Bemidji State University

Date: Apr 01 2007
Major: Biology (This Major's Salary over time)
I looked at other colleges, but settled on BSU because of the natural beauty of the surrounding area - having visited the Boundary Water Canoe Area several times earlier in my life. So if you’re into extracurricular activities, Bemidji has a lot to offer. If you’re not, go someplace else!

Having said that you should be warned, northern Minnesota gets cold, very cold, in the winter. I remember one stretch of weather were it was -25F at night and -10F during the day -and that lasted a whole month! However the dorms and classrooms are connected by underground heated tunnels, so if one wanted, you could sleep, eat and attend class without ever having to set foot outside.

Class size varies, with the largest number of students found in the freshman intro classes (200-300). By junior and senior year, 20-30 students per class were the norm. The Biology, Environmental Studies and Geology professors really cared about what they taught and were very approachable.

On the downside, I wish BSU would change its name to

University of Northern Minnesota

, so people outside of Minnesota would at least know where it’s located.

On the positive side, I had a great time there, met life long friends and got a quality education (in fact I met my future wife [and current sweetheart] during freshmen week). Also I can honestly say, everyone I know who graduated from BSU is doing quite well in their careers - from a County Health Official, a Assistance Director of Nursing, a Secret Service Agent, a Lt. Commander naval chaplain, to me, an Environmental Laboratory Technical Manager…

Let’s face it; BSU isn’t ever going to be in the upper echelons of universities, but it does offer a good balance of education vs. quality of life.

No Regrets!!!