other countries. Lots of kids not knowing anyone and open to new friendships. It is my impression that 17th Ave has more upperclassman. Both Centennial and 17th are good choices for differing reasons.
For the second year, the registration for housing and LLC’s was relatively well organized. My S completed a questionnaire listing preferences for housing and LLC’s. He was then given a registration date and time based on preferences. LLC students get to pick early in the process. He immediately knew his dorm and room number. SYE (Second Year Experience) is an LLC related to his major.
Hi @singermom I would recommend your son go through fraternity rush. It is a fantastic experience.
Fraternity rush is when fraternities invite students to house tours and various nightly events during the first week of school. These events include barbeques, poker nights, gopher football games, tailgates and so much more.
Even if your son has no intention of joining a fraternity, it is a fantastic way to meet tons of new people. Every night during the first week of school he’ll have a place to go and tons of people interested in meeting him. I ended up joining a fraternity, but some of my best friends were people in my group during rush.
@TransferGopher - thanks for the information. My S is a bit laid back so not sure if that type of socializing is up his alley but I will let him know.
Looking back at some of my old threads and wanted to update. He did socialize at the fraternities last year (freshman) and ended up rushing this fall as sophomore. He is now a member of Delta Tau Delta and seems to be enjoying the experience. Had to laugh at my prior comments given what has transpired!