University of Minnesota

CBS has very challenging coursework, but lacks the resources to get students employment. In my large 4000-level classes, only about 1/3 of students had ever been able to volunteer or work in a lab at any point during their time at UMN. The professors emphasize early on that you should leave the college if you are not intending to pursue a graduate degree or professional school involving research. They do not offer any internship programs that grant college credit, and do not invite employers for... Read More events on campus (only grad/medical school/NIH post-bacc program reps). Additionally, UMN has politics between college programs that will make it difficult to transfer credits i.e. my foundations of biology course did not count for general biology in the Food Science and Nutrition college. CBS professors are very knowledgeable, but it is very common to get abrasive personalities. Same with advisors; mine generally did not want to meet with students or even answer questions by email. I had professors turn down reference/recommendation requests, and even an academic advisor act as a bad reference that I was fortunate enough to hear about from one of the labs I interviewed at. Class sizes are very large, 100+ students in lectures; I only had one seminar class with <30 students in four years. CBS has major group projects in every biology class alongside regular coursework to promote teamwork. Many CBS students enroll in MCAT/DAT prep classes as well, so the class averages can be very high. Expect to enter general classes at a disadvantage if you have not taken one of these classes. Overall, a very rigorous school that could lead to great research opportunities, but it is rare. Not a good choice for students looking to get work experience in biology or the medical fields.

This was a great school to attend! Because the school is so large, I had many opportunities to engage in a variety of coursework, clubs, sports, research, etc. This school is great if you are interested in the sciences because they have advanced lab equipment and some of the greatest professors. Many of the professors are doing cutting edge research, and they have in-depth knowledge about new findings that are coming up in the science field. However, the downside of a large school is large class... Read More sizes. It was difficult to get to know the professors and other students.

The University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large institution with multiple different, smaller colleges that ensure you will find your fit. As a graduate from the College of Biological Sciences, I personally had a great experience with the school. I had wonderful counselors who guided me through my entire degree progress. The professors were approachable and genuinely wanted students to understand and succeed. The student help services were always friendly and knowledgable about any questions... Read More I had. For those interested in research or graduate schools, there were hundreds of excellent research opportunities.

I really enjoyed my undergraduate courses at the University of Minnesota. The program not only asks you to learn the material, but also apply it. This makes challenging, yet also rewarding. The program is very research/health careers focused, which can cause both positive and negative attitudes while in the program. The faculty and career advisers are incredibly helpful and friendly. They go above and beyond to meet with you and to provide you with help, assistance, or advice. Overall, I have only... Read More great things to say about the Biology program at the University of Minnesota.

The university campus is very overwhelming when you go on tours or go to orientation, but the campus "shrinks" within a couple of months. There are a lot of interesting, historical buildings mixed in with very new and modern which makes it interesting. The University of Minnesota puts a lot into its science and technology programs and, in my opinion, gives students a wide variety of classes. For example, you can choose to take a fast track for entry level biology and take biology 101 and 102 (normally... Read More two semesters) as one class, which is helpful for students with a strong background in the subject already or a student who takes a bit longer to choose a major and wants to hurry things along. Classes are very large in the first couple of years and it is very easy to get lost in the crowd so you need to be able to work very independently or seek out help during office hours. Once you have chosen a major and completed the initial required classes the university demonstrates why a bigger school can be very nice. Rather than being forced into a specific track there are many choices to fulfill different requirements so you can choose classes to fit your specific interests and many are much smaller. If you can handle the first couple of years of large classes where you may never speak a single word to any of your professors, there is a lot of great opportunity.