Wondering if we could have missed a letter! I assume merit is (eventually) reflected in the portal, too?
It still isnât reflected in my sonâs portal, unless it is hiding somewhere⊠The only notification we received was the letter.
I would second this - I have a freshman there now and he describes the campus as safe - he knows nothing other than this year but has zero complaints. He has friends at other big 10 universities (Madison, Indiana, Iowa) who talk about crime on their campuses and in the areas surrounding campus more than he does.
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I just looked and my son has it showing in his âFinancial Aid Historyâ tab.
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Thanks! With that hint, my son was able to find it in there too.
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I do not see that tab on my portal. Maybe because I did not apply for any financial aid? Where do you see it? I did receive a letter in the mail that I received $15k/year merit aid but I donât see anything in my portal.
Log in to âMyUâ https://myu.umn.edu/
Click on âMy Financesâ
Click on âFinancial Aid Historyâ
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Thanks! I was able to find it there. I had been looking in my application portal.
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I applied 10/14 and was deferred on 1/26 and I submitted the mid-year grades on 2/01 and received a status update last night on 2/20 with a decision.
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Curriculum question: During her AOâs local visit our daughter got the distinct impression that the curriculum is rather rigid and there might not be much movement between the colleges. Her take away was that they try so hard to ensure a 4 year graduation that they donât allow much flexibility.
She was accepted into the College of Biology and is worried she wouldnât be allowed to take something fun and different like a poly sci class . . . Or even explore other natural sciences as potential majors.
Iâm trying to convince her to at least visit since weâve never been. We are from the West Coast.
Thoughts?
Which other majors / schools would she be interested in, if she wanted to switch out of biology?
She also likes Chemistry, Physics and then there are many smaller related fields she doesnât even know much about yet. But she also wants a good amount of Gen Ed courses - we need to dig deeper to see what the actual curriculum requirements are.
The requirements and four year plans are on the UMN catalog web site. For example here are requirements and sample plans for Biology BS: https://onestop2.umn.edu/pcas/viewCatalogProgram.do?programID=9&strm=1233&campus=UMNTC
On the right side youâll see some links under âView sample plan(s):â Click on these for a picture of what your D might expect to be studying.
Chemistry and Physics would be under the CSE along with engineering majors. I agree it seems limiting that she would have to transfer to the CSE in order to pursue one of these majors, if she chose. My son was admitted to the CSE, and itâs a big plus for him that he would get to choose any of the science or engineering majors in the CSE (depending on GPA and major availability). Most engineering schools where heâs admitted are offering a more limited major selection after the first year.
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Thank you so much for saving me the trouble of searching!
Sure! My son and I have been comparing each schoolâs curriculum in depth because it does seem to differ a lot, so I have a lot of practice looking these things up now 
If your D will come in with AP exams, youâll also want to look at how they handle AP credits, I think this is the most recent listing: https://admissions.tc.umn.edu/advanced-placement-course-awards-2022
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UMN can be a little confusing for prospective students who are broadly interested in biological sciences because biology-focused majors are actually found in 3 different schools: The College of Biological Sciences (obviously), but also the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources.
So I agree with the recommendation to do a deep dive into the majors and minors within the CBS but also look into the requirements for the CLA major called âBiology, Society & Environmentâ and many of the CFANS majors.
The âBiology, Society & Environmentâ major is especially interesting, I think. It is a BA rather than a BS, so has more room for electives. Many of the intro requirements are the exact same classes as the Biology BS within the CBS, but you have more flexibility in upper level courses-- you could fulfill requirements by taking a lot more course from the CBS department, or could go in the direction of policy, or public health, or biological effects of climate change, or really whatever interests you. I guess I would describe it as a âsemi-self-designed biology major.â This major reminds me a lot of my education at the LAC I attended because it has the same flexibility my college provided to follow my interests (I took whatever piqued my interest including Literature, Geology, Psychology, Anthro, Sociology, Music, Religion etc.) while still having my main focus be biology. Now do keep in mind, that all CLA majors require a foreign language or test-out, in case that is a deal-breaker for your student (CBS and CFANS majors do not.)
Also remember that the CFANS department is located on the St. Paul Campus (short shuttle bus away.) I used to work in the CFANS department, and I love the St. Paul campus, but some people want to only be on the main campus.
Also remember, you can go to medical school or biology graduate school out of any of these majors.
ETA: It is pretty easy to switch between colleges at UMN. My sibling switched from CLA in economics to CFANS for a slightly different economics degree because he is terrible at foreign language. Was easy to do because so many classes overlapped.
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This is AMAZING!
Thank you so so much!
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Hi, I received my FA update today. Just to clarify does this include other scholarships listed on their website. This information was in an email and not snail mail.
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I applied late but just got notification of acceptance into the College of Liberal Arts. I can choose any major there. I originally applied for Neuroscience. CLA seems to be an interesting college with Computer Science as well as Human Physiology which Iâm interested in. Iâm from Los Angeles, California. Hoping itâs not too late to be able to make the trip for the admitted students event on April 1.
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