Freshmen are kept in the dark about a lot of things. Instead of simply yelling at tour groups as they pass by, I've decided to publish this blog post with some insider information about Hamline University.
1. "Writing intensive" doesn't mean what you think it means
It sounds like a writing intensive class would involve a lot of writing, yes? Not necessarily. All the "writing intensive" label means is that there is a low minimum number of papers that will be assigned to you and that you will have the chance to revise these papers for a better grade. That's all it means. I wrote more papers in my regular FYSem than my friends in some writing intensive FYSems did. (And I was taking the required "writing intensive" English 1110 class concurrently so it was a paper-heavy first semester.)
At the same time, writing intensive doesn't mean you won't be doing a lot of writing. Just don't expect it to correlate necessarily to work load.
2. Nine meals a week is a lot; fourteen meals a week is insurmountable
Whatever you do, however much you think you eat -- get the meal plan with fewer meals and more declining balance. Your meals will be wasted -- they don't roll over -- but you can spend all your DB within the last week of the semester if you need to. In addition, the meal hall in Anderson is not open all day. If you are hungry at 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. or 9 p.m. on weekdays... You have to use your DB. The meal hall is not open.
3. The truth about small class sizes
Small class sizes are really nice -- as long as you can actually get into the class. Registration is a brutal every-man-for-himself competition. If you don't come in with an advantage credit-wise, you will get screwed over. I was lucky. Many others were not.
People should get priority for the classes they need for their major, but registration is based entirely on credits. Seniors often take intro classes as electives, and then freshman can't get into the first class of their major track until later, setting them back a semester or even a year.
4. ACTC is actually really inconvenient
On tours they really like to dangle the shiny ACTC carrot in front of your nose, but it's not as simple as they make it sound. Not only does it screw up registration, it screws up your schedule. Hamline has different breaks than the other ACTC schools, so you'll have to start earlier and give up your spring break if you take an ACTC class. Plus, they're discontinuing the shuttle bus.
5. "Conveniently located between Minneapolis and St. Paul" really means...
...you have to travel to get anywhere worth being. Which is Minneapolis, by the way. It's not the best of both worlds by a long stretch.
There are, however, some really nice things about Hamline that I don't want to leave out.
1. The light rail is a brisk 10-15 minute walk away. I am immeasurably grateful for this. The whole midway situation is questionable, but it's easy to get into the real city if you so desire.
2. The small campus size is really nice when it's the dead of winter. Every day I am glad that my walk to class is only 3 minutes.
3. The Hamline Plan is a great liberal arts system. "Generals" aren't even really a thing -- you just have to take classes that fulfill different types of learning. It is easily tailored to your interests and is something you will most likely naturally complete in your time here.
4. J-Term is kind of nice. I for one was okay with a shortened winter break, and I like the opportunity to squeeze in an extra class. I'm also planning on taking advantage of the J-Term Abroad trips they offer at Hamline.
5. The small student population is a fit for some people and not for others. For me, it works. It means that you can get good seats at events, and it makes it really easy for you to fall in with a steady group of friends.
Over all, I think I made the right choice and I'm going to stay here for the next three years. But there are some things I wish I had been told before starting my first year.
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