<p>Hi, I am a senior who is going to major in chemical engineering at either the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities or Georgia Tech. I have in-state tuition to both, so price won't be an issue. Besides male:female ratio, what incentive is there to attend Minnesota over GA Tech? They have comparable ChemE programs (Minnesota is 3rd and GA Tech 11th, so they are basically equal) and they both have a marching band with a Division I football team. What sets Minnesota apart from GA Tech or any other public school? Specific answers would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Also, what is the general religious/political pattern at Minnesota? I am an atheist liberal, and having everyone in Texas trying to convert me throughout all of high school has been pretty annoying. Thank you for any responses!</p>
<p>What does Minnesota have over other schools?</p>
<p>Well for one thing it is a Big Ten school in the heart of a very progressive, major metro area. The Twin Cities are great whether for outdoor activities on its many lakes, bike paths, trails, and parks or typical city amenities such as shopping, clubbing, or other urban life. However, the campus is really integrated into the city. It is like an island if that makes sense. You may be only ten minutes from downtown Minneapolis, but it doesn’t feel like it really outside of the view of the skyline. You have an actual campus that is gorgeous. Minnesota has such a diverse group of students as opposed to Tech. Instead of a large amount of engineering majors you will have everything under the sun from every part of the country and the rest of the world. If you have any other campus related questions let me know. Or if you need to have me to convince you to be a Gopher let me know that too! haha</p>
<p>Students:
The students in general are a lot like the Twin Cities when it comes to politics: split right down the center. You will have kids from all across the political spectrum. I couldn’t generalize the views of the students here if I tried.</p>
<p>Religion is def. not really noticeable. You will have students that go to church and are truly hardcore in what they believe in, but never once have I had a fellow student yelling at me to go to church. Just like political views it is a large mix of atheists, Protestants, Muslims, Catholics, and other various religions.</p>
<p>It really can be surprising the mix of students here for being in the state of Minnesota!</p>
<p>awesome! thanks a lot jotajota218! one other question, if you are aware, how are the music and german programs at umn? and also, how is the party scene there? is it one of those schools where you can easily avoid parties if you want but can easily go to parties if you want to without needing to go Greek?</p>
<p>As a Mech E alum, I can say that the eng school is really great. The Chem E program is really one of the best in the country. Jota summed up the campus pretty well I think.</p>
<p>As a Marching Band alum, I can say that the band is really a great program, and it really helps to have 300 instant friends on campus. Also, the facilities in the brand new stadium are absolutely amazing. The link has virtual tours of the stadium. Select “band room” from the drop down menu.</p>
<p>[TCF</a> Bank Stadium: Multimedia: Virtual Tours](<a href=“http://stadium.gophersports.com/multi_virtual_tours.html]TCF”>http://stadium.gophersports.com/multi_virtual_tours.html)</p>
<p>thanks for the info sedluhs! how was balancing an engineering education with marching band? were you constantly stressed because of the work, or was it enjoyable? and how are the concert/jazz ensembles?</p>
<p>My son was also accepted for engineering (aerospace)and is interested in the band. I was wondering how that all works out with the studying and band committments? We are OOS and did not receive notice of any scholarships, just acceptance. My son has a 34 ACT and 4.85 WGPA. Many ECS. I’m hoping he gets at least in state tuition. If not, this school will not be an option. He has full tuition and more from Alabama so that may be where he attends.</p>
<p>Good luck to all.</p>
<p>My main regret about the band is that I did not join as a freshman … I was too worried about the engineering workload. In hindsight, I wished I had joined right away. Minnesota is a huge school and having the built in network of friends that the band provides helped a lot in my sophomore year.</p>
<p>The time commitment for the band is considerable, but it also provides many contacts with other students that have similar interests … and many of them are also engineering students … and many of them are upperclassmen that you would not otherwise interact with. So the trade off is more than worth it.</p>
<p>The main music department is separated from the marching band, and I didn’t have much contact with them. From what I could tell, it seemed like a very strong program. For example: I studied Vibraphone for a couple of semesters, and the class was set up as private lessons, and my instructor was the principal percussionist from the Minnesota Orchestra. Being one on one with him for a couple hours every week was really fun.</p>
<p>The Minneapolis music / theater scene is incredible so opportunities are everywhere.</p>
<p>thank you so much for all the info sedluhs! and hokiefan, i can almost guarantee you your son will get instate. i got the out of state tuition waiver and i had a 4.5 weighted and a 31 ACT and a rank of top 8%</p>