We really loved MNU. It was a beautiful campus right in the middle of a major city. Probably the best kept campus we visited. There are many opportunities for biomedical engineering co-ops/internships/jobs in the twin cities. I believe these are easier to get to without a car than Columbus and NC State, but it’s been awhile since I’ve been in Columbus and have no idea about public transportation near NC State.
1 Like
This is so helpful to hear! I’ve been concerned about folks sharing experiences that their engineering students didn’t feel supported at OSU and the faculty were more concerned with their research than helping students.
Did she have to actively pursue the co-op opportunity? The engineering faculty during our visit was asked by a parent whether OSU did co-ops and she answered with a short “yes” and didn’t elaborate so it seemed dismissive.
Did your student have issues with sequencing courses due to the co-op? Was it during summers? Was she still able to graduate in 4 years?
Sorry for all the questions! 
That is great to hear! Do most students do co-ops? Another question I have about MNU, is it horribly cold??? My son says it won’t bother him but I wonder…
My son loved his visit to UMN! His first (and only) visit to the school was for admitted students day, which is a very big event. Before his trip, he contacted the department and engineering project team that interested him, so he was able to arrange to meet students and see their workshop space, which was GREAT. They were so friendly, their facilities were excellent, and he learned a lot. Although ultimately he ended up at another school, he would have been very happy at UMN. So that’s my suggestion… consider contacting the department or lab of interest, ahead of time.
4 Likes
Good to know! Thank you!
Ha, I just edited my post to clarify 
He’s at UCB now but there were definitely some things about UMN that he liked better! Seems like a great school.
The great thing is while it gets VERY cold, there is a tunnel system where you can get almost anywhere on campus underground and not have to deal with the weather. My kid is happy at -40, so cold wasn’t an issue (he was adamantly against going anywhere warm). It’s all about how you dress.
UMN is spread over 3 campuses, so you will definitely be navigating the bus system, but that didn’t bother S23 (who ultimately chose another school when he decided not to be an engineer). There is anything you could ever want to do in and around the Twin Cities. I was a little uncomfortable with the crime rate in DinkyTown. There is both an Honors and an Engineering LLC. The Engineering one is in a much nicer dorm than Honors.
1 Like
Very helpful. Thanks for the suggestion!
Did she have to actively pursue the co-op opportunity?
She was incredibly lucky. Her academic advisor emailed the listing to her and told her to apply for it. Her scholars advisor coached her through the application (reviewed her resume, gave feedback, provided a recommendation) and had a quick phone interview which they told her she’d be getting the offer. She didn’t pursue any other co-ops because she liked it.
I have a current ChemE there and he’s picked up his co-ops (none rotating) at the career fairs.
Engineering Career Services has a lot of resources https://ecs.osu.edu
Did your student have issues with sequencing courses due to the co-op?
They usually offer almost everything Fall and Spring, but Summer was harder especially since she’d already finished her general electives. You can work with a faculty member to schedule ‘for credit’ undergraduate research and use that as a technical elective. She did that to get to full time for her scholarships. Her brother has taken graduate level courses for technical electives so that could have been another option. Or she could have scheduled something she was interested in even if it didn’t fulfill a specific requirement.
Was it during summers?
Her co-op was Spring, Fall, Summer. Oops, I realize now I think she may have only co-oped 3 semesters, she did work there after graduation, too. Housing was challenging with all of the moving. But there were a lot of co-ops from lots of schools. Her friend from hs also was there from UCincy. 
Was she still able to graduate in 4 years?
Yes because she brought in a lot of dual enrollment credits.
2 Likes
I think public transport near State is decent. There are free Wolfline buses that run from Centennial campus where the Engineering school is to the main campus and Raleigh has buses that run downtown. There are plenty of shops and restaurants on Hillsborough Street adjacent to main campus. I think the buses run from Centennial Campus to Main campus about every 15 minutes. https://transportation.ncsu.edu/wolfline/wolfline-schedules and Local/Regional Transit - Transportation
2 Likes
UMN has the campus bus system, but there are also light rail and city buses that will take you throughout the Twin Cities.
2 Likes
If your student hasn’t already, they should apply for additional scholarships through Ohio State’s ScholarshipUniverse for awards from the College of Engineering and their department.
Like a lot of public universities there are special fees for engineering as noted in the link above.
NCState and UMN also have special fees for engineering.