OT- University of Minnesota

[manun]

Hi everyone!
I have question concerning University Of Minnesota that I hope a fellow basketball fan in minny can help me with.

Im currently in Med school in sweden and for my 7th semester I have to do a research project which I can do in sweden or abroad.
I have now found a lab in university of minnesota neurosurgery department and was wondering if some of you guys could give me feed-back on this matter.

What do you think of Minnesota and the university? How is it ranked and compared to other schools (for example UCLA, University of Toronto, etc etc).

I live in sweden so I dont know too much about Minnesota at all but I will most likely go to this research lab but I still want know want to hear other peoples opinion on University Of minnesota.
I´ve also tried to apply for Harvard and Im thinking of asking University of Toronto and UCLA to see my options before i send in my application.
University of Minny is the first school that have said yes so I want to know within a week if I will go there or stay and wait for the other schools answers.

Hope to hear a reply soon and thanks for the help!

/Manun

[WetWildandWeird]

I went to undergrad at Purdue and am in Grad at the UofM. So far its pretty great, I like the atmospere and being right near both downtown minneapolis and St. Paul is really great. While I feel Purdue was better for an undergrad, UofM I believe is better for a grad as there is more to do outside of the frat/house parties and all that other collegey stuff that I am not that into anymore

I am biased since I grew up in MN, honestly I would choose the school that is considered the best of the bunch. You chose all great areas so I dont think you can honestly go wrong. Since youre from Sweden it might be good to know that MN is very similar and the majority of the people are of Scandanavian decent so you may find more in common with us minnesotans then elsewhere.

Hope that helps let me know if you want more specifics

[Calinks]

Well there is a lot to say. Having went there myself I know a bit but I was never one to take full advantage of everything the institution has to offer. I know early on in my attendance, there was a major push to get the University ranked as a top 10 research school in the county. They shut down my particular college because basically they felt like it was holding hem back. I just saw a 2010 article saying that the U has made it in the top 10 so I guess what they did has worked.

http://www.mndaily.com/2010/12/13/u-bre ... ch-schools

The University has always been highly respected for its medical prowess, I have heard many good things and I know my brother has gone there a few times for help with his complicated medical issues. They definitely know there stuff.

The campus is HUGE, it has to be one of the largest in the country. The main portions is in Minneapolis but there is another section in St. Paul that holds several colleges as well. There is a shuttle bus that takes people from one to the other in about 10-15 minutes. Those shuttles are free.

In the winter, of course, Minnesota can get very good. The University does a pretty good job combating this with their shuttle that go throughout the campus and through a somewhat elaborate underground network of tunnel called "The Gopher Way." You can pretty much navigate a large portion of the campus by moving through these tunnels going from building to building and only having to step outside once in a while.

As far as prestige goes, it depends on the college within the university. As an overall institution I think the U of M looked upon favorable but is sure isn't Harvard and perhaps not even UCLA I really have no idea there. People who are in the Carlson School of Management or in the Medical school I am sure are looked upon pretty favorably. You can also tell which colleges are more "important" by looking inside them. Carlson is far classier and lavish in appearance than the College of Human Education for example.

If you are looking for fun there is much to do. There are at least two free movie theaters open to students although I think they only show movies that have been out for a few months. I went once or twice an the place was jam packed. They have the Gopher Hole which has bowling and a few arcade games. Live acts come through often, students sit down and just start playing the piano, all kinds of stuff happens. Someone who was on campus more and partied a lot would have far better information in this regard. Of course being in Minneapolis there is much to do nearby and the Timberwolves play pretty closely so you could see some NBA games if you wish without a problem.

All in all I think it's a great school. It is hugely populated though so if you are interesting in being around and meeting a lot of people you can't go wrong. If you want a more private experience, you may not like the density. It also depends on the time of day however as evening classes have far fewer people.

[Devilzsidewalk]

are you trying to enter a residency training program or whats your goal

[C.lupus]

I'm not really an expert but I think Uof M medical school is pretty highly ranked (top 10 in USA), at least for primary care. Their research may be ranked a bit lower but it's still a good school. It's probably not as good as Harvard but a bit better than UCLA. I don't know where U Toronto would rank. Being from Sweden, the climate shouldn't be a factor for you.

[Mr Dew]

It's amazing how so many threads get locked around here but this thread which has absolutely NOTHING to do with basketball remains open.

To the OP: I didn't go to the U of M, but my advice would be to contact the U of M and ask to speak, chat or e-mail someone in the department. It would probably be a better source of information than a chat room for the Minnesota Timberwolves. You must be a smart person based on your goals and aspirations, but if this is how you perform research, you might need to work on that a bit.

[Devilzsidewalk]

yea, he really should've put "OT" in the title. Oh you did? carry on then

[manun]

are you trying to enter a residency training program or whats your goal

I am still a med student in Sweden, the thing is that my education here in sweden requires that i do a master thesis for 6 months in the medical area to recieve the master degree.
Currently Minnesota has accepted me, otherwise I have to do it here in sweden which i dont want to.

I will try to apply for other places, hopefully i will get the best outcome.
Harvard might be farfetched as i know it, but UCLA might accept a student.

Haha, I live in Sweden. Its like Minny so i rather be in a warmer place but what you guys have told me sounds really nice.

Thank u for ur help guys and i really appreciate it.

If there is more inputs i will listen to all of them cause it will probably help me in my final decision .

[C.lupus]

Yep, there's soooo many locked threads around here...

[Calinks]

If you come do your 6 months starting in the spring semester you will be fine if you want to get away from the cold. It's beautiful in the spring/summer (well winter too but you are trying to avoid that).

[manun]

It's amazing how so many threads get locked around here but this thread which has absolutely NOTHING to do with basketball remains open.

To the OP: I didn't go to the U of M, but my advice would be to contact the U of M and ask to speak, chat or e-mail someone in the department. It would probably be a better source of information than a chat room for the Minnesota Timberwolves. You must be a smart person based on your goals and aspirations, but if this is how you perform research, you might need to work on that a bit.

Ive already found my lab and I just want to hear ppls opionion of the school and the city of minny.
Ive read everything i can i know its ranked pretty high but then there are different rankings and I think peoples subjective opinion is the best.
Of course the department is gonna answer me with only good answers, i also the ranking doesnt say anything really.

[Calinks]

You might want to also consider cost of living. Los Angeles is far more expensive a city than Minneapolis or Saint Paul. If you have to spend your own money, especially for housing, you could be saving big. Also tuition was a joke for me there compared to many other schools I looked at. don't know where that stands now though as prices hiked up every year.

[C.lupus]

The thing that really struck me about the UM campus the first time I saw it was how urban it felt. As Calinks said, it's huge and it really feels like it's own city.

Minneapolis/St. Paul is a smaller metro area than LA or Boston. There is still plenty to do but it will be a bit more limited when compared to those cities (Toronto, also). One thing the Twin Cities does stand out with is the outdoor activities. There's lots of lakes, bike trails, and such. If you are interested in that kind of stuff, I think Minnesota would handily beat the others. Cost of living is probably cheaper hear, also.

[Devilzsidewalk]

are you trying to enter a residency training program or whats your goal

I am still a med student in Sweden, the thing is that my education here in sweden requires that i do a master thesis for 6 months in the medical area to recieve the master degree.
Currently Minnesota has accepted me, otherwise I have to do it here in sweden which i dont want to.

I will try to apply for other places, hopefully i will get the best outcome.
Harvard might be farfetched as i know it, but UCLA might accept a student.

Haha, I live in Sweden. Its like Minny so i rather be in a warmer place but what you guys have told me sounds really nice.

Thank u for ur help guys and i really appreciate it.

If there is more inputs i will listen to all of them cause it will probably help me in my final decision .

do you already know what your thesis is going to be on

[Esohny]

My experience is similar to others here. I did my undergraduate at Minnesota (and had a great time) and I'm finishing up my masters there now. As they said, the campus is definitely pretty urban compared to some others, but as Lupus stated, the University is like its own city within Minneapolis/St. Paul, since almost everyone you see either works for the University or is a student. But since it's inside those larger cities, you're really close to just about anything you'd like to do.

The weather is sort of a trade-off for you, since you're only going to be there for 6 months. The spring/summer is beautiful, but you'll miss out on the atmosphere, since it's a lot less lively on campus during the summer. For the education piece I had a friend in the neuroscience department, and as far as I understand, the facilities are fairly impressive and the program is well regarded.

[lazfa199]

I never went to the University of Minnesota so I cant really give my opinion on it. But I did an undergraduate in organic chemistry from University of Toronto.

UofT is one of the best ranked universities in the world and third highest ranked Canadian university behind mcgill and UBC. It has excellent facilities, professors, and is great research opportunities.

But spending four years there was really depressing and tough with the rigorous course load. I'm at waterloo right now in the pharmacy program and comparing it to my undergrad I feel like its half as difficult.

Also living is Toronto can get quite expensive but then again almost all Canadian Universities are public and the tuition is really cheap compared to domestic and international tuition at private universites in the states.

[teven_1]

I never went to the University of Minnesota so I cant really give my opinion on it. But I did an undergraduate in organic chemistry from University of Toronto.

UofT is one of the best ranked universities in the world and third highest ranked Canadian university behind mcgill and UBC. It has excellent facilities, professors, and is great research opportunities.

But spending four years there was really depressing and tough with the rigorous course loud. I'm at waterloo right now in the pharmacy program and comparing it to my undergrad I feel like its half as difficult.

Also living is Toronto can get quite expensive but then again almost all Canadian Universities are public and the tuition is really cheap compared to domestic and international tuition at private universites in the states.

I came here to mention U of T.

U of T is a top ranked school and while Toronto is a cold city EDIT: but like Minnesota, in the summer the weathers very nice.

The only thing I'd add that wasn't mentioned here is Toronto is a very nice city, if you are considering it (downtown area)

U of T campus (st George) is not contained though, and blends in with the city, and it's a commuter school.