U of Minnesota morris (Mankato, Houston: fit in, transfer, private school)

[brian21]

Has anyone on the board attended this school? Does the school have a good reputation in minnesota? What type of students does the school attract?

[aluminumpork]

A couple of my friends went to Morris, and my father grew up there. It's a nice little town that has experienced some light growth lately. I hear very good things about the the university, although I don't know many specifics.

[Minnehahapolitan]

I haven't known anyone who has attended Morris. It is a public liberal arts college, which is quite rare. In that sense, it is well regarded. If you can take four years of living in a town as small as Morris, I would be fairly comfortable in recommending it.

[marmac]

Uof M Morris has very high academic standards.

I consider it an excellent institution.

[brian21]

Sounds good so far. I've only lived in states that are on the southern border of the US. Do you think I would be able to handle the cold?

[ozzie679]

Morris has an excellent academic reputation.

It's going to be cold as heck. But college is a blast. You'll be busy studying and having fun with your friends.

I'll let you know that Morris is a small rural town. If you want to be in a city, UMM may not be the right fit for you.

[Camden Northsider]

I'm an alumnus of the U of M - Morris. It is a great school that I can say from experience has been very highly regarded here in the twin cities and Midwest in general (I've heard people make the statement - "oh, you went to the u of m school that has good academics" and others call it one of the 'ivy leagues of the midwest' - a strange categorization for a public school). It consistently makes all of the top lists - when I was there it was always one of the top 3 public liberal arts colleges in the nation, not sure where it's at now but i've never known it to be below #5. But the 'top list' it was on that caused me to go there was the 'best educational value' - I may be a biased opinion, but IMHO you will not find a better education for the money. I think I've come to appreciate my education there much more since graduating - I transferred in my second year from a private school where the annual costs were more than double that of Morris', and I found the academics at Morris to be infinitely better.

Morris actually has a very diverse student body per capita for the Midwest that include students from around the US (and world), but you of course will find that the majority are from MN or the surrounding states. It tends to attract competitive bookwormish students but don't let that stereotype prevent you from considering it - there are so many groups to get involved in that you'll likely find a number of places to get in where you fit in. A very high percentage of UMM grads (I believe over 50%) go immediately on to graduate level education - this was the case with a family member of mine that also attended UMM.

I was friends with students that hailed from California and Texas, and yes it was a transition for them getting used to the cold MN winters (and MN prairie-cold winters at that), but they were able to handle it. And I myself did not come from a large urban environment (my hometown metro was app. 250,000 population) but even for me it was different and a transition getting used to the rural nature of the town of Morris, and for some of my friends from very large urban environments (San Fran, NYC, Houston, etc.) it was a big culture shock to overcome and get used to (but some really liked the change of pace and scenery).

So not to sound like a UMM commercial here, but if you're adventurous and seeking a top-notch education at a fraction of the price of schools in the same league academically, then it's definitely a great choice. Professors are great, class sizes are small, the student body is very active, and it's a very progressive school. Good luck with your decision-

[golfgal]

I have had several friends graduate from Morris. I looked into going there many moons ago. It does have a good reputation--although Ivy League if the Midwest is a stretch. It is like a private college with public school pricing. One reason I decided not to go there was that not a lot of the kids stuck around on weekends. That might have changed but it was an issue for me. You are young, you will adapt to the cold.

[knke0402]

Just like Minnesota State-Mankato is the Harvard of the Midwest?

[Camden Northsider]

Originally Posted by golfgal

I have had several friends graduate from Morris. I looked into going there many moons ago. It does have a good reputation--although Ivy League if the Midwest is a stretch. It is like a private college with public school pricing

That's probably fair, I agree that comparing it to an ivy league is probably a stretch, but when you compare it to other schools in the upper Midwest I think it becomes less of a stretch - I would surmise that the academics at Morris are right up there with places like Carleton, but again I'm a biased opinion - my wife, sister, and many of my good friends all went there.