StudentsReview :: The University of Minnesota Twin Cities - Extra Detail about the Comment
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The University of Minnesota Twin Cities

How this student rated the school
Educational QualityA Faculty AccessibilityA-
Useful SchoolworkC- Excess CompetitionA-
Academic SuccessB Creativity/ InnovationB
Individual ValueC- University Resource UseF
Campus Aesthetics/ BeautyD FriendlinessA-
Campus MaintenanceC+ Social LifeB-
Surrounding CityD Extra CurricularsB+
SafetyD
Describes the student body as:
Friendly, Afraid, Approachable

Describes the faculty as:
Friendly, Helpful

Male
ACT:31
id='quarter' class='snapshot' style='color: #001397; line-height:80px';float:left;
Quite Bright
Lowest Rating
University Resource Use
F
Highest Rating
Educational Quality
A
He cares more about University Resource Use than the average student.
Date: Nov 14 2012
Major: Accounting (This Major's Salary over time)
When I pictured college in Minnesota as a senior in high school, nice people in a tight network, pristine lakes, evergreen forests, and a quality education came to mind. Maybe I was a little naive. I don't think having to look over your shoulder every time you walk through neighborhoods bordering campus is very nice. Every week I receive crime alerts about students who have been severely beaten and robbed in neighborhoods not even a block from campus, sometimes well before dark. Yesterday, I received an alert that two black men broke into the dorms over the weekend and robbed unlocked rooms. I, myself, was approached by a nutter with a knife who asked for drugs (like I would have any) as I walked home from mass not even three blocks from campus. Many of my friends have complained about being threatened by homeless people surrounding campus. This is simply not an acceptable environment, especially before a light rail straight through campus will be finished next year, probably bringing even more trouble to campus.

Besides the crime, the school likes to tout its Minneapolis location as a draw. The school is obviously in one of the city's grittiest parts, and even the rest of the Twin Cities are, in my opinion, very overrated and mediocre at best. The only place I liked in the cities were the Linden Hills/ Uptown Lakes area of SW Minneapolis - far away from campus. The city thinks that because it has (although fewer than imagines) right-minded folks that shun cars and bike to work, a lot of (crappy) theatres, and a foul, dirty river that also winds its way through campus, it's somehow special. I think not.

The business school raves about it's connections with businesses in the Twin Cities and boasts about the region's "quality of life." I find it hard to enjoy a very nice "quality of life" when it's bone-chilling cold and dark and depressing for over half the year. There are so many tunnels on campus and downtown to avoid going outside - how depressing is that?

The campus itself, I'd give a C. The kids are overall pretty bright (or they'll probably flunk out) and "Minnesota nice" polite, which is a real upside. The planning of campus is really boring. The area by University Avenue, the oldest part of campus, is nice and looks mature. The rest of campus is quite ugly and look like it was built in a rush to expand, with haphazardly placed concrete structures and ugly fascades.

The huge mass of the student population, 50,000 kids, is a real downside unless you're in a smaller "subschool" like Carlson, which performs well. It becomes really impersonal at times. The school as a whole functions like a robot trying to be as politically correct as possible, but I don't blame them. There's no other way to function when you have people of every stripe and polka dot bitching about something. And the school's culture is overwhelmingly liberal, as if traditional values don't even apply to this "educated elite." You can pretty much forget you're in America, because of course those foreign kids are so much smarter and pay more tuition money…

Responses
responseYeah, the crime alerts are a problem. Some surrounding neighborhoods are sketchy, especially on the West Bank of the Mississippi. I went to the U for years and didn't have any problems, but I also tried to avoid going through certain areas at night. Areas around the St. Paul campus are much nicer, with lots of quaint houses and not much crime. It is really a very good place to go to college, but it is an urban campus and you need to approach any big city with caution and respect.
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