University of St Thomas-Saint Paul Top Questions

What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about freshman year?

Alyssa

I wish I would have known that St. Thomas requires philosophy and theology courses as their core requirements. I did PSEO so I came into St. Thomas with almost all my core requirements completed, but I had never taken any philosophy or theology courses so I did not have these to transer. They require two philosophy courses and three theology courses so that is over one semester-worth of classes that I have to take that I may have been able to get done with my PSEO.

Emily

So expensive, and some teachers are not worth the money.

Gabriel

I wish I would have known what I wanted to major in, it would have made picking classes so much easier, because there are so many great options.

Tyler

I wish that I would have known what same-sex dorms meant. The fact that men and womens dorms are seperate creates a social barrier at times.

Roz

I knew everything that was vital before coming here.

Elizabeth

The amount of homework each night.

Skyler

This school is very involved in on campus activities and sports. The weekend doesn't provide many things for students to do.

Anne

Where to park

Elizabeth

You are required to take 3 Theology classes and 2 Philosophy classes.

sarah

The only thing that I wish I had known before I came to the University of St. Thomas is how much colder it is here than where I'm from. I love everything about this school so far, but I could definitely go for some warmer weather!

Kaitlynn

That getting hired at on on-campus work cite, would be so difficult. I applied at twenty different positions, and only one person got back to me. Which greatly angered me considering I have work study and a sufficient amount of work experience. In addition, all of the extra costs that the school charges.

Elizabeth

I wish I had known that St. Thomas easily accepted AP credits from high school.

Charles

That there were many liberal art requirements, such as three theology classes. I feel that three classes is not neccessary, I would rather jsut take one or two and save the $4,000.

Rachel

I wish I had done more research about double majoring and the amount of work that goes with it!

Kylie

I wish I had known that many of the sporting events are not that big of a deal. We have very good sports teams, but not that many people show up to many of the games. I also wish that I had known that people go home on the weekends fairly frequently, so sometimes on the weekends there is not very much to do.

Gemma

I wish I had known that there was this much drinking. People are really loud sometimes even in the middle of the week because they are drunk

Jacob

Before I had came to this school I wish I would have known that I could have finished my general courses that would transfer over and allow me to save money for other necessities. I also wish I would have known more about housing options that were available to me.

Jack

I wish I had known how much college was actually going to cost. The price of college is quite a bit if you want a quality education.

Ali

I wish I had known how easy it was to get out in the city and do fun activities! The university has programs that offer discounted tickets to different events going on in the Twin Cities and more. My friends and I have gone to a Minnesota Twins game and a Minnesota Wild game, both for only $5! It has such an amazing location and it is very easy to get places, especially other colleges in the cities. St Thomas has an amazing atmosphere and the campus is BEAUTIFUL!!

Kevin

That many people that go to St. thomas went to the same highschool so they stick with the same group of people.

Kirsten

Living with three strangers is not easy. And girls are harder! We had to do a lot of compromising in order to have a peaceful room. People need to make sure they are ready to live in a small space with others before they move in. Don't get me wrong the dorms are a lot of fun, we just had a lot of work to do.

Kia

The importance of getting involved on campus, along with the importance of networking and getting connected. I wish I would have known that these other involvements are often just as important as my focus on academics and will be just as likely if not more likely to offer more opportunity for a successful future. I also wish I would have known that being successful in the classroom alone does not bring happiness, but it is important to meet new people and try new things.

Anthony

Before attending the University of Saint Thomas, I wish i would have know how to study for large test, like finals. I started college thinking that the tests, like highschool, were going to be a piece of cake. Boy was I wrong. After the first round of tests I realized that I needed to develope some sort of studying method just to get through my first semester.

Linda

One thing that I wish I had known before I came to the school is how the active the alumnis are in helping current students and graduating students. The amazing support we have on campus makes it so compelling on how upon graduating there is a system in helping students succeed in achieving their goals and their dream career.

Alex

I wish I had know that there were very few people of my race.

Andre

One thing I wish I were well-informed about before attending St Thomas is all the additional help I would need to seek and obtain. In high school, I could easily attain “A’s” simply by grabbing my homework and a book then taking a test: pretty simple. In college, however, countless situations have arisen in which I was forced to email professors and set up appointments in order to finish normal homework assignments. Furthermore, I would need to attend extra study sessions and participate in study groups in order to study for tests.

Theres

I wish I would have known the people I moved in with in my dorm first semester of my freshman year. Other than that, nothing.

Anthony

I wish that I would've known that the food was better. However, on a honest note I wish that I would've known more about how this university conducts itself. I am amazed to find all the behind the scenes things, that I never knew about while taking my tour. Some of those things, suprised me, and I wish St. Thomas would've given me all the facts rather than pushing them aside.

Terese

I wish I would have known that this school is pretty generous in accepting credits from previous schooling. In other words, I wish I would have taken my generals elsewhere and transfered them here so I could have saved money and/or lived on campus my freshmen year. To generals are basic and could be taught anywhere. I wish there would've been someone to help me in that process in my high school or as I was applying here.

Hannah

A large portion of the student body is very wealthy. Be prepared to be bombarded with brand name clothing, purses, and nice cars. Not everyone is like this, but definitely enough people to make you feel uncomfortable sometimes. However, these people are not the majority, and there are plenty of other people who do not have their parents paying the $40,000/year tuition! Be prepared to be held to high standards by professors who take a personal interest in every student :)

Stephanie

I wish I would've known that there still is the feeling of "clicks" within some of the surrounding high school students who are friends and come to the same college. I also wish I would've known about the level of public safety here. It is great that they are looking out for the safety of our school and students, but at some times I feel as if they are taking away from my college career.

Kayla

I wish I had had more experience with the structure of the classes. You really do have to take your learning into your own hands. I spend a significant amount of time in the library, and love it now that I'm used to it, however I wish I had been more prepared for the workload.

Ben

I wish I knew that knowing multiple languages was so important. Also I wish I knew that it is much easier to learn multiple languages if you start young.

Steve

I don't really have anything that I wish I had known before I came here. I transfered to this school after 2 years at another college, so I did a lot of background checking before I transferred. I am also from this area so I know a lot about it and it has been a great fit ever since I transferred here.

Rebecca

I wish they would have been clearer about the core curriculum. It is a liberal arts school, but there are a significant amount of required courses. This school is very expense, and they do offer a lot of aid, but all the required courses really add up. Also, a lot of students here are generally from the area. Many students come with friends, and if don't know anyone it can be a pretty lonely first couple weeks.

Erika

I can't say that I wish I would have known anything, but I do wish I would have been more outgoing and involved. I know a lot of people who are really involved on campus and have made a lot of great friends. I just think it would have made my freshman year a little easier.

Christen

How cut-throat some of the programs are. Had I known the caliber of some perspectives here...I would not have come.

Jeremiah

A lot of people leave on weekends to go home or party.

Ian

I wish I would have known that people aren't as friendly as I would have liked them to be. Additionally, I wish I would have known that participation is a huge part of the majority of your classes. This is really only significant for me becasue I have found out that I like learning more by myself and found that participation is usually a negative thing for me rather than a positive thing. However, this isn't that significant, because really, how hard is it to participate (not that hard).

Zachary

I wish that I had known about all of the generals that you must take. You have to take many classes that do not relate to your major. They are wonderful tools to make a more well-rounded person, but three Theology courses may be a little much for someone who is going Pre-Med.

Allison

I wish I had known all the clubs and activities available on campus.

Teresa

I wish I would have known more about the life of those in my intended major

Kristine

If I had known this I probably would have chosen a different school. After highschool, I wanted to have a larger social life. During the week, their is many people around and fun things to do. Yet, on the weekend there is no one. When I came here I had no idea what I wanted to major in. I was constantly changing my mind and the limited number options did not help.

Amber

I wish I would have known exactly all the options for classes I could have taken right away. There are so many different majors and classes that anyone can take. There is a lot of variety and many interesting subjects of study, which is awesome, and I wish I would have paid more attention to that before I actualy registered in the summer.

Jenna

Although I have nothing but positive feelings towards the University of St. Thomas, I am actually transferring to the University of Iowa next year because they have a major (cinema) that St. Thomas does not have. I wish that I had thought to look at schools that offered a wide variety of things I was interested in and had given the state of Iowa a chance. I also wish I could have known how important it was to have quality professors, but fortunately I got lucky and had them anyway!

Everett

I wish I had known more about what campus life was like. It is a decently large school, but still has kind of a small school feel. Also, it is like a community, though things are very quiet on the weekends.

Jill

I wish I had known that my chances of practicing Japanese with a real Japanese person would be slim to none. Also, finding diversity on campus is much more difficult than it needs to be.

Dorothy

Before I came to this school I wish I would have known what the school expected for grades and transfer students. My first semester of college was at Augsburg College. In mid semester I decided to apply to University of St. Thomas. In high school I maintained an above average gpa, but my ACT score wasn?t up to the standard for St. Thomas. Being a transfer student from Augsburg I thought that they?d look at my first semester grades and they did, but they also looked at my gpa and ACT, and put me as a provisional student.

Dilbi

I wish I had known the major I wanted to start off with because the requirements for the grad school I'm trying to into and the University's degree I'm currently acheiving are slightly off. Other than that, I love my school. The funny thing is that I've never toured University of St.Thomas, but did for all other schools I've applied for.

Alexandria

I wish I would have known that college is much harder than high school ever was. I wish I would have appreciated a home cooked meal, chat with my parents/family, just sitting in my room alone. Don't get me wrong...I love college and my new life, just miss some of the feel good things only a home can bring.