University of Minnesota for OOS...consider it

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Minnesota
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<p>Our D just started at the U of Minnesota, Twin Cities last week. She is off to a great start with classes, enjoying dorm life in the Super Block and is already finding community despite the Big 10 size of the campus. </p>

<p>The campus has changed considerably from my time there as a grad student many years ago and seems much more vibrant and attractive than what I recall (despite the ubiquitous construction taking place now). We left Minnesota a few years ago and now live in the Northeast.</p>

<p>U of MN was not on the list of schools being considered last year. But she applied on a whim with some prodding from me because of a post card she received offering free application with no essay required and (if I remember correctly) no teacher recs. Yet after applying on-line that same evening, none of us really thought the U would be in our lives again. </p>

<p>But we attended an open house in the CEHD last March and found the academic environment to be quite compatible with her interests and much to our surprise, we both responded quite favorably to the U. </p>

<p>Over the winter and spring, she was awarded two separate merit scholarships (one offering in-state tuition) that made going to the U significantly cheaper than U of MD, College Park, her first choice, who did not offer much scholarship. Also, U of MN granted 20 credits for the 4 AP exams she took, most of which she received a score of 3 on -- a generous policy that will essentially allow her to gain Junior standing at the end of her first year. Of course that policy could change but it does make the U of MN an especially appealing school while it is in effect.</p>

<p>Minneapolis offers an exciting downtown life as well with some terrific riverfront and downtown development over the last several years. And the Twin Cities have always been a vibrant arts, sports, culture and music center thereby meeting her interest in being in a larger city environment. And getting around is easy, safe and convenient via public transportation.</p>

<p>While the U of MN may not be at the very top of the rankings on many lists, it is a school that stacks up well and shows well. And yes, it is very cold in the winter....and it is far away from either coast. But much to our delight, we are glad she is there, as is she. </p>

<p>At least take a close look before deciding the cold and distance are insurmountable obstacles.</p>

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<p>Glad to hear your D is having a positive experience at Minnesota. The cost, wide range of options across almost every discipline, and the vibrant city make it a great choice for out-of-state students.</p>

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<p>I’m glad she’s enjoying it! This is my second year at the U and I have senior status because of how generous they were with the credits. Also, I’m an out of state student who got the same scholarship so it was one of the cheapest options I had. The U is sometimes seriously overlooked and underrated!</p>

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<p>This information could not be more timely. My son is interested in aerospace engineering and has also applied to Minnesota as and OOS. He also has Univ of Alabama on his list and will be offered full tuition there. We are Virginia residents with many engineering options right in our state. My son would like to live somewhere else and choose these two schools. I’m not concerned about he weather as much as the academic side. It seems from the website that you apply to the engineering school after 2 years of gen ed type classes. I’m afraid he may go all the way out there for engineering and change his mind or not get in to the engineering school. Can anyone chime in here and give me there thoughts? Also, Bama has a great honors program and a smaller eng. school which is just one of the attractions for him.</p>

<p>He is a great student with a solid work ethic. His stats are 34ACT and 4.8 W GPA. Many ECS. All comments welcome. I guess we will have to wait and see if they offer instate tuition our way.</p>

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<p>hokiefan – </p>

<p>Your S has two good choices! U of MN offers several merit scholarships as you probably know already. For those interested, here is a link to a listing of U of MN university-wide scholarships along with a link to information on AP credits awarded at the U of MN:</p>

<p>[University-Wide</a> Scholarships](<a href=“http://admissions.tc.umn.edu/costsaid/schol_campus.html]University-Wide”>University-Wide Academic Scholarships | Office of Admissions)</p>

<p>[Advanced</a> Placement Course Awards](<a href=“http://admissions.tc.umn.edu/academics/ap.html]Advanced”>Advanced Placement Course Awards - 2021 | Office of Admissions)</p>

<p>It sounds like your S may be heading to 'Bama and why not. I am not able to weigh the pros and cons between Alabama’s and U of MN’s aerospace engineering programs. Nor can I offer any more general comparison between the two schools since I know little about U of A. Others may be able to. As you no doubt know, Univ of MN does have an honors program as well and you S seems like a strong candidate for it. </p>

<p>Probably a decision between two schools and two programs can be greatly informed by campus visits and spending time meeting faculty in the aerospace engineering programs at each. I suspect the campus environments at each school are quite different from each other and a visit will also help your S get a feel for where he might fit in better. Both have great marching bands!</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice. We have visited Bama and met with aerospace folks and marching band director. It was a great visit and we were impressed. The initial pull to that school was their very generous merit money especially for OOS students. We were pleasantly surprised when we visited and things just took off from there. Honestly, U of M has a much higher ranked program and may have more jobs opportunities after graduation. But Bama seems to have struck a cord with my son. We have visited Minnesota before but it was for my daughter and she looked at Carleton, Mac. and St. Olaf. Completely different animals. My husband’s family is from Minnesota so the state isn’t foreign to us but it will be very different being a student at the university. I think we will pay them an official visit this winter to see how things are. Good luck to your daughter.</p>

<p>It would be great if some engineering (especially aero) would way in. In the meantime,the Gopher flag is flying proudly from our home, next to our Virginia Tech neighbors and Bama fans down the street.</p>

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<p>

Are you talking about Minnesota here? That isn’t how it works. You apply to the CSE during the application process. The application allows you to choose your first and second choice colleges. As for the curriculum, perhaps some 4-year checksheets would be of interest:
[Four</a> Year Plans : College of Science & Engineering : University of Minnesota, Twin Cities](<a href=“http://cse.umn.edu/services/advising/CSE_CONTENT_188609.php]Four”>http://cse.umn.edu/services/advising/CSE_CONTENT_188609.php)</p>

<p>Also check out:
[FYI</a> - First Year Experience : College of Science & Engineering : University of Minnesota, Twin Cities](<a href=“http://cse.umn.edu/services/advising/CSE_CONTENT_196612.php]FYI”>http://cse.umn.edu/services/advising/CSE_CONTENT_196612.php)</p>

<p>Good luck! UMN is my top choice right now, so we’ll see how it goes. Bama is a great option too.</p>

<p>EDIT: If you have any questions, contact the UMN admissions office. They have been very responsive to my inquiries.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the links. I know you can apply to the engineering school as a freshman. But it was my understanding you had to get through the first two years and ‘reappy’ for upper division classes. Do you know if they cap the number in each major? Maybe I have this school mixed up with something else. I guess I was under the impression that although you are accepted into the engineering school as a freshman, getting into your desired speciality isn’t a guarantee until junior year. I hope that makes sense. I guess an official trip to MN. is in order.</p>

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<p>[AEM</a> Undergraduate Studies](<a href=“http://www.aem.umn.edu/teaching/undergraduate/]AEM”>http://www.aem.umn.edu/teaching/undergraduate/)

This is probably what you were referring to. Yes, you have to apply to individual majors within the CSE. I don’t know if the major sizes are capped.</p>

<p><a href=“https://webapps-prd.oit.umn.edu/programCatalog/viewCheckPointChart.do?programID=2&programSeq=12577[/url]”>https://webapps-prd.oit.umn.edu/programCatalog/viewCheckPointChart.do?programID=2&programSeq=12577&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>I’m a current OOS student at the U of M who also strongly considered UMCP. Scholarships made the cost of attendance about the same for both (I’m OOS for Maryland, as well), but I eventually chose the U, and I’m very glad that I did! It’s my second year here and I think it’s just a great fit for me. I was a top student in high school, so I was kind of worried coming in that I wouldn’t be challenged enough… Ha. The honors program has knocked me down a peg (or two or three) since I got here. I love (most of) the people, I love the city, I’ve had positive experiences with nearly all my professors (and even those that I wasn’t fond of in lecture still tended to be really helpful at office hours)… It’s just a great school. I’ve been stopped while I wearing my Panthers sweatshirt (I’m from NC) by a few prospective students/parents on tours who asked if I was OOS and what it was like to come here, and I really only have positive things to say. The great thing about the U is that it’s so big it can be exactly what you want it to be. If you’re looking for a party school, go for it. If you want to be challenged academically, you can have that too. The only things I can’t promise you are good dorm food and a decent football team! Other than that, I think the U is seriously undervalued outside the region. It’s an awesome school. I’m glad I decided to spend four years here.</p>