University of Minnesota -- Twin Cities

Responses from the Student Interview

From a student  who identifies as Major: Sociology
Minor: Chinese
Student Self Identifies as: White Straight Male

Summary

I played intramural basketball and ultimate frisbee for a few semesters.

Background

Gender Identity: Male
Race/Ethnicity: White
Sexual Orientation: Straight

High School Experience: Public high school in Minneapolis, Minnesota with a graduating class of about 500 students. There was a culture of going to college
First-Generation College Student: No
Major: Sociology
Minor: Chinese

Extracurricular Activities: I played intramural basketball and ultimate frisbee for a few semesters.
Did intramural sports have a particularly big impact on your experience?
I met some cool people doing intramurals. It’s a good way to branch out on a large campus.

Academic Experience

Can you describe your weekly coursework for your major?
Sociology is reading heavy and there are a decent number of essays, but not as many exams as I expected. I also had midterms, finals, and a lot of projects for my classes.
Is there anything you feel that your major’s department does especially well or poorly?
In terms of especially well, they have a lot of great professors. It makes an impact if you can tell the professors are really passionate about what they’re talking about. I learned a lot about race, class, and gender within society.
How would you describe the learning environment? Do you think it’s particularly competitive or collaborative?
In the Sociology department, it wasn’t very competitive because it’s more laid back, which I like. You could use your peers to gain knowledge about things regarding sociology, instead of working against each other.
How accessible are your professors?
They’re really accessible. They have office hours a couple of times a week and when I’ve gone it has made an impact. They’re definitely accessible you just have to force yourself to go out and do it, even if it seems daunting at first.
Why did you choose your major? Are you happy with your choice?
For a while, I was undeclared. I took an introduction to sociology class during my freshman year and was pretty interested in it, so I wanted to go more in-depth in the material. Sociology is a very broad topic and I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so I picked Sociology knowing I wasn’t set in stone in one career field when I graduated. I had also already come in with credits from high school and I wanted to pick something that would allow me to graduate the quickest so I wouldn’t have as many student loans.
What has the University of Minnesota done academically to prepare you for the professional world?
My Sociology degree was part of the College of Liberal Arts so I feel that I was equipped with lots of skills from taking all the requirements. Having a broad knowledge helped me get out into the real world. In my college, there were mandatory career readiness classes that helped you prepare for what life is like after college. They helped us with practice interviews and how to search for jobs.

Reasons to Attend

1) There are a bunch of different resources on campus and there’s something for everybody.
2) There are intramurals if you want to do sports in a non-competitive way.
3) The football games are super fun. Every Saturday in the fall we tailgate with friends, and the weather is super nice.
4) The academics are top-notch. All of my professors have been super accessible, and they are super passionate about what they’re teaching.

Reasons Not to Attend

1) It’s a really big school, so if you want something smaller this wouldn’t be the place to go.
2) The winters are very long and cold.
3) It’s a public university, so if you’re looking for a smaller liberal arts school it may not be the best.

Around Campus

Where have you lived on and around campus?
Freshman: Centennial Hall with one roommate
Sophomore: Off-campus apartment with two roommates
Junior/Senior: Off-campus apartment with three roommates
How do you like going to college in your hometown?
I studied abroad my senior year of high school and I took part-time classes at the University of Minnesota during my junior year of high school, so I was already familiar with the campus. I was certain I didn’t want to go to UMN because I wanted to branch out, but being out of the U.S. for 10-months changed my view and I wanted to go back to my hometown. I thought I was going to get sick of it, but I’ve actually enjoyed it. It felt a lot different not living with my parents.
Can you describe the level of safety you’ve experienced on and around campus?
I haven’t had any issues. I know the University of Minnesota is pretty good about safety. They have the blue lights around campus every block or two. If you ever feel uncomfortable in any way you can just click that and they’ll have an escort to come to pick you up. You can also call security for any reason and someone will walk you to wherever you have to go. At nighttime, there’s something called the Gopher Chauffeur, which is basically a free Uber around campus. Sometimes it takes half an hour to get there, but it’s a good resource I’ve used to get off-campus.

Social Opportunities

What kind of weekend activities or nightlife do you like to participate in?
On the weekends, I’ll go out and party with my friends. Sometimes I’ll go out in downtown or uptown. Dinkytown itself has a couple of bars so I’ll go to those too. I’m not in a fraternity, but they’re pretty big on campus and I have friends who enjoy their time being part of Greek life. It’s part of the nightlife, but it’s definitely not all of it. There are also apartment and house parties. For the most part, to go to a party you have to know somebody. The fraternity parties are a little bit exclusive. Freshman year I would out Friday and Saturday, and sometimes on Thursdays. After freshman year, people relax a little and now I only go out maybe one night a week.
How happy are you with the weekend activities or nightlife at UMN? Is there anything you would change if you could?
I wouldn’t change much about the nightlife scene. There’s a little bit of everything for everybody, and for the people that don’t drink, UMN is pretty good about throwing social events around campus. They have movie nights, and there’s actually a bowling alley in the Coffman Memorial Union, which is the student center.

Campus Culture

How did you meet your closest friends?
One thing I haven’t liked about UMN is that some of my closest friends from high school go there, so one part of me wishes I went to a smaller school outside of Minnesota where I could go in not knowing anybody because that forces you to meet new friends and start a new life in college. That wasn’t as much of the case for me because UMN is such a big school and I felt more comfortable sticking with the same friends.
How would you describe the overall social scene at UMN?
It’s such a big campus so sometimes it’s a little harder to meet new people, but you just have to force yourself to go out there and join new clubs. UMN is really good about having clubs and events that force people to get out of their comfort zone, especially freshman year.
To what extent do people of different races and sexual orientations mix socially?
It’s not a problem. It’s very inclusive and Minneapolis is a very liberal city open to a bunch of different views. I haven’t seen any issues with people not including others based on race, sexual orientation, or gender. [The undergraduate population is 6% Black, 12% Asian, 4% Hispanic, and 67% White.]
To what extent do people in Greek life and not in Greek life mix socially?
Greek life tends to stick with themselves. I’ve been to fraternity parties and I’ll spend time with them, but I have noticed that people in Greek life don’t tend to branch out as much outside of Greek life.
How do you like the size of UMN in terms of undergraduate enrollment? How has it impacted your experience? [There are about 31,500 undergraduate students at UMN.]
It’s been a little bit too big for me. The classes are really big and it’s a little hard to meet more people. You’d think that because it’s a lot bigger it would be easier, but I’ve found it to be the opposite. Sometimes you feel overwhelmed with how many people there are in your classes and outside your classes on campus. I would’ve preferred a little smaller of a school, but I’ve made it work and it’s been a great experience for me.

Careers

Has the alumni network helped you find internships or jobs?
There’s a really good [alumni network] where alumni put their contact information if they’re willing to let current students reach out to them. I’ve used that a few times to meet with people and set up informational interviews in career paths I’m interested in.
What have you used the career office for? How helpful have they been?
They’ve been helpful and I’ve used the resources a lot more this past year. They have drop-in hours to look over your resume, cover letters, or you can do practice interviews. They can also answer any questions you have related to jobs or internships. It’s been helpful in getting ready for internships and starting a career after graduation.
Have you learned any computer programs or computer languages that will be helpful professionally?
In my classes, I’ve picked up on Microsoft Excel and I’ve learned Stata for social statistics in my Sociology class. I’ve also learned UCINET, which is a networking software.

Financial Aid

Have you used financial aid? If so, how accommodating was the office to your needs?
Yes, I’ve used financial aid, and I’ve had no problems contacting them or getting my aid.