Hey guys,
Got into the College of Science and Engineering and intend to pursue chemical engineering. I’m on the fence about joining U of M.
Does anyone have any Pros and Cons about the Uni or Minnesota they would like to share?
Thanks
Congrats on the ChemE at U of M! I know U of M has a good rep for ChemE - it was a backup school for my son.
Stating the obvious - Cold in Winter*… BUT Twin Cities R nice. Son did an internship up in U of M - stayed at a dorm by the stadium while a ChemE student at other B1G school. Me and Mom visited and he showed us around, and it was pretty impressive, with new trains from school to downtown, and nice eating/walking around areas too. Good Luck!
- Some Downtown buildings are connected by enclosed walkways, so you don't get frostbite walking around. Not sure about campus buildings - but worth asking about! :)
Thanks @nugraddad. The cold doesn’t bother me much.
@Nestle99 where else were you accepted?
@Mamelot Purdue, NYU, UW Madison and Ohio State. From these, UW Madison and UMTC are the best for Chem E
Wow, that’s an impressive list, @Nestle99 - well done! Are you a direct admit to Engineering for all of them?
On the academic side you might want to consider reputation of the overall program in addition to the strength of the ChemE. There are several reasons for this: 1) you just might change your mind once you’ve gotten some college-level engineering classes under your belt and this way you have a wider choice set of strong majors to choose from; 2) the stronger the reputation, the better the faculty across the board (even at the pre-req. level) and 3) the higher the number of strong departments, the greater the synergies and collaboration among them. Purdue - ranked at 12 for chemical per USNews, is actually also ranked as a top 10 engineering program overall. Wisconsin, ranked 6th for Chemical is a top 15 school. UMN is a top 25 school with a top 5 chemical department but nothing else stands out as much. Obviously financial issues should be considered if applicable and there might be other extenuating factors affecting your decision. They are ALL excellent schools.
On the Pro Side: Theres plenty to share. UMN is a major research university with a genuine - and beautiful - campus in the middle of a major metro area which is pretty cool. Madison and W. Lafayette are college towns, Columbus is a much smaller metro area, and NYC is . . . well, NYC. A totally different animal altogether. (btw, isn’t NYU’s program over in Brooklyn at the Polytech?). UMN’s location allows you to live in and enjoy a large urban city and all it has to offer - especially for young people - while at the same time enjoying a Big 10 college experience. UMN straddles the Mississippi so there is West Bank and East Bank with the Washington Ave. bridge connecting them (Light Rail goes along this bridge as well). Engineering is on the East Bank which is really the heart of the campus. Lots of fun places to eat along Washington Ave and in Dinky Town. Also, plenty of Fortune 500 employers who hire CSE grads. Fun place to be a young professional - there are a number of recreational and entertainment options.
Good luck with your decision! If you are able to, plan for a visit so you can check out a couple of these places for yourself.