Young Virginian wondering about this place (Sioux Falls, Rapid City: home, best schools, university)

[TrekRockStar]

Hi, my parents have been pressuring me to ramp up the university search and so far I seem more and more willing to free myself from the yuppie chains that Washington D.C. seems to have imprinted on me(I have been lived in D.C. off and on for seven years).

I am just wondering, how is life in the Dakotas?

I am just looking for a good university with a strong liberal arts or phliosophy program(THAT IS CHEAP).

Also, is okay not to be religious(my parents are roman catholic but my dad never seemed to care and my mom is on the other side of the paragiam).

Thanks

[DannyBanany]

A good liberal arts school in South Dakota is Black Hills State University. It is the most liberal school in South Dakota which probably isn't saying much because you are used to East Coast/Ivy League attitudes. BHSU has an excellent art program and many artists often get their own galleries in surprising time. A few friends of mine take art at BHSU and they love it.

You have to understand though, that South Dakota will be a MAJOR culture shock for someone coming from the BosWash area. Towns here are smaller and people are much more conservative and friendly. Our largest cities are only 150,000 and 80,000. BHSU is in Spearfish which only has about 10,000 people or so. A lot of recreation is in Spearfish though and it is a very active town. You would be close to skiing, rock climbing, hiking trails, lakes, and pretty much anything that has to do with outdoor recreation. South Dakota is also a pretty religious state. I was too raised Roman Catholic but I don't really practice anymore. I even went to Catholic high school.

What turned you on to South Dakota?

[TrekRockStar]

Well I just don't like the yuppie culture in NOVA. I also want to move to a more conservative place because VA is starting to creep out especially with what happened in the last election.

In NOVA, our high schools generally push you to go to the best schools possible. However, I am just so sickened with the snotty, materialistic, especially anti-common sense environment here.

Alot of the students here get good grades but most of them just slouch around and the teacher pratically makes it easy for them.

I am actually looking at USD. Looks pretty good, I am just concerned about the atitude towards people of different ethicities(I am Carribean-American)

[DannyBanany]

USD is a pretty good school. It may the university but I believe it is the smallest school in SD. USD would offer the most programs and it is only 30 minutes away from Sioux Falls, our largest city. You may also want to look at SDSU which is north of Sioux Falls in Brookings. It is larger and has a lot of programs to offer too. There is also The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (SDSMT) in Rapid City and it is a very esteemed engineering school.

South Dakota is by no means racist or prejudice, especially not college towns and larger cities, but the state is mostly white. People here won't really look at your race but your character and the company you keep. I have Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Mexican friends and I don't really notice as much as hold a prejudice. But if you want a conservative state, South Dakota fits the bill.

[dpf]

Nor sure how small you want to go. Mount Marty College is a Catholic college in Yankton SD and is a liberal arts school. Excellent college with a very good reputation.

[windtimber]

USD. It has a well developed College of Arts and Sciences. State sponsored higher education is a bargain in South Dakota. USD is in Vermillion - about 1 hour south from Sioux Falls, SD [the biggest city in the state with a population of about 150,000 + -] and about 30 minutes northfrom Sioux City, IA, an older Missouri River town a bit smaller than Sioux Falls. Major airlines serve both cities so you can fly in from the East coast. Vermillion is a small town. I lived there for 3 years doing post-graduate work. I enjoyed it and felt right at home - but then I grew up in SD and other than a few years away to undergraduate school and some youthful travel I've been around here all my life. If you've not been in this part of the country before, it might be worth your time to visit and see how great the culture shock will be...

Another thought. The University of Minnesota-Morris in Morris, MN, has reworked itself into a rigorous liberal arts college and is intent on competing with private liberal arts schools like the "Midwest Ivy League" of Carlton, St. Olaf, Hamlin, Macalester, Grinnell, etc. You might check there - it's right next door to SD.

[DannyBanany]

Also look at the University of Wyoming. It's Wyoming's only school so it gets all the state funding and it is a great buy. Laramie's a nice little mountain town too. I also recommend the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley and Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Those are great schools too.