<p>I think you are absolutely wrong. For example:</p>
<p>CAMPUS</a> LIFE: Cornell; Seeking to Stop Changes of Plans By Science Majors - New York Times</p>
<p>The</a> Daily Bruin - Engineering students need to stick with it</p>
<p>And
According to the Penn State Student Affairs Web site, 70 percent of students switch their majors at least one time, while 20 percent change twice and 10 percent change three or more times</p>
<p>Last time I was looking at University of Minnesota- Twin Cities, it sorta gave off the feel of summer camp. Although looking at it on google map, it's look less like summer camp so it may have been the inside of the buildings I've seen. Like one of their lunch rooms was mainly wood. </p>
<p>It's located in the twin cities which in a way is a plus.</p>
<p>No, this looks like a summer camp.</p>
<p>Barrons, did you actually read the UCLA linked story?</p>
<p>The author writes "only 3 in 5 graduate in four years". Hello! Only 3.3 in 5 graduate in four years from all combined majors. <a href="http://www.aim.ucla.edu/Publications/update05-1gradrates.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://www.aim.ucla.edu/Publications/update05-1gradrates.pdf</a>
It is hard at Big U to graduate in exactly four years...it often takes an extra quarter or two (or summer after 4th year. A large % of students at Big U work 12-20 hours per week. It's all in balance.
I don't think your claim about engineeering weeding out is true, but if so, it isn't supported by the UCLA article.</p>
<p>My point -- when a high school Sr. writes that they're serious about Chemical Engineering, it is MUCH more likely they'll stick to that path than just about any other major one can think of.</p>
<p>Please provide one shred of proof for your statement. And the entire point of the UCLA article was the dropout rate from engineering. The writer might not have used the best data to support his case but I'm pretty sure he had anecdotal evidence that caused him to write it in the first place.</p>
<p>Congrats on the scholarship.</p>
<p>I have a graduate degree from U of MN (and a B.S from UW-Madison), have lived in the Twin Cities for the past two decades, and find reason to visit the campus a couple of times a year, so I am very familiar with it. I will try to give you some insight into the student experience there.</p>
<p>First, academically the school is sound, with a huge breadth of courses to take and plenty of strong departments, many average ones, and some weaker ones, too. The Institute of Technology program is very strong and, as you know, the Chem E department one of the strongest in the country. That said, you should realize that, as a new undergraduate, you will probably be facing large lectures with supplementary discussion sections in most of your classes, just as you would at most large schools. As you advance, and especially as a junior or senior, your classes will become smaller, more focused, and more intimate. It is my experience that U of MN has particularly large lectures for some of its intro courses (some 500+), but you might not find this to be so true in IT. Additionally, if you're willing to be flexible, you can sometimes find off-hours classes that are smaller and more friendly.</p>
<p>U of MN has just revamped its honors program this year to make it a more integrated, consistent, and coherent experience, although I can't speak to it in detail. As a scholarship student you should look into it as it might offer better classroom experiences than are generally available to the mainstream.</p>
<p>One thing that is unavoidable, however, is the size of U of MN. It's very large and, as a result, can at times be impersonal, even alienating, especially when dealing with administrative services. You will have to stay on top of things with regard to fees, financial aid, registration, etc. because if you have problems with this you will find it harder to find a friendly person willing to give you some attention than you would at a smaller school. This is bound to be a problem at all large schools, but in my experience it was worse at U of MN than at Madison.</p>
<p>Physically the campus is scattered: the main Minneapolis campus is in two parts split by the Mississippi river and connected by a very long pedestrian bridge. The East Bank, where the main campus quadrangle, the medical center, most sciences, athletic facilities, and IT can be found, has some green space between architectualy diverse (some might say poorly integrated) buildings, but the experience is still decidely urban, as city buses and much traffic flow through the major arteries of campus and the downtown Minneapolis skyline is a mile away. There is a big system of tunnels which, if you learn to navigate them, can keep you out of much of the cold, but no tunnel connects across Washington Avenue to the student union, Coffman.</p>
<p>The West Bank is newer and less traditional -- a network of tunnel-and-hall connected buildings which are both above and underground. Here are the social sciences, music, theater, and studio arts departments, the law and management schools, and the main library, Wilson, as well as much of the parking. It has a much more decidedly "concrete jungle" feel. Because the main library is here as well as some common undergrad classes, you will probably find yourself crossing that bridge several times a week in your first few years. Most of the walk is sheltered and heated (when it turned on) but you do have to allow some time for the walk.</p>
<p>There is also an entirely separate second campus in St. Paul (actually Falcon Heights, but you won't know the difference) which is mostly agriculural and ag-related departments (such as the Vet school) and has its own student union. You probably won't have to visit this campus, which is connected by a free 10-minute shuttle bus ride, but you might want to because it is a more relaxed and (IMO) appealing environment. There is good study space here, especially in the Ag library, and it can provide a change of scenery and a bit of a sanctuary which can be welcome at any time but particularly in the winter.</p>
<p>Dorms are located in all spots, including the St. Paul campus. I think (verify this) there is honors dorm space in the single tower dorm on the West Bank (with an excellent view of the Mississippi "gorge") that you might want to explore. To my mind the unlocalized dorms make for a less integrated undergrad experience, but it is only part of the problem here. Many students are metro-locals who commute into school and leave for the nights and weekends to go back to their families, jobs, and high school friends. I believe there is a bigger proportion of these than at any other Big 10 school and I think it detracts from the undergrad experience. Still, there are thousands of students living in the dorms near campus and thousands more living in private housing around campus that there is still a "buzz" although not one that is, strictly speaking, on campus. The student union is usually quiet in the evenings. Instead you'll find it the commercial districts near campus, Dinkytown and Stadium Village. It is possible that it will be strengthened in the next year when the new on-campus football stadium opens (the team has played in the Metrodome downtown these last 27 years).</p>
<p>What you get in exchange for the somewhat subdued undergraduate social experience is a vibrant urban culture - if you can find the inclination, time, and money to afford it. You can get pretty much everywhere on city buses (once you learn the routes) and you'll find restaurants and music of all sorts, excellent theater, movies, night clubs (if you're old enough), parks, museums, all four major professional sports, and lots of other things to do, visit, and explore in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. You'll also find that, for the most part, moving around the cities by car, bicycle, foot, or public transportation is both easy and safe relative to many other urban areas (although, in truth, I would prefer a stronger commuter rail system).</p>
<p>Finally, the weather is different in degree but not in kind to northern Ohio. You're not a warm-weather wimp, so you'll find it manageable. Add about 2-3 weeks on to the start and end of your winters and brace yourself for 10-20 subzero days (a few of them strung together) and you'll get a typcial Twin Cities winter. Probably no more snow than you get now, but it will last longer (sometimes the grass is covered in December and we don't see it again until March). Winter is harsh, but spring and fall are beautiful. Think of it as meterological diversity.</p>
<p>barrons -- let's reset this:</p>
<p>Me: General University reputation isn't a big deal for a Chem E aspirant when that dept. is top rated in the country.
You: Yeah, but attrition for engineers is "very high"... implying he better have a good school for other majors.
Me: I know attrition is high, and changing of majors, but not especially in engineering
You: Here are two articles that show it is "very high" in engineering, so he better have a gppd school for other majors.
Me: Your link shows Engineering 4 yr grad rate within 6% points of the general univ. population... that's not "very high" and I cannot bring out the violin especially for engineering students.
You: Show me "one shred of proof" for your statement.</p>
<p>Me: Which statement?</p>
<p>University of Wisconsin- Madison didn't look like a summer camp to me. When I mention University of Minnesota- Twin Cities felt/ gave impression of summer camp that wasn't anything good. It looked ( from the inside of buildings I've seen) more like a summer camp than a college campus.</p>
<p>I think you ned to reread the article. You stopped too early and took his slightly sloppy writing as a statistic.</p>
<p>"Last fall, 2,707 undergraduate students were enrolled in the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science, but only three out of five students will make it to graduation in four years – if at all. SEAS students make up nearly 11 percent of the undergraduate student body at the start of each year, but they account for less than 6.5 percent of the total graduating class. This means engineering students are either dropping out of school or switching out of their major in droves – talk to any economics or biology student and there’s a good chance they used to be an engineer."</p>
<p>When you figure in that some students started in other majors and switched into engineering you probably get closer to the typical about half of those who start in engineering finish in it statistic.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Your link shows Engineering 4 yr grad rate within 6% points of the general univ. population... that's not "very high"
[/quote]
Dunnin, students who start out as engineering majors switch to other majors and graduate. The data you present on engineering grad rates has nothing to do with the attrition rate out of engineering.</p>
<p>Ah, I forgot we have a regular ChemE poster!</p>
<p>Is UMinn rated #1 in Ph.D. chemE outside NRC circles?</p>
<p>^ U Minnesota has a great program. It's interesting that a lot of strength for ChemE programs comes from relations with nearby businesses...i.e. U Minnesota with 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing) and U Delaware with Dupont.</p>
<p>2009 USNWR PhD Rankings for Chemical Engineering:</p>
<p>1 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 4.8
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 4.8
1 University of California--Berkeley Berkeley, CA 4.8
4 University of Minnesota--Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 4.7
5 Stanford University Stanford, CA 4.5
5 University of Wisconsin--Madison Madison, WI 4.5
7 Princeton University Princeton, NJ 4.4
8 University of Texas--Austin (Cockrell) Austin, TX 4.3
9 University of California--Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 4.2
10 University of Delaware Newark, DE 4.1
10 University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL 4.1 </p>
<p>2009 Undergrad Chemical Engineering Ranking:</p>
<p>1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
2 University of California--Berkeley Berkeley, CA
3 University of Wisconsin--Madison Madison, WI
4 University of Minnesota--Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
5 Stanford University Stanford, CA
6 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA
7 University of Texas--Austin Austin, TX
8 University of Illinois--Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
9 University of Delaware Newark, DE
10 University of Michigan--Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI </p>
<p>Program rankings fluctuate somewhat but the Top 10-15 programs are pretty equal.</p>
<p>Here's a review of the university from The Princeton Review:</p>
<p>University Of Minnesota - Twin Cities</p>
<p>"The University of Minnesota is an insanely huge research institution in the heart of the Twin Cities. Youll find a wealth of majors here. Business is superb. Engineering is strong across the board. The U is also a great place to study an obscure language or virtually anything else you can imagine. There are more than 300 opportunities to work and study abroad. Local internships and hands-on opportunities are also ample. The professors run the whole gamut. There are some amazing ones and some really terrible ones, says a civil engineering major. Some faculty members are brilliant and inspired people who enjoy teaching the material and getting to know the students personally. Other professors are knowledgeable but not always great at conveying the concepts. There are a few who can really be GPA wreckers, too. Lower-level classes are full of massive crowds of students. The teaching assistants who do the dirty work are frequently from foreign countries and have really thick accents, especially in the hard sciences. As your progress into upper-division course, the lectures rarely eclipse 100, though, and you have more interaction with real professors. The administration really seems to care about the students and the U is run very well for a university of its size. Also, advising can be beyond terrible.
"Students are generally from the Midwest somewhere. More often than not, they are right out of suburbia or from small to medium-sized towns in Minnesota or Wisconsin. There are a lot of tall, blond, pasty, white people who are Minnesota Nice. The U of M is a human zoo, though. Its a school that embraces diversity. There are a lot of different ethnicities. Some people are snooty. Others grew up poor. Some are bubbly. Some are antisocial. Also, there is a microcosm for just about every subculture imaginable. There are the math nerds, the frat boys, and lots of hippies and artsy people. Theres a huge gay population. Preppy, athletic, emo, and nontraditional students are also visible. Politically, the conservatives add a good balance to the grand scheme of things, but the campus leans left. Some students are very politically aware. There always seems to be some group protesting or trying to convince me of something, notes one student. Not surprisingly, there is a limited sense of community at the U. It is too easy to get lost in the mass of people here, wandering among so many faces without knowing one, laments a forlorn junior. Sooner or later, most everyone is able to find their niche. After that, most people stick to their cliques.
The beautiful, very environmentally friendly campus here is spread over two cities and a river. Consequently, the ease of getting around campus is not the greatest. Also, frigid, crazy winters are perennial. By January, all you can see of students is their eyes, observes a sophomore. The rest of them are wrapped in coats, hats, and scarves. The snow is great for outdoor fun like sledding and ice skating but dont come here if you cant handle the cold. Socially, the U has everything, plain and simple. You can have a totally different experience than someone else. Theres a group for just about every interest, and there is always something to do, even on a random Tuesday night. The campus provides a variety of events and always has something going on during the weekends. Hockey games are always great and sports are a big thing. Partying is very popular but there are also a lot of people who dont participate. If you want to imbibe, though, keggers, house parties, and frat blowouts are frequent. Theres also quite a bit happening off campus. According to students here, Minneapolis is one of the greatest places in the country. The music scene is unreal. Great art and gorgeous parks abound. Shopping at the Mall of America is another favorite pastime. In some areas, it is scary walking around at night, but the neighborhoods near campus are generally very young and energetic and public transportation is readily available and cheap.</p>
<p>Sorry to revive a two year old thread but I was wondering how competitive it is to get into the MIS program? Also how difficult is the program itself at UMn? Thanks</p>