University of Minnesota and St. Louis University

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey guys, I'm seriously considering U of Minnesota: Twin Cities and St. Louis University (yes totally different schools I know thanks) and would like to know everything I can about them, including but not limited to</p>

<p>-The quality of the study abroad program</p>

<p>-The school spirit</p>

<p>-The proximity to quality transportation</p>

<p>-Wether there are good off campus housing options</p>

<p>-If there is any physical activities available nearby</p>

<p>-Quality of the gym (workout facilities)</p>

<p>-Diversity</p>

<p>-Wether it is a ommuter campus or otherwise</p>

<p>-Surrounding nightlife/city</p>

2

<p>I can help a little bit regarding Minnesota. I took my younger daughter up to a program at the U over the summer.</p>

<p>One of the things laying around the building we went to was information about the study abroad programs. This was a big magazine looking publication. I took it home because I was so impressed with array of offerings. I wonder if they would send you one if you email the study abroad office.</p>

<p>School spirit is high. The university has just completed building a new stadium on campus. Football, hockey and basketball are traditional fan favorites. Women’s basketball get quite a lot of press too. The bad side of school spirit is there too. Every couple of years after a big game things get out of hand and cops are called in to quiet would could end up as a riot… This has nothing to do with most of the student, just a couple bad apples with too much to drink and no judgement. Minnesotans for the most part are not easily wound up and students are just as upset about this.</p>

<p>I am not sure what you call quality transportation. There are many bus lines and the main airport is in the cities but I don’t know how long of a drive or bus ride it is from the campus. The city is trying to put light rail in near the campus but the university is worried that the construction vibrations and train vibrations will have a bad effect on some of the labs. I don’t know if at this point a route has been settled on.</p>

<p>Lots of off campus housing - this is probably why people worry that it is a commuter school by looking at statistics for the number of students living on campus. I know one student that commutes in from our town but all the other kids from here live on campus or nearby.</p>

<p>What physical activities are you interested in? It is a campus in a city. Minnesota has lots of state parks and the proverbial 10,000 lakes. I think within an one hour drive you could get to some downhill skiing, nordic skiing, canoeing/kayaking, sailing, bike trails, and rock climbing. </p>

<p>I only saw the St Paul gym. The campus is split by the river. Just by poking around I saw a large pool, rock climbing wall, basketball gyms, and work out rooms. There were area I didn’t see, so I don’t know what else. The Minneapolis side gym is probably bigger.</p>

<p>For the midwest, diversity is good. The twin cities have large populations of hispanics, Hmong, Somalis, and Tibetans. There are many interesting restaurants in the cities.</p>

<p>Minneapolis/St Paul has great nightlife scene. Most big music groups pass through. Lots of indie music that my daughter would go up to see. Professional sports to see in football, baseball, basketball, hockey and, I think, soccer.</p>

<p>I hope some of the city dwelling parents will be able to flesh this out more for you.</p>

3

<p>My sister went to U of MN… I can help on some of the stuff. A lot of people commute, but there’s also a lot of people in the dorms… that’s going to happen when you have sucha big student body. She did study abroad and went to Mexico, had a great time/worked out well/was easy to set up. Minneapolis/Saint Paul has a great transportation system. You have access to the Mall of America and tons of other fun stuff just by getting on the light rail. They got a new football stadium, the basketball and football teams have newer coaches and are both on the rise. Lots of fun club scenes, artsy stuff, musical stuff going on. Tons of diversity, the Twin Cities is crazy diverse. She lived off-campus every year after her freshman year, and I believe she had many options in terms of that.</p>

<p>I’m sure Saint Louis is great, too. I just don’t feel as if I’m qualified to speak on behalf of it :)</p>

4

<p>SLU is a campus…and its pretty enough…but its also an urban school…midtown Saint Louis. I happen to like Saint Louis. Some people dont. Its on the other end of Forest Park from WashU and you can cross matriculate classes, with permission. Saint Louis U is Jesuit and that speaks for itself. A very good well rounded education and graduating in 4 years is up to you…not a problem getting classes. Outstanding financial aid and scholarship offers if you qualify. Its mid sized. Not small, not big. Strong school spirit. No football. Big into basketball. Good faculty with deep programs. I suspect, but dont know for sure, that UMinnesota will be more liberal overall. Its also a large…as in very large…state school. I think Minneapolis going to get colder and more snow than St. Louis. If that matters. Saint Louis also has a fair number of commuter students who come from the area, but a good portion of students are residing on campus all four years. I’ve seen and toured the dorms and they are fine. New Student Center and cafeteria are awesome! 250 million in improvements on Saint Louis campus the last 10 years or so. Anheuser Busch is headquartered in St. Louis, though they sold out to a large European conglomerate recently. Lots of good internships as SLU has contacts with major Fortune 500 companies. A decent Law School and Medical School. A number one rating in Nutritional Science! And a very unique Aeronautical Engineering program complete with their own flight school. Very nice people there.</p>

<p>Jesuit colleges all have a strong core curriculum. Featuring philosophy, some theology and lots of liberal arts courses. Either you embrace that and love it for its breadth of knowledge and experience, or you don’t. </p>

<p>Its apples and oranges. I love Jesuit colleges, but that is me, not you. You also have a thread on UW in Seattle. Since you are looking at Saint Louis Univ. I suggest you also look at Gonzaga and Seattle University: both Jesuit colleges.</p>

5

<p>Awesome! Thanks everyone so much for responses…I’m now really interested in Minnesota partially for the rock wall lol… </p>

<p>But honestly I love physical activity (not just running or being on the treadmill and weight machines…yuck)</p>

<p>And I’m a BIG fan of a school being in a city but with it’s own campus… you know, with greenery and such? Not with buildings scattered in the city. is that what SLU is like?</p>

<p>And does anybody know if the intramural programs are strong in either place?</p>

<p>Btw… and this may seem random, but is soccer widely played at either place? Because a lot of my income comes from reffing.</p>

<p>And any more comments on the weather?</p>

<p>(Hello again ghostbuster! The colleges I’m posting about are acutally my finals… they are literally the only schools in the states that have what I’d like to study)</p>

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<p>Oh, and how’s the surrounding city for SLU? Nightlife?</p>

7

<p>

</p>

<p>Others will know more than I do, and I hope they weight in. FWIW, the Catholic school system in St. Louis, including St. Louis University High School, have had extensive soccer programs for decades, looooong before the sport was discovered by the public school systems and everybody else. I suspect you would be able to find some ref jobs through SLU without much trouble.</p>

<p>Nightlife: SLU is in a “transitioning” neighborhood, as some would put it. Parts of the nearby area are not particularly good for strolling around in the middle of the night, but other areas are fine. I do suggest a visit if you can manage it.</p>

<p>The poster silverlady has a daughter who graduated within the last couple of years. She doesn’t post often, but perhaps you can send a PM and ask some questions.</p>

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<p>My kid applied and was accepted at SLU, with a HUGE scholarship, which was graciously declined. (ugh!). Long story. But we liked St. Louis (city) and the campus. And yes, soccer and basketball are two of the big sports on campus. Its its own campus, with flowers and trees and grass etc. Midtown. Not the dregs, not too fancy…but fun. Its a great school. We met faculty and liked them too. Nice people. </p>

<p>I dont know you Dr. G. I can’t (and won’t speak for you) or make your decision for you. But I can make suggestions based on what you post and my perception of what interests you. I highly recommend all Jesuit colleges, whether that is Santa Clara, Seattle U, Gonzaga, Saint Louis U, Creighton, Marquette, Fordham, BC, Holy Cross, Canisius…Loyola Chicago, Loyola Maryland. All fine schools. They differ on their environs and local flavor. Most are in the inner cities of their locations. For you, with what you have stated, I recommend Seattle U strongly because of its programs, its location, the outdoors, sports (they were national champs I believe in Division II soccer a few years ago, before they returned to Div 1A last year). SLU is very similar to Seattle Univ. </p>

<p>I empathize with your process. Its hard to cut off names from the list, but you must do it. Is it arbitrary? yes. My kid said, “I am not looking backwards, I am looking forwards!” and did just that. You make your decisions, only checking to make sure its rational, and then go with that. Get your list down to 10-12 schools and apply to them. 3 or 4 reach, match, safety with the MOST emphasis on the match/safeties as they will be the ones who likely take you and offer you money. If you get in a reach, congrats! You can decide LATER on whether to accept their offer or not. I am NOT a fan of ED whatsoever. In fact, I think it should be abolished. EA is fine. RD is fine. </p>

<p>Going away to college is exciting. But also stressful for your parents and you. And at all schools the honeymoon wears off eventually. And the annual trek back to school after holidays is wearing. Being away from home can be tough for some kids (not for others.) Do you want to be far, far away? Or just far enough away that you are not “still at home” but can get home if you want within 4 hours? These are your questions and your answers, not mine. Everyone is different. I know kids who are at school in their hometown (ACC schools) and are doing marvelously. I know others who lament not going away. Conversely I know kids who went too far away…and have issues. </p>

<p>Are you male or female? I presume a male. Boys used to tend to do better if away from home…but that is a generalization. And now girls do just as well away from home, IF they are emotionally prepared for it and can assimilate into a new culture easily. </p>

<p>Do you have any special needs? Health issues? </p>

<p>There are over 2,000 colleges in the United States and all of them are “special” in their own way and offer an outstanding education. Who is to say that St. Olafs is not as good as Colby or Bates? No one should. Or UMinn is better than UW? Same answer. It comes down to YOU and what YOU want/need/can handle. </p>

<p>Every college has kids who were valedictorians and top 10% and SAT’s in the 90th percentile. So pick the college(s) best suited to your interests, needs, personality…or if you are a contrarian…that will challeng you the most and give you the most upside learning potential. You aren’t a clone. Be yourself. </p>

<p>Best of luck.</p>

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<p>haha thanks ghostbuster! And I guess I definitely am going away from the norm because I’m female =D (DRG =my initials)</p>

<p>As for 10 … my parents broke down (they weren’t going to pay for any before) and are going to pay for 5. I think I’ll take your advice and pay for 5 more.</p>

<p>And as for Seattle U… it doesn’t have the language classes (Hindi, Chinese, spanish,french) that I’m looking for =[.</p>

<p>I don’t have any special needs unless you count my being a vegetarian!</p>

<p>I live in NJ and I really do want to be farther away from home. I’d also LOOOVE to be in a city, but I need somewhere that can offer me something other than just working out in a gym as a physical activity (other than organized sports, though I do play soccer and lacrosse). which is why i’m not so sure about st. louis…</p>

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<p>Well…be careful. Seattle University has a VERY strong foreign language department with awesome study abroad programs where your entire class and professor go together and there is no problem getting credits transferred etc. And they do have French and Spanish. Japanese I think too. Not chinese or Hindi, but those are available at UW and I am certain they would let you take those languages over there. Are you an Indian national? Seattle University is very diverse. And lots of women there…in fact, a majority. Its an urban campus, but very pretty and has won some architectural awards. Not pushing you, just saying…</p>

<p>Its whatever…you can look at Willamette and UPortland down in Portland Oregon as well. UPortland is run by the Holy Cross Fathers. Like Notre Dame. Fine school.</p>

<p>It doesnt hurt to apply to 10 schools…spread your wings and see what happens and what the offers are. But if Seattle appeals to you, then Seattle U should definitely be included in that list. It is very highly regarded in the Northwest.</p>

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<p>Haha what’s with you and seattle U? and I’d really like to be taking all of my classes within one university.</p>

<p>And actually no. I’m white, and I’m about as foreign as the cotton gin. But i want to work in refugee rescue, and there are insane amounts of people that speak Hindi.</p>

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<p>Anyway thanks everybody that’s helped me, I think I’ve reached a good understanding about U of Minnesota… if anybody knows some more about SLU PLEASE PM ME!! I’m going to put up another thread about two different colleges soon.</p>

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<p>I explained ahead of time, that I have a strong preference for private schools and among them the Jesuit schools. You expressed an interest in soccer and urban campuses, and they fit that description. That is all. Its whatever. And I dont know many people interested in speaking Hindi, except mostly State Department people or people of Indian descent. Its fine by me…but you arent going to find many schools in the US that offer it, except the largest state universities. </p>

<p>You will get lots of opinions about schools from people. In the end, its up to you. Good luck.</p>

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<p>This is true… but I really love the Indian culture (though not the government lol). And there are lots of times people in India need help… and i want to help people. <em>shrug</em></p>

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<p>I assume you have already seen this, but just in case you haven’t:</p>

<p>Here is the link to the U of MN’s program in India that focuses on international development:
[MSID</a> Program in India](<a href=“http://www.istc.umn.edu/programs/ASIA/msidIndia/academics.shtml]MSID”>http://www.istc.umn.edu/programs/ASIA/msidIndia/academics.shtml)</p>

<p>The program combines course work with a local internship. An intensive language course is also available. Here is the syllabus:
<a href=“http://www.istc.umn.edu/programs/ASIA/msidIndia/semesterSyllabus.pdf[/url]”>http://www.istc.umn.edu/programs/ASIA/msidIndia/semesterSyllabus.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>No! I wasn’t aware of this at all! Thanks SO much!</p>

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<p>Just to keep up the hard sell on Minnesota…</p>

<p>There is a humanitarian organization headquartered in Minneapolis called American Refugee Committee aka ARC. Last year they helped 2.5 million people (according to their website.) They do have volunteers working for them but I do not know how it is arranged. I imagine they could be interesting people to get to know.
[American</a> Refugee Committee: ARC Programs](<a href=“http://www.arcrelief.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index_programs]American”>http://www.arcrelief.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index_programs)</p>

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<p>You are BEYOND AWEsOME!! Thanks so much! And are you a parent of a student or a student there?</p>

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<p>In my opinion there’s a bit of a hard sell going on in this thread regarding Seattle University. The school has made great strides in recent years, raising its profile by establishing a law school (they purchased the now defunct U of Puget Sound Law School, which was very well regarded by NW law firms) and putting $$ into other programs. But Seattle University still has a ways to go when compared to Saint Louis University. One thing I will agree with; SU’s undergraduate foreign language [Spanish] department is excellent.</p>

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<p>Nope, just a civilian. Just make sure you bring your long underwear. It has already snowed three times this year. However it hasn’t stayed and this ( the early snow and cold) is very unusual.</p>