How well does Hamline rank? (Northfield: transferring to, schools, university)

[BallparkDreaming]

After this semester is over, I'll be done with my A.A. degree and transferring to Hamline University. My #1 choice was the U, but unfortunately I didn't get in. I understand Mac, Carleton, St. Olaf, etc are all better than Hamline, but I'm wondering if recruiters at least view Hamline as a decent institution...Also, if I had a 3.7ish GPA would grad school be a possibility?

[Unsettomati]

Originally Posted by BallparkDreaming

After this semester is over, I'll be done with my A.A. degree and transferring to Hamline University. My #1 choice was the U, but unfortunately I didn't get in. I understand Mac, Carleton, St. Olaf, etc are all better than Hamline, but I'm wondering if recruiters at least view Hamline as a decent institution...Also, if I had a 3.7ish GPA would grad school be a possibility?

The word 'rank' is somewhat vague, and so much depends on what one wants out of an institution. However, in terms of general ranking Carleton is the clear consensus #1 in Minnesota, with Macalester generally coming in #2, though sometimes the University of Minnesota takes second place. Along with those three, St. Olaf and Gustavus typically round out the top five.

After that, one gets into the second tier, which is less clear as to rank (again, whatever that means). I'd say that Hamline fits squarely into that group, which consists of perhaps half a dozen schools.

Disclosure:
I've lived in Northfield most of my life, and so am very familiar with Carleton and St. Olaf. And our first two children are off to college this coming fall at Macalester and Hamline, and other schools they considered included the U, Gustavus and St. Kate's. So I've been learning quite a bit about the various institutions over the past year.

Just my perspective. Others may see it differently.

[uptown_urbanist]

Hamline has a decent reputation. Augsburg is another school to consider (and the more I learn about it, the more impressed I am.). What is your chosen field? I would take that into account, more than ranking. What kind of classes are available, for example? Will you have research opportunities with professors?

Yes, you can get into grad school with a 3.7 GPA; there are lots of other factors, including faculty recommendations, writing samples, GRE scores, other relevant activities, etc. Usually you also break down your GPA in other ways, too, i.e. GPA for junior and senior years, or GPA in your major.

[BallparkDreaming]

I'm planning on majoring in Economics. On one hand, it's in Hamline's business school but on the other it's a B.A. Would've preferred a B.S., but the classes still look solid. I did consider Augsburg, but some reviewers put it below UST, and Hamline so I wasn't sure what to think. I did get into UST as well, which I forgot to mention, and it'd be hard to pass up the networking. I'm making my final decision by Friday, so I was just curious as to what some other people thought!