The University of St Thomas

Date: Jun 27 2010
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
I am a statistics and economics major and I recently finished my freshman year at St. Thomas.

Positives

Amazing professor commitment to the students (seriously the best part of the school)

Classes are relatively small, and all professors know your name after the first week or two.

Exams are all based off applying the main concepts and material you learned in class, not random facts or information.

Classes are require effort but are certainly doable.

Administration is efficient and certainly cares about the individual. They always email back questions within a day with complete answers to your questions.

Student body overall is very nice, friendly, and down to earth.

Great with merit aid (I got 64,000 for 4 years after a solid but unspectacular high school career)

Negatives

Since the St. Thomas accepts almost everyone, the quality of classmates can sometimes be a detriment to the overall learning environment (this has only been a problem for the required GenEd classes, the students in my calculus classes, etc. have been extremely talented)

St. Thomas cannot seem to decide whether it wants to be a professional school (business, engineering, etc.) or a liberal arts school (english, history, philosophy, etc.). This can sometimes lead to tension among the faculty and it makes it hard to tell which one the university is focused on.

There are plenty of rich, snobby kids here off of daddy's money but like I said before, overall the student body is friendly, down to earth, and fun.

Lack of racial and economic diversity, which can hurt the overall atmosphere.

Not sure how much the reputation will help outside of Minnesota. I have big dreams for grad school and I always wonder whether it would be easier from a more nationally known school like Macalester or Carleton.

Overall, St. Thomas has been an excellent experience so far. The quality of education is truly outstanding and the faculty commitment to the students is unbelievable. My only serious complaints about the school are the lack of diversity and its national reputation. If I do get into a great grad school after St. Thomas then I will bump up my opinion of the national rep though. If I had to do it all over again, I would either go to St. Thomas or go to Macalester and take classes at St. Thomas through ACTC. Overall, St. Thomas is a great school and I have been happy with my experience so far.