Frank Blau, senior admissions counselor and U of M alumnus, shares why he chose to attend the U of M.

It's not too late to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! While the holiday may have already passed, you can still celebrate his amazing contributions by attending Tapestry of Dreams: 30th Anniversary of the MLK Jr. Concert on Sunday, January 23. The event is sponsored by the School of Music and the Office for Equity and Diversity will feature artists 4Given, The Steels, and The Langston Hughes Project: Jazz Moods for Dreamers. The concert is free and open to the public.

The University offers thousands of fascinating courses. With all of the choices, it can be hard to choose--especially when registering for your first semester. Fortunately, you will have the guidance of an excellent academic advisor every step of the way. Here's one tip from me: You shouldn't miss out on is a freshman seminar!

Freshman seminars are unique courses that are taught by some of our most distinguished faculty members. From Nobel Prize winners to award-winning authors, our faculty really enjoy the opportunity to be able to work with new students in a close-knit classroom environment. Freshman seminars provide students with an opportunity to get connected with a professor and their classmates while studying a interesting, interdisciplinary subject. With over a 100 seminars taught each year, freshman seminars cover a vast array of topics. And, over half the courses are taught by CLA faculty. Here are just a handful of examples:

Humanities 1905: Utopias and Anti-Utopias
This seminar explores a variety of visions of an ideal society (utopia) and its opposite (anti-utopia) in the writings of philosophers, novelists, psychologists, and social and cultural critics through the ages, from Plato to Orwell, to feminist perspectives. Of central concern in this seminar is the degree of actual or potential correspondence of these visions to the real world of individual and social existence.

Music 1905: Bob Dylan
This seminar is an examination of the contribution of Bob Dylan, one of the world's greatest artists, mostly to music, but also to literature, film, and the visual arts.

English 1910W: Our Monsters, Ourselves
We all grow up with "monsters". They can be campy and kitsch, or objects of true fear and loathing. But what is monstrosity? What do "our" monsters reveal about us, as individuals and as a culture? How do they embody our conflicts, ambivalence and denial about our desires and our identity?

Psychology 1905: What is the Human Mind?
One of the most intriguing aspects of the universe is that you can think, that minds operate as entities apparently crucially tied to physical brains but are also importantly different. In this seminar, students examine conceptions of the human mind from psychological, philosophical, and neuroscientific perspectives.

Psychology 1905: The Cultural Psychology of Storytelling
In this seminar, students explore the form and content of the stories that people tell about their lives, and how these culturally-grounded stories are indicative of the psychologies of the individuals, groups, and societies who produce them.

For more information about  freshman seminars take a look at our Orientation and First Year Services website!

Hello! My name is Danielle Williams, and I am an admissions counselor for the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) at the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities.

I was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During my junior and senior year of high school, I began considering the University of Minnesota as a college option. The U of M stood out to me because of its gorgeous campus (in a metropolitan area like I was used to at home) and reciprocity agreement with Wisconsin, which meant I would qualify for resident tuition.

I enrolled at the University as an accounting major. As time passed, however, I found the College of Education and Human Development (CEHD) and their Human Resource Development (HRD) program was the perfect fit for me.

After graduation, I decided to stay in Minneapolis and begin my career search here. After two years of employment with Wells Fargo, I accepted my postion as an admissions counselor and returned to campus to work in the Office of Admissions. I love that I get to work closely with students and their families as they explore my alma mater.

I'm so excited to share my U of M experiences with you, and to showcase what life is like on our campus. If you're interested in the College of Education and Human Development, I'd love to hear form you! You can find my contact information by clicking the "My bio" link under my name.

-Danielle

Each summer, College of Biological Sciences (CBS) freshman travel to the headwaters of the Mississppi River in northern Minnesota to participate in a unique pre-college experience called Nature of Life. During this 3-day retreat, CBS first-year students are able to spend time with current CBS students, faculty, and staff, while learning about their college and University at the Itasca Biological Station and Laboratories. 

                                        Photo of Nature of Life Peer Mentors, Summer 2010

I will be honest, after attending Nature of Life during my first year, I could not wait to have the opportunity to do it again. As a CBS student you can actually participate in Nature of Life throughout your college career. You can return to Itasca as a peer mentor!

As a peer mentor, students develop close friendships, build their leadership skills, teach and mentor incoming students, and connect with CBS faculty and staff. If you attend Nature of Life and have as much fun as I did, you may be interested in becoming a peer mentor. You can apply for the program during your first year on campus!

To learn more about the Nature of Life program, click here.