A stroll through the covered pedestrian walkway atop the Washington Avenue Bridge, which spans the Mississippi River to connect the two parts of the University of Minnesota‘s Minneapolis campus, offers a quick tour of the opportunities open to students at the state’s flagship university. Hundreds of colorful hand-painted panels decorate the walls — a representation of some of the 900 or so student organizations, everything from the Marine Biology Club to the Minnesota Quidditch league.
All told, the land-grant university covers nearly 1,200 acres at its Twin Cities campuses in Minneapolis and St. Paul, separated by about four miles. The Minneapolis campus has the more distinctly urban feel, with its dozens of buildings, the 50,000-plus-seat TCF Bank Stadium and a light rail line that runs through its heart. The St. Paul location houses just a few hundred students and is home to the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine.
The school’s size can be daunting at first, but “once you know your routes, it starts to feel a lot smaller than it is — in a good way,” says Elizabeth Guzik, a sophomore from Orland Park, Illinois, majoring in vocal performance.
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One helpful route, particularly in the winter months, is a system of tunnels and enclosed skyways known as the “Gopher Way” in honor of the university’s smiling, bucktoothed mascot. With 51,000 undergrads and grad students — two-thirds of whom hail from Minnesota — some point out that you have to be motivated to get involved.
“If you’re not a self-starter it would be super easy to get lost here,” says Cody Nelson, a 2015 in-state journalism grad from New Ulm.
That said, the university helps first-year students get to know a small group of classmates by offering discussion-oriented freshman seminars capped at 15 to 20 students. Examples of past seminar topics include Alpha Wives and Tiger Moms, Understanding the Evolution-Creationism Controversy, and Antioxidants: How Do They Protect Your Food and Your Body?
First-year students don’t have to live on campus, but some 80 percent do. Students can apply to live in one of more than 30 living-learning communities of people who share an interest and are grouped together in residence halls, such as the American Sign Language House, STEM Diversity House or the West Bank Arts House. Some Greek housing is available for the roughly 8 percent of students who belong to a fraternity or sorority.
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Undergrads have a choice of over 140 majors, more than a third of which are offered through the College of Liberal Arts, one of seven colleges that admit freshmen. Others include the College of Biological Sciences, the College of Science and Engineering, and the Carlson School of Management. The Golden Gophers participate in 25 NCAA Division I varsity sports, including men’s and women’s ice hockey; those two teams have won a combined 11 national titles. Fans chant “Ski-U-Mah” — pronounced sky-you-mah — a rallying cry two rugby players coined more than 130 years ago.
The Dinkytown neighborhood north of the Minneapolis grounds, with its coffee shops and bars, is a popular place to socialize and is home to many who live off campus. The Twin Cities area has a thriving performing arts scene and several professional sports teams. The nation’s largest shopping center, the Mall of America, is 13 miles away.
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This story is excerpted from the U.S. News “Best Colleges 2016” guidebook, which features in-depth articles, rankings and data.
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Minnesota College Road Trip: University of Minnesota?Twin Cities originally appeared on usnews.com
