火爆社区

University of St. Thomas is Minnesota鈥檚 largest private university. The Catholic institution 鈥淸holds] a high standard of academic excellence,鈥� and in turn, 鈥淸offers a] myriad of resources for each student to take advantage of.鈥� Students have the opportunity to participate in honors classes that are 鈥渕ore discussion-based.鈥� Many students appreciate the chances to participate in non-traditional learning, citing activities such as 鈥済oing鈥� down to the Mississippi River to do research for geology class鈥� or 鈥渁ttending the Nobel Peace Prize Conference,鈥� and 鈥渓istening in on court cases.鈥� Professors have the ability to 鈥渕ake or break the experience,鈥� and many faculty members prioritize 鈥渋ntellectual curiosity鈥� and 鈥済et excited when you want to dive deeper into course material outside of the classroom.鈥� The modest student-to-faculty ratio makes it 鈥渆asy to connect in the classroom, which then makes it easier to succeed in a class.鈥� Plus, many love that there are 鈥減rofessors who actively help find internships and jobs that expand learning and experience.鈥� And the relationships go beyond just the academic: 鈥淭he faculty at St. Thomas [serves] as teachers, guidance counselors, career advisors, and even friends.鈥�

People at University of St. Thomas are first and foremost 鈥渇riendly and nice鈥� and 鈥渧ery respectful of each other.鈥� Here, your peers want you to succeed and are 鈥渆ager to help each other out.鈥� In fact, some even say their student body is one of their 鈥渂iggest motiving factors.鈥� For many, the student body 鈥渆nergy is very supportive and comforting.鈥� Despite a lack of diversity on campus, students are focused on 鈥渁lways making connections.鈥� Most feel 鈥渢here are lots of opportunities...for supporting underrepresented identities and magnifying those voices.鈥� Many students are 鈥減assionate advocates for inclusivity and representation,鈥� and in recent years, 鈥渃reating a culture of love and kindness toward one another has been effective at changing the culture on campus and helping everyone feel more included.鈥� Even with the current advancements, some students would like to see further improvement in 鈥渄iversity and outreach to underrepresented populations,鈥� but still acknowledge that it 鈥渋s getting better.鈥�

The greatest strengths of St. Thomas would be [its] dedication to making students feel at home through an 鈥渋mpactful focus on building community鈥� among undergrads. As one transfer student puts it, 鈥淎s soon as I moved in I felt like I found my home.鈥� In their free time, St. Thomas enrollees鈥攁ffectionately known as 鈥淭ommies鈥濃�攃an be found working out at the gym, exploring 鈥渘eighborhood bars and restaurants鈥� and 鈥淸taking] advantage of our numerous coffee shops on campus and off.鈥� The school 鈥渙ffers free transportation to locations all around the Twin Cities,鈥� making it easy to get off campus even without access to a car. In the warmer months, people leverage the 鈥渕any open grassy areas that allow students to hang out, hammock, play causal games, and even study,鈥� and they鈥檙e 鈥渁ble to rent out yard games and other activity supplies either at a low cost or for free.鈥� If organized fun is more your style, 鈥淭here are a lot of school-sponsored events鈥� featuring 鈥渇ree goodies around campus (such as crafts, T-shirts, [and] food).鈥� Truly, 鈥淵ou鈥檇 have to be actively trying to be bored鈥� at St. Thomas.