Louisiana State University or the University of Minnesota

Okay, so I recently just received a large scholarship award from Louisiana State University that will make the cost of attendance pretty much identical to the University of Minnesota. I am going to major in chemical engineering but I am not certain which school to attend.

I have not visited either school but I know the Louisiana has more mild winter weather than Minnesota and has an abundance of oil companies that recruit students from that school. I also was awarded a $1550 a year work study through the school that will allow me to do one-on-one research with a individual in my field that will expose me to the field of chemical engineering my freshman through senior year. The social scene also seems great. Huge football school with lots going on. Don’t get me wrong, I take my academics very seriously, 32 ACT and 4.3 GPA, but i also like to relax and have a good time.

In regards to the University of Minnesota, I see that it is ranked 3rd for chemical engineering being just under MIT and Cal Tech. I also saw that there are many Fortune 500 companies in Minneapolis that also have great recruiting opportunities. However, the campus seems really spread out, and I am concerned about the ability to make friends and have a rewarding social life while at the “U”.

I don’t know an overwhelming amount about either of the schools so any information or advice would be greatly appreciated. Would a more rewarding social life at Louisiana State along with many oil opportunities outweigh a high ranked chemE program at the University of Minnesota? Or should I just commit to Minnesota?

Again, thank you so much for any help you can bring.

@dmorris, you are going to have to decide what makes you happier: the intellectual challenge of one of the top-ranked Chem E. programs in the world, or football and parties. There are folks out there who did not get into CSE who are throwing things at their computer screen after reading your posts LOL.

BTW, you will need to send in your housing deposit to the U of MN to reserve your place in the queue. $25. You will not regret it, especially if you opt for boring cold Minne-snow-ta after all :slight_smile:

@Mamelot‌ I did submit my $25 deposit this weekend to reserve my spot just in case :slight_smile: I don’t have to submit the $200 deposit yet for a spot for housing do I? :slight_smile:

That is correct. The $25 is an application fee to get in line (non-refundable) and the $200 is your deposit on your housing contract. The U of MN guarantees freshmen housing but it can get a bit crowded if you queue up last minute so it’s best to get in line as soon as possible. You have plenty of time to look through and select your housing options. You have a lot of choices: the “Superblock”, the engineering LLC, and much more.

Since you definitely want a social scene I’d strongly recommend looking into the Superblock. Located on the East Bank, it’s basically in the heart of the Minneapolis campus very near where most of your classes would be. Two of the res halls are “freshman only” dorms so a great way to meet other newcomers. Some of the dorms have quite a party reputation so take that into consideration. One option for you could be to live in something like the Engineering LLC but visit other dorms for the parties. That way, you can escape the noise when you need to get back to studying or sleeping.

The descriptions and videos offered on the U of MN housing site are very helpful. So is commentary on other websites (student reviews and so forth). You might also call the Office of Res. Life and see if you can get a dorm tour while you are visiting in March.

Ponder this scenario: A corporate recruiter receives two resumes. One from a Harvard grad, and the other from a graduate of the University of Phoenix. Which resume will get the most attention? Undoubtedly the one from the Harvard grad will, primarily because of the reputation of the school s/he attended. Reputation matters.

Five years from now, your resume is likely to be on a recruiter’s desk among others from candidates that attended MIT, Cal Berkeley, Minnesota, Stanford, etc. Is the “LSU” in the education section going to be the element that makes your resume pop enough to get you an interview? Maybe not.

Both schools have an active social atmosphere, research, internship and co-op opportunities, as well as annual recruitment from top companies. The thing that differentiates Minnesota from LSU is that Minnesota is recognized as a top school for ChemE, and LSU is not…but it does have a good football team.

Good luck with your decision.

Have you visited LSU? The campus is beautiful and it does have great school spirit. Have you checked with the engineering dept about internships and recruiting?

@chucktaylor1‌ I understand what you’re talking about, minnesota is probably more prestigious than LSU. One thing though is that I have been working with ConocoPhillips this past year and have really enjoyed working in the oil industry. Down the road I don’t neccesarily have to be employed with ConocoPhillips but the oil industry does seem ideal. The salary for chemical engineers is much much higher in this industry. Shell gives out about 144K to chemical engineers while 3M is only 73K. Louisiana definitely has a stronger oil presence and so I would be able to pursue more oil companies. I was told by some coworkers that oftentimes if you apply to a company that doesn’t recruit at your school oftentimes they won’t even look at your resume. I am worried if I go to Minnesota this will be the case if I pursue employment with Shell or ConocoPhillips since they don’t recruit from Minnesota. I know that the oil industry goes up and down a lot and currently we are coming back from a fall, but this is why I’m pursuing chemical engineering, so I am not boxed into a career if it goes bad. What are your thoughts?

Just an FYI:

Eric Kaler, current president of the U of MN, got his BS in chemical engineering from Cal Tech. Before returning to school for his PhD (at the U of MN), Kaler did work for Chevron. In addition to his role as president, Kaler also happens to be a professor in the Chemical Engineering and Material Science department.

So, @dmorris1017, I’m guessing there is hope for you somewhere in the petrochemical industry if you attend U of MN. That is, assuming you will still wish to pursue petrochemical engineering. You see, you will experience a large array of career options during your four years of college and you just won’t know for sure until you get there and get a year or two under your belt.

But at the very least you would have a highly respected education leader AND highly respected academic who happens not only to be trained in your field but is also a prominent member of and pulling for your department. Surely he might have SOME influence in the petroleum industry . . . at least with Chevron?

Here’s Kaler’s resume, btw. It’s pretty impressive.

https://president.umn.edu/sites/president.umn.edu/files/Eric%20Kaler%20CV.pdf

Edit: Oh, forgot to mention - I think U of MN is ranked a bit higher than CalTech in Chemical Engineering.

@Mamelot‌ Haha okay, I’m pretty sold on minnesota now. So with that being said. What are your thoughts on double majors? It looks fairly easy to do a double major in chemistry and chemical engineering at UMN. Is it worth it? Also, would a minor in business management be beneficial? I’m hoping to eventually become a manager that is high up in a company.

@dmorris1017, absolutely go for the minor in business. Carlson is a great program, and your skill set would be broadened to include problem solving from a management as well as technical/engineering perspective. Plus, you’d probably have no problem with the more math-y business courses (such as finance) and find them extremely interesting. There have been not a few engineers and physicists who have gone on to successful careers in things like options pricing and strategic financial modeling :0

You might even be able to pick up the chem. minor as well just by virtue of your course load in the college of science and engineering. Might as well add that to your resume!

Be sure to employ the assistance of your advisor- is it possible to perhaps meet with someone during your visit to UMN campus this spring? - so that you meet your goals and graduate on time. And begin to figure out what gen ed credits you are already bringing to the table as well as which courses fulfill the highest number of requirements. Your advisor should be able to help with all that as well of course, but the online resources are really good for those who want to get a jump start and it will allow your advising time to be spent strategizing on how to get the best classes for you, not just on getting basic info. I’m guessing advisors LOVE students who come to the meeting well prepared and ready to rock their major.

Good luck!

For all those interested, after much thought and consideration, I will be attending LSU in the fall. LSU seems like a much better fit for me both socially and academically. The oil recruitment at LSU is also superior and I am looking forward to being a tiger this fall.

@dmorris1017 the best school for you is the one that you think is the best fit. Good luck to you - you have a bright future ahead of you!

@dmorris1017 Congrats on your choice and best of luck in your journey!