<p>I got accepted several months ago and never did any serious research(Free Application/No Essays). I applied there because I wanted to go into Chemical Engineering and I read that their program is strong. Well forward to today I got a letter saying I won $10,000/yr from scholarships and Minnesota has gone from my absolute last choice to a major runner.</p>
<p>To any current students, alumni, or people who know a lot about the school how is it overall? Also is the weather that bad? I'm from Northwest Ohio so I am no stranger to bad weather but I hear its awful.</p>
<p>It definitely gets colder and stays colder longer than in Northwest Ohio, but in general terms the climate is the same midwestern four season climate that you are used to. </p>
<p>Minnesota is obviously a huge university. A bit more of a "commuter" school than the other Big Ten schools, but on the other hand it's located smack in the middle of a great city, and that certainly has its advantages.</p>
<p>My sister goes to U of MN and from what she tells me it is a great school. Since it's in the city there's is plenty to do. She likes all of her teachers though she had a calculus professor (of an unspecified minority) who created a language barrier. Her roomates are awful, but she's made so many friends that she'll have a better roomate next year. This is coming from a girl who didn't socialize at all in h.s. The weather is bearable only because there is an underground tunnel (that is heated) running through the majority of campus. I'm assuming you got the Gold scholarship which means that you are indeed smart and have a place at the U. Consider this school as it is a gem and truly underated. If you have anymore questions send me a message and I'll tell you what I know.</p>
<p>With a $10K award and OOS tuition at only $14,800, it's a bargain, and the engineering school (Institute of Technology) is very good, especially in chem e for which it's one of the top schools in the country. Engineering students are also much stronger than the U as a whole--average ACT in engineering is 29.3, average SAT CR + M is 1332, versus 26.2 and 1236 respectively in Liberal Arts.</p>
<p>The Twin Cities are a great place to live, very lively, lots of great restaurants, clubs, music venues, big-time sports both on-campus and at the pro level, a ton of culture (great museums, more live theater per capita than any city in the U.S. other than NYC), rated #1 (Minneapolis) and #3 (St. Paul) "most literate cities" in the nation by a national magazine based on library usage and bookstore sales (Seattle sneaked in at #2). But Mpls-St. Paul are much more affordable and easier to get around than many other big cities. Because there's so much to do in the cities there's probably less focus on campus life per se than in a college town, but there are very few true "commuters" (living at their parents' homes); most freshmen live on-campus, after that most students live in rented houses or apartments near campus or spread throughout the Cities. But some people prefer that to the typical college/university "bubble."</p>
<p>The fall is beautiful, but winter is awful, to be honest. It can be brutally cold especially in January, but that typically comes in short bursts of a few really nasty days, maybe 3 or 4 times a year. The rest of the winter, IMO, is bearable, and actually better than Michigan, Ohio, western Pennsylvania or upstate NY because it's much sunnier and dryer in MN. Those interminable gray winters in SE Michigan or upstate NY are horribly depressing; a little bit of cold doesn't seem so bad if it's accompanied by sunshine and blue skies, and Minnesota's "dry cold" doesn't feel as cold as a more humid cold at the same temperature (this is scientific fact). But let's face it, when it gets to -10 or -20, it's just da*ned cold, whether dry or wet. (On the other hand, the coldest I've ever been by far was one morning in Michigan at -20 and fog; even now my bones ache just thinking about it).</p>
<p>Also I think fall classes end in mid-Dec and spring classes do not start until about the third week in Jan so if you are not on campus over winter break you may avoid some of the worst weather.</p>
<p>^ Right about the winter break. My D just got a recruiting card from Macalester College in Saint Paul. It said: "Average temperature in January: 20 degrees. But who cares? That's winter break!" and it showed a picture of a young man, presumably a Mac student, on a beach with a surfboard. Very funny. Very effective. And with some truth to it.</p>
<p>Well, you must be one lucky applicant... I just looked up Minnesota in the latest (10 yrs. old now, but these things change very little over time) NRC rankings, and guess where ol' U of Minn is rated in Chemical Engineering, Ph.D. level?</p>
<p>bclintock. I totally agree with your climate assessment of MSP. They have many more sunny days there than around the great lakes and in the winter, while bitterly cold, your mood is better when the sun shines. I like the weather there better than Michigan as well.</p>
<p>Even opposed to here in Wisconsin, the past few years we have received a lot more snow compared to the Cities. (Btw this is inland southern Wisconsin where we don't get any lake effect snow or wind)</p>
<p>Might I point out that the University of Minnesota was MORE selective this year than Wisconsin-Madison (the number 5 public university on the usnews report)</p>
<p>Having lived in the twin cities and Toledo, OH, I can put the weather in perspective for you. The temperatures and snowfall we're experiencing here in NW OH this year are typical of the weather and snowfall in the twin cities. bclintock makes a good point about Minnesota having many more sunny days.</p>
<p>"Might I point out that the University of Minnesota was MORE selective this year than Wisconsin-Madison (the number 5 public university on the usnews report)"</p>
<p>No it was not. It has ACT scores much lower than UW. Something like a 26.1 vs 28.1.</p>
<p>I don't think a school's <em>general</em> selectivity and reputation is relevant to an aspiring chemical engineer.. for that, you start at the schools Ph.D. ChemE reputation, then see whether than #1 rank effectively filters down to benefit undergrads.</p>
<p>I just don't see how any general school discussion applies to a Chem E aspirant.</p>
<p>Wisconsin may be a better overall school, especially in the liberal arts, but Minnesota definitely has areas (Carlson School of Business, College of Biological Sciences and the Institute of Technology--all schools with average ACT greater than 29 and 90% of students in top 10% of their high school classes) where it is just as strong, if not stronger.</p>
<p>Having lived in NW Ohio for the first 23 years of my life (and attended undergrad there), then being at the U of Wisconsin for 7 years, and now a resident of Minnesota--the weather isn't nearly as bad as people fear. The extreme cold is usually north of the Twin Cities, although we "southerners" did have 3 days in January where the temp got down to 25 below and didn't get above zero for the high. Like other posters have said, the cold is a bit drier and the days are much sunnier, so it's very tolerable with appropriate dress as long as there's no significant wind chill. U of M generally starts the Tuesday after MLK Day, so the worst of the weather is during your break. (And yes, my daughter, a Macalester student, really was enjoying the beach over her winter break--just resumed classes yesterday. As long as I get 1 week warm weather vacation each winter to look forward to, my old bones are fine too.) </p>
<p>Again, I never think of U of M as a commuter school because the students are living in dorms or with other students in apartments or houses near campus. One thing unique about this big 10 school is the fact that there are so many private liberal arts colleges nearby as well (Macalester, Hamline, St Kate's, Augsburg, St Thomas--with a connecting shuttle bus system). There's definitely some intermingling and cross-dating.</p>
<p>The Twin Cities is a great place to attend college, with lots of concerts, museums, theatre, internship opportunities, volunteer opportunities. Fortunately, much of the rest of the country is scared off by the weather. "40 below keeps the riff-raff out."</p>
<p>How many ChE majors that start finish at the undergrad level? Attrition is very high so choosing the best school means more than looking at one dept.</p>
<p>barrons, I agree with you generally, but I've not met many engineering undergrads who suddently decided they didn't want to finish the course... I've met a few who mid-career migrate into technical sales, or technical customer support, but not many that started at Big U in engineering and left for any reason other than not being able to handle the rigor. But what of those who leave because it is too rigorous? Does it really matter that a school is ranked #52 vs. #92 in that case? It's just a matter at that point of reprioritizing and getting a degree.</p>
<p>Pre-med? Yeah, I'll bet 80% wash out of that one. Sociology? who cares, it's fungible with History/English/(fill in the blank liberal arts concentration). Physics/math? yeah, a lot leave mid stream into other majors.</p>
<p>but engineering? it's a pretty sticky major.</p>