Hamline University (HU)

Hamline University, a United Methodist-affiliated university, combines ���knowledgeable professors, a fun environment, great study abroad options, challenging classes, [and] helpful resources��� to create an ���intelligent, moderate, religious, small��� undergraduate program that stresses ���public service and rational discussion.��� Hamline���s curriculum promotes a goal-driven and skills-based education through its general education program, called ���the Hamline Plan,��� which requires students to study in ���a multiplicity of academic fields��� in order to ���become critical thinkers during and after [their time at] Hamline.��� Though students give the required curriculum mixed reviews, they are much more enthusiastic about the school���s standout disciplines, which they identify as criminal justice, pre-law (���Hamline has one of the best law schools in the Midwest,��� one student assures us), anthropology, psychology, sociology, management, and English. Undergrads also love the school���s resources, reporting that Hamline ���has a great library and a number of computers.��� However, the small campus size has its drawbacks. ���For many programs you have to go to other schools to take some required classes, which can cause difficulties with credits and scheduling,��� reports one student.

At Hamline, you���ll ���see it all from preppy guys and girls to goths to socially-active students, politically-active students, and jocks. Diversity is what Hamline is mainly about,��� says one student. ���International students make up a good chunk of the student body. Students of different ethnicities seem to be well balanced in numbers and students come from diverse financial backgrounds.��� All of which helps explain why students were so upset in 2007���08, when several racially-charged incidents divided the campus. A number of conservative-leaning students came away from those conflicts feeling that ���students here are quick to criticize and judge more conservative views.��� Once you get past the political wrangling, ���Most students here are your typical Minnesota-nice Midwesterners.���

For students who want a small university ���in close proximity to a big city, Hamline is the perfect place.��� Located ���midway between the St. Paul and Minneapolis centers,��� the school never lets on that it���s ���in a big city,��� while ���at the same time, there���s a bus right on the edge of campus that can take you anywhere.��� There���s plenty to do right around campus, too, including ���some great bars down the street��� that feature ���great live music and pretty cheap drink specials.��� There are also ���plenty of delicious ethnic restaurants in the neighborhood, including a Turkish restaurant and a tasty Ethiopian restaurant, both within a five-minute walk.��� On campus, Hamline is a ���very politically-active campus��� with activity ���skewed to the left.��� One student reports that ���About half the students are extremely engaged in campus and the other half go home every weekend and do nothing on campus.��� That said, ���there are ample opportunities for all students to get involved, [with something] like over 90 organizations right now.���