University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Top Questions

It isn't cheap to go to the university, but the same could be said about most large schools.

This perhaps isn't anything to complain about, but for a southern girl who loves being outdoors like me moving way up north, I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the weather. I was expecting the cold, but what I wasn't expecting was that they wouldn't keep the sidewalks very well clear. I can't tell you how many times I've slipped and fallen this year. The campus is also pretty drab looking in the winter, which is a horrible contrast to how pretty it looks in the summer.

It's too close to my parents

The most frustrating thing about Minnesota is the cost. As the middle child, I have a sibling that has already been in school and a sibling that will go school right after I graduate, therefore they have to be conservative with their money and I have to pay for myself.

being a first year student the most frustrating thing about the U

The most frustrating thing will be the size of the University. I am a city lover, and enjoy being in a big college where I meet new people and learn interesting things everyday. But sometimes it is hard to find your place. It's very easy to get lost in the crowd. I encourage new students to be outgoing and find a good friend circle. At sucha big university, there are bound to be many people who share your interests and beliefs.

Meal plan requirements if you live in a dorm with a dining hall.

Some teachers are more interested in their research rather than teaching well. It is sometimes frustrating to try to find help in some subjects as well - either from a teacher or tutor.

The most frustrating thing about my school, the University of Minnesota at Twin Cities is that they are not very transfer friendly. As a transfer student myself, I could not get on campus housing and I cannot register many courses I like because they don't reserve places in courses for transfer students. Besides, there is limited scholarship and financial aids opportunities for transfer students, which is the reason why I have to compete an online scholarship with numerous people. If I am not a transfer student, then my condition now will surely be better.

The large classroom sizes and lack of direct communication with the professors. Also, the lecture based structure is not very stimulating.

The most frustrating thing about the University of Minnesota is that there are so many offerings, opporutnities, clubs, activities and interesting classes, you would have to be enrolled for at least a decade to experience everything the University makes accessible to its students. That's not a bad frustration to have! College is a time for you to spread your wings, try out all different classes and different student organizations to find the cause that you are truly passionate about. The University at Minnesota will offer you every opportunity under the sun, which could either be exciting or intimidating.

High rent for off campus housing

Parking was always difficult.

The sheer size of the campus, while necessary, can be very time consuming to navigate. Even when you have fifteen minutes between classes, it can take more than that amount of time to cross campus.

The most frustrating thing about my school is that I have to commute. I decided to live at home this year to save some money, but walking to campus is very frustrating. I have to wake up earlier just so I'm there on time and alot of time in my day is spent just going there and back. Sometimes my commute is longer than the time I'm on campus in class.

At the U of M the most frustrating thing about school is the fact that I really want to be a nursing major, but they are so competative on the application process that I feel that I have to give all of my time and energy just to work at it. Also, they always get my financial messed up. It gets to be super frustrating.

The thing I have found most frustrating is making significant contact with the faculty. It can be difficult to make personal contact with the faculty for things such as recommendation letters. The student must make a large effort to make this contact at a school as large as the University of Minnesota.

I tend to be a positive person, however the University of Minnesota has many problems that need to be addressed. The one problem that makes me mad is the lack of bike lanes. While traveling along side busses and cars at early morning hours and late at night may seem dangerous, riding on sidewalks where directionless pedestrians are zigzagging back and forth is even more dangerous. There are only two spots on campus with designated bicycle lanes, and they make sidewalk traffic move more efficiently for all parties involved. I feel we need more of these necessary devices around campus.

The most frustrating thing about my school, (besides the rising costs, poor leadership, and struggling athletics), is the lack of control. It is a public institution with distant decision makers. I serve on the student council and feel lucky to meet anyone with significant authority. Changes are slow, decisions based on a sad financial future, and as a first year student I feel powerless. The lack of control is frustrating.

The most frustrating thing about my school is the size and the distance there are between classes.

It is very large so sometimes it is difficult to find the location or answer you are looking for.

Just like many other families struggling in the current economy, money has been an issue. I have attempted to help my family through gaining scholarships and working but the University of Minnesota does not have an accessible financial aid office. There seems to be plenty of scholarships and grants for Minnesota residents but not for out of state students. Many questions seemed to go unanswered from the financial aid office as I search for ways to fund my educatino.

What I have discovered is most frustrating about school is how constant the workload is; I don't get much time with my head not into the books.

I came in as an undecided major and there are so many options for classes, it's hard to decide what to pursue. I've tried a lot of different things but there are still a lot of things I don't think I'll have time to try if I want to graduate on time.

The size, it is less personal, and needing to get to all the different campuses.

(lack of) money

The most frustrating thing I have encountered at this school so far is my academic advisor. I am a double major and have had no problem with my sociology advisor or my psychology advisor, but I felt like my liberal arts advisor (who helps to plan my course load each semester) did not seem very helpful at all. She simply told me to take whichever classes I wanted and to remember how much work was necessary for each credit load - I basically wasted my time going to her office and planned my schedule out myself.

There isn't an underground tunnel connecting certain building, and it's COLD in Minnesota, so it's a long walk to some of my classes in the cold, rainy mess. Also, some funds are spent on fixing things that most people feel don't need fixing while other things are falling apart.

Financial Aid and the Honors Program can get very trying. This is a very competive school despite being a public institution and many students that would preform very well in honors or deserve academic scholarship are passed up. Some complain that athletes recieve too much assitance, others blame the bureaucracy and favoritism. Whatever the case may be, it is likely that one will need to look for independent sources and organizations for scholarship funds.

A strong belief that I have held is that students should always be challenged and pushed to their full potential. The most frustrating thing about courses that I have enrolled in so far is that some of the required assignments and assessments are somewhat trivial, not actually testing our full knowledge of the course material or properly testing what we have learned throughout the course discussions.

The homework load. All the classes really pile it on, especially with reading.

Before I joined a sport and got priority registration it was kind of hard to get into the classes I wanted, but my being an athlete helped with that and I now register early in order to have plenty of time for the classes I want and practice.

weather and lack of transportation. on campus housing is very expensive, and students are forced to move off campus and find alternative modes of transportation.

It seems like conservative voices can have a tendency to get drowned out around here.

Beauraucracy

The large size sometimes makes me feel like a number instead of a person.

Teachers that you can't understand

Since the campus is so large and split between one in minneapolis and the other in st paul, it is difficult some times to get to and from classes on time but only when classes are on both campuses.

It can be very hard to get classes you need, and some are very large.

It's hard to get an appointment with the adivsing office becasue there are so many students.

The bureaucracy was difficult to deal with at times. There were problems with my transcript, advisor (who had lost some of my paperwork) and registering for classes. I was frequently redirected to many different people until I finally found the one who knew the answer but, at that point, a lot of effort and time had been wasted. Although the UofM is a very large school, you did get the impression that you were more a number than a valued member of that community.

Some language barriers with professors.

The campus is huge. It is in the heart of Minnesota so it is freezing in the winter. You will have to walk outside often to get to your classes so dress warm.

My biggest frustration iis that the fraternity I live in has cramped bedrooms; I share a small room with one other guy. I really enjoying living in and being part of a fraternity, but it has been hard to get used to close living quarters. Thankfully, the house is a few blocks from campus and next year I will probably get a larger room.

The lower level classes are large and it is hard to get help from the teacher, you usually end up getting help from the TA's.

2 year language requirment for CLA degree. Too expensive fore a state college.