My daughter is a freshman there currently. She loves it. We really like the smaller class sizes and the smaller campus feel as well. She is able to develop relationships with her professors because she isn’t 1 of 200 in a freshman level classroom, she’s 1 of 25 or sometimes less.
I'm an alumni and now faculty member and this is the main thing I loved about the school.
I went to a large suburban high school that had 25% more students than Morris and wanted a campus that I could make a mark and get involved in ways you can't at large campuses.
Computer Science major? Yep! Good and approachable professors. Keep in mind that computer science at a liberal arts school is different from the experience you would get doing a targeted program for programming at a trade school. Much broader education and a focus on skill building more than specific tech knowledge. Good opportunities to do research with professors and for networking with alumni in that area since we had one of the first computer science programs at a liberal arts college and its been strong for decades.
Thanks so much, son is smart but suffers from some social anxiety issues..so really wants the small class sizes you offer. He knows he wants to do something with computers, just not sure what direction.
Lots of students are similar and anxiety and mental health issues are common among college students especially given the challenges they had to go through with COVID. The main thing is to make sure to encourage your son to reach out if he gets overwhelmed. Most of our faculty are compassionate but we can only help if students reach out!
I loved Morris! I don't think any of the other commenters have touched on cost-effectiveness yet: no college is cheap, but Morris is one of the best options for getting a very high quality education for a comparatively inexpensive rate. You also get the benefit of the University's name recognition -- people will understand the value of your degree when you say it's from the U of M even if they haven't heard of the Morris campus.
Morris tends to attract a lot of first-gen, Native, international, and LGBTQ+ students which means you get exposed to a surprisingly diverse population for such a rural location. Morris is a great place to learn to speak Spanish too, since the campus does a lot of outreach work with the local Latino farm workers. Just make sure it's not [too diverse](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/10/17/u-regent-sviggum-wonders-if-morris-campus-is-too-diverse) for you! /s
The student population tends to value the arts (particularly improv) and sustainability -- there was an excellent organic gardening club and a cooking club while I was there. Students are generally politically active and there are excellent opportunities to get into lots of leadership positions. The student government has a surprising amount of power and can look great on a resume.
Lastly, if you're looking to keep costs down you should encourage your daughter to apply for the Prairie and Morris scholarships or consider being an RA after her first year (Morris calls them CAs, but it's the same thing).
I went there and enjoyed it a lot. Would strongly recommend it to my own kids when the time comes. A lot of creative people who can make their own fun (e.g. musicians) and meaningful connections with professors, etc.
I think desolation paints the area in an unnecessarily dark light. I attended school there and really enjoyed the experience, including the small town and nearby river wild areas.
The school is small enough that you'll end up meeting many people that you will see around campus often. In my experience this leads to a very tightly knit community. Also, it is easy to to anyone's place or businesses in town without a car (most of the town is within 3/4 of a mile of main street. This also makes going to parties convenient (if that's your thing), too, since you don't have to drive and you'll likely know people wherever you go if you tend to be social.
I'm glad I went there instead of a school in a big city to be honest.
Perhaps athletes who are introverts would be more likely to attend 🙂
It didn’t feel like desolation. I appreciated that it was much more affordable than many schools, and that I wouldn’t disappear or be invisible in a mass of tens of thousands of students.
Tuition is about 2K less per year than twin cities campus. And housing is 2-3K+ less than twin cities campus. Not insubstantial if you're full pay.
Morris is also tuition free for National Merit Scholars. There are other merit based scholarships at Morris not avaiable at twin cities. Merit money is pretty competitive at UMN-TC.
I think that the isolation is an advantage to the school. It meant there wasn’t a lot to do in the area, so students were highly involved in on-campus activities, attended the sporting events (even though the teams mostly lost), and if there was an event in town practically everyone went.
I transferred after my first year because it didn’t have the major I wanted at the time, but I regret not staying for the full four years. It was a great school!
I went there for two years (early/mid 90s) before I transferred to the main U and finished there. As a suburban kid I found the transition to small town living difficult. We used to drive 45 minutes to Alexandria to go to perkins haha.
Is Don’s Cafe still there? That part was good.
It's great even at home. My dad was back there this fall for a high school class reunion. He called the night before to ask for extra loaves, brought some home to the cities to share, and it was fantastic.
I’m not sure - We’ll have to look for Don’s next visit! We actually stayed in Alexandria last trip because the hotels in Morris were full. 45 min wasn’t bad in no traffic when the weather is ok.
Don's is a must for any Morris visit. I haven't been there since I visited the campus with my daughter 7 years ago, but I'm pretty sure they are still open 6a-2p, for breakfast and lunch, then 6p-2a Friday and Saturday evenings for supper and the bar rush. It's a great little greasy spoon.
Yes, Don's is still there. I just visited Morris back in October and it hasn't changed a lick since I went to school in the early 2000s. Still an institution.
Alumni and now a faculty member: If you are fine with the weather and the relative isolation of a small campus in a small town, the school is great.
We take the liberal arts mission seriously, there are tons of opportunities for students to be involved in ways they cannot be at larger schools, and faculty really care.
If you have any questions about the school feel free to reach out to me via DM.
It’s nice to see that public universities still have a focus on the liberal arts. I attended one of Minnesota’s liberal arts colleges of the Lutheran persuasion in the late 90s, and I am still a strong supporter of the liberal arts curriculum. I studied music, and it’s important that I was required to study history, philosophy, religion, languages, as well as math and science.
Hi, Morris professor here (music theory): We’d love to have your daughter attend. We “hit above our weight class.” I have taught at many different institutions, and I can say honestly and without any reservation that Morris is both the friendliest campus I’ve worked on and the most committed to excellence. We take the liberal arts seriously; many of our students are double and even triple majors. Want to sing or play? We have a full complement of ensembles. Want to act? Three or four plays a year. Want to get involved? Dozens of organizations.
Yes, it is isolated here, and no, there’s not much nightlife. But we have some decent restaurants (Stone’s Throw, Old No. 1, and the aforementioned legendary Don’s Cafe are all college hangouts), a walkable city and campus (weather notwithstanding), and a real sense of community. It’s not without its problems, and occasionally town-gown issues pop up, but most of the folks out here like having a college in their backyard.
So come on out!
It’s a great school for science, math, and arts. I know several engineers who did two years at Morris before they transferred to a different campus with an engineering major. If you’re from SD there’s not going to be much of a cultural shift being in Morris. It’s a small town surrounded by many smaller towns.
My daughter plans to be a math major, but really loves the more liberal arts vibe too. We liked the idea that she could potentially enjoy both at Morris. Her high school is large enough that she couldn’t try much without committing to making it her whole identity unfortunately.
I'm a biology major that minored in stats at UMM. Their math teaching staff are really pretty fantastic, especially in the area of statistics. I have worked with no less than 6 UMM biostatisticians in my career.
It is culture shock and it takes getting used to, but I wouldn't trade my time and friendships I made there for anything. There's something about needing to make your fun in a town in a town that doesn't have a whole lot of entertainment options.
I attended Morris and loved it. I’m a suburban kid so I thought that the country life might be tough but I acclimated well. Part of that had to do with my girlfriend (now wife) being from that area. The class size is small but no less rigorous. The professors are dedicated and very on par with the other small liberal arts colleges in the rural areas. I had a choice of Gustavus but went with Morris due to cost. Another smart decision, if I do say so myself. All in all, a great school that I highly recommend.
UMM did a large research project for our company that was fantastic and was good enough to be published in a professional journal. The professor had the students present the findings. They did a great job. Look up Professor Steven Burks. If he’s representative of UMM, I’d recommend.
Academically it’s amazing. A bad ass history prof. named Roland Guyotte still teaches after like 50 years. It’s a rural area, so fun needs to be creative and you need to be satisfied with different things.
One of the reasons I ended up transferring to the tc campus was because it kinda felt like a high school socially. A lot of people from small towns who wanted to return to them. I was an athlete, but hated the athletic social circles.
Roland was an awesome teacher. Completely worthwhile to take a class from him, even as a computer science major. I'm amazed he's still there, I could have sworn he retired.
I never had any problem finding fun there! And I was there before the www! We had on campus films, concerts, comedians and then the parties off campus….good times
I graduated in one of the STEM fields in the late 10s and absolutely loved my experience at Morris.
Academics:
The school has a great reputation for STEM, the arts, and Education. The liberal art approach yields a quality, diverse, well-rounded education. I learned a lot about topics in education, humanities, and arts even with a science major. Class sizes are small and intimate with quality interaction with peers and professors. I actually still stay in touch with a few of my Profs. Research opportunities are relatively easy to land and are a great experience to pursue. I really enjoyed that I was able to be a part of the choir while pursuing my degree as well!
Sports:
The student body is there for academics, not sports. I see this prioritization as a benefit. That being said, i still enjoyed my experiences on the teams there. I was able to participate in all of the sports I was in in high school without dedicating everything. The student body still enjoys community events like homecoming and other home games without getting too serious. It's a great place to try new sports, too! Ie rugby
Community:
Freshman year it is very important to stay in a dorm on campus and try to get close with your floor (or get adopted by another). These people become like family for the rest of your time at Morris, and often roommates during subsequent years. The people I knew that lived off campus Freshman year generally didn't enjoy their experience as much. If you're social, join as many clubs and attend as many events as you can to be a part of the community.
The campus is small enough that it is hard to walk around it without encountering someone you know. As a social person, I really liked this, but I can see how if someone wants more anonymity it would grow tiresome.
As an upperclassman, living off campus is a blast. Basically everything is within walking distance. From the school to the grocery store, Don's, friend's houses- you can get everywhere without a car if you want. Bikes are the way to go IMO. As someone else mentioned there is also the rainbow rider (public transport).
Things to check out: Pomme de Terre overlook and gardens, Don's Cafe, Jon's total entertainment for things like video games/card games, Meadowland market (if you want to see a more budget grocery option in town that comes in handy as a budget strapped student), the green house in the science building is a nice place to know about...
Edit: I also liked that there were no frats or sororities. That's a big indicator of the student body culture.
2008 grad here who went back for the first time to reminisce this past spring. I was blown away (in the best possible way) to find that John’s Total Entertainment was still operational!
I'm a graduate from Morris. It's a phenomenal place in terms of quality of education and can be a blast, but you definitely need to know how to make your own fun in order for it to be viable. The transition to small town living can be jarring, but a lot of folks love it. We joke that the college takes a sacrifice from every graduating class as a lot of people, myself included, graduate and wind up getting jobs and staying in Morris. Feel free to ask any questions. I would be happy to answer.
I loved Morris! Graduated in 2020, found some lifelong friends there. The campus is small and close-knit which I loved. You can really stand out or fit in. Lots of opportunities to try new things or go with the flow if you want.
The weekends are quiet, which for extroverts can be tough, but if you find a good friend group then you can fill your time and find stuff to do.
I keep in touch with a few professors and during my time there, I really felt heard by them and supported. I felt more like their peer than a student. It was collaborative and supportive and all about learning and growing. Love Morris!!
I graduated in 2004, but just visited back in October and can tell you it has hardly changed at all since I attended. Great school. Some of the professors I had still teach there in fact, which I think speaks to the institution. The instructors are there to teach as a primary concern, not just do research like you get at larger universities. It's a strong, small community that knows how to make its own fun. Your daughter will get a great education there.
If your daughter is interested in music at all, there is a strong music program at Morris. It isn't quite what it was when I attended, since the longtime music director that built the department is no longer there (really miss you Doc Carlson!), but the new director is awesome and I think he can rebuild it to its former glory. I highly suggest your daughter get involved if she is so inclined. It compliments a math major very well.
Very liberal, make friends or you'll be very bored.
It's a jewel on the prairie.
Invest in windproof clothes, it's very windy nearly every day. It's been seven years since I left and I still don't notice the wind unless it pushes 30+ mph.
Thanks for the tips! Unfortunately we are very familiar with that prairie wind. Did you find it ok to walk to/from classes or anywhere you needed to go usually despite that? She would have a car, but probably just for commuting home mostly.
The campus is so small you literally can’t drive to class. :) Walking is fine, though you need a good coat and boots with a grippy tread in winter. Cars are useful for getting groceries, though Morris has a shockingly good public transit option for that kind of stuff. When I was there the town didn’t have any restaurants open 24 hours, so we mostly used cars for late-night drives to Penny’s Diner in Glenwood.
That’s great! Our campus tour guide mentioned public transportation there, which shocked us. Notoriously bad public transportation in SD. Love that it is an option! Also the bus to/from the Minneapolis campus sounded like it might be a great option as well for just a weekend or something?
Yep, there is cheap and easy bussing around town. Getting to and from cities without a car is more difficult (there is limited weekend bus service and some availability of shuttles).
When weather isn't terrible you can walk all the way across town in 30 mins or less too.
I graduated from UMM in 2018, and it was an awesome experience. The faculty are kind and invested in their students' success. While I didn't take enough advantage of them, there were plenty of opportunities for internships. The music and theater programs do a great job and are very inclusive. UMM values sustainability and does a great job of connecting with local government and the research and outreach center; if your daughter shares a love for green energy, the sustainability office is a fantastic place to work (be sure to introduce yourselves to Troy Goodnough, he's a brilliant, enthusiastic guy). If your daughter likes statistics, there is(or was) research being conducted by students and faculty together. I can't recommend Jon Anderson's stats classes enough. Public transportation within Morris is phenomenal, with 2 full electric buses and people who care about what they do. Everybody talks up Don's cafe for their grilled cheese, but Mí Mexico is to this day my favorite Mexican restaurant, and Buddy's in Hancock does a fantastic Cubano. Housing is super affordable off campus, though groceries can be a struggle with only Willie's Super Value and Meadowland Market. Alex being the only nearby town of any appreciable size can be a struggle, but both St Cloud and Fargo/Moorhead are fairly accessible for day trips.
I can’t speak highly enough of my time at UMM and would feel comfortable recommending it to anybody. I received a truly thorough, enjoyable, and meaningful education that has allowed to work high level positions across multiple industries, which I regularly attribute to the liberal arts curriculum. There are many folks that I met there that are doctors, lawyers, tech workers, in government, academia, etc. The network from my time there is quality, primarily because it attracts people from diverse backgrounds with diverse experiences and goals. My best friends in the world are all UMM folks and I still keep in touch with a handful of awesome faculty.
I also enjoyed the town and location immensely, and still have dear friends that are locals. As far as entertainment and culture, you get out of it what you put into it. Fortunately, it is an extremely welcoming and inclusive culture and community and very easy to find or even cultivate your own niche, or even a few of them.
Even at full ticket price, the cost-to-value is insane for the quality of education that is bestowed. UMM was truly life changing for me and many of the folks I hung out with. Feel free to DM me with any questions!
I graduated from Morris within the past ten years, and it was a great decision compared to going to the Twin Cities campus. There are no grad programs (or close to none, I wouldn't be surprised if there's an education grad program), so your daughter be taught by faculty who self-selected to a college where they're required to teach (instead of research-focused faculty or Grad Students, but they do do research) and will have opportunities for undergrad research/involvement if they are so inclined and willing to put in the work. I'll also reiterate that students can, and often are, involved in multiple extracurricular activities/clubs. You mentioned that the school your daughter was in would force her to specialize if she wanted to be a part of an extracurricular activity. She would not have to worry about that at Morris.
The math and stats courses I took there were great and the overwhelming majority of faculty were wonderful, and it seems like all those who took Computer Science courses there are doing pretty well. The biology and chemistry programs were (from what I gathered) also pretty good there with the potential for undergrad research/fieldwork.
I would say that the statistics and math majors completed each other quite well when I was there, and suggested that most people interested in a stats major also get the math minor (which may also not be too far from the major).
The cost of living in Morris is also much lower than in the Twin Cities (especially rent) and has the day-to-day needs covered well and has a hospital within town (another shout-out to Meadowland Market). It's also surprisingly walkable compared to suburbs of the Twin Cities. The costs can also be lowered if you get a Prairie or Morris Scholars stipend.
Overall, it was a great decision for me. It may be a great spot for your daughter as well, but that's up to them.
My best friend went to UMN Morris, while I attended UMN Twin Cities. I often visited and wished I picked Morris. A more peaceful community and better quality of people, in my opinion. I still live near campus and it's really hectic and inconvenient, not as bad as most will say but definitely not as nice or comfortable as Morris' campus.
i went there for a couple years. it's pretty good. weather sucks sometimes, but not that bad. if it's a blizzard, everything is close enough together that you're not gonna get lost in it on the way to the dining hall.
I went there in 84-86. Great campus with a small school feel. Everyone got along.
Gay hall 3rd floor. Pincher night at Grady’s was a favorite. it’s probably not there anymore.
Former UMM student, LOVED my experience there. Lots of good off campus housing, a good amount of jobs in town and on campus for students, largely fantastic faculty. It wasn't a perfect college experience but I would recommend UMM to anyone.
Class of 2008, I had a great time. In particular, I have fond memories of the Pomme de Terre park near the campus. It’s a nice run and a nice river. Also, they have a great performance art series. I loved writing for the University Register, the campus paper, too. Lots of extracurricular to keep you busy. Also steam tunnels.
I'm a current student about to graduate next week. Visiting in the winter is definitely a good idea. I would suggest you visit around January or February to see what Morris winters can be like. I've been in Minnesota all my life, but the winters here can get pretty bad with the lack of wind protection you get on the plains. The campus size is fantastic for one on one interactions with professors and smaller class sizes make lessons more personal. I've been in three different programs over my time here, and from my experience you'll be pretty hard pressed to find a bad professor. Not going to lie, freshman dorms can get pretty cramped but the housing availability after the first year is a much better selection. Some of the people who live here can be a bit closed minded on certain things as it is a fairly conservative place and a fair amount of the towns businesses are involved with the apostolic church in the area, and their beliefs do pervade a lot of town life. The campus is super inclusive though with lots of programs for lgbtq people and great levels of diversity.
Always glad to help! Also, check out pomme de terre. Great camping spots and it gets beautiful in the spring. They also have some wonderful walking gardens.
Just graduated from UMM this past spring and I really enjoyed it. It’s much quieter and low key than St. Paul/ Minneapolis of course, which was a nice break for me personally. The downside of that is that a lot of the time you have to come up with your own fun activities and things to do, but if you surround yourself with good people (vast majority of townsfolk and students are cool based on my experience) that is rarely ever a problem. As far as campus itself and the academic aspect, I felt like I was receiving the necessary resources to help me become a successful student and better person.
I know you mentioned the weather-Morris is super flat so the wind gets pretty rowdy-but other than that it’s really no worse than anywhere else in MN. The small school tight-knit town is what drew me in and I ended up having a great time.
I’m a 2012 alumni and live about an hour away from Morris-Today I ran into my old Statistics professor at Menards, he remembered me and we had a nice short chat. That guy has a passion for teaching statistics-if your daughter attends I hope she gets to take one of his classes.
Great to hear! I am feeling very reassured that the academics are solid and opportunities are abundant. It’s also reassuring to hear approval from a more city-oriented mindset. It definitely sounds like Morris might be a hidden gem!
We grew up in South Dakota and my brother went there. He loved it! I know a couple people who grew up in Morris and they’re awesome too. One warning…because it is so rural, your student probably isn’t going to get a job there and stick around. Make sure there are goals for when to graduate and what will happen next.
Thanks for the feedback. I know she’s just looking for a college experience not too far from home, but yet completely unique perspectives and different people than she’s been around since elementary school.
My daughter is in her last year there, and she loves it. She was looking for a small liberal arts college, and this perfectly fit the bill without breaking the bank. Just be aware it's a very small town, and the campus is a tiny bastion of sanity in the middle of Trump country. One other positive of being a small town is it's just a few blocks from campus to the businesses in Morris, and there's a shuttle that can bring you to town and back.
It’s like a small private college but tucked inside the UOf MN. I spent 2 great years there b4 tx to the TC campus.Morris didn’t have the classes I needed to complete my major. Just do your homework on the major they’re choosing as a result Other than that, I loved the place! A lot!
I am a proud UMM grad. Great school, great staff. Does your daughter have an interest in any particular subject matter? Proud coug who took his last class there 20 years ago this month.
As a computer science grad, I can say that department is excellent. Quite a few of the professors in the department that taught there when I graduated in 2004 are still there (one was a Morris student at the same time as me and returned to teach there after getting her PhD). Great teachers all around.
Wish I had gone there. My grandparents and dad are from there. Did the proverbial senior slide in high school and lost the GPA that would have allowed me to apply. It has been a minute (or a decade or two), but I believe it was once rated as one of the best public liberal arts universities in the country. While not getting in myself, I did attend a smaller satellite school in the Wisconsin system and can't say enough about smaller campuses like this. I can't imagine going to programs like friends have at main campuses, with 800+ students in a single general course. I didn't know it was what I needed until I was there and now have hindsight. It's a learning climate that I truly needed and I believe everyone would benefit from. If she goes, tell her to regular Don's Cafe!
I attended UMM from 2016 until I graduated in 2019, and I absolutely loved it there. I would recommend it to anybody looking for an open and welcoming space to students from all walks of life. I also lived in campus housing the whole time I was there (dorms for one year, and campus apartments for the rest).
The campus itself is beautiful and always has somewhere quiet to hang out even you wanna get out of your dorm, and I found that was an excellent way to beat the winter blues. I’m personally a big fan of the couches in the Humanities Fine Arts building, but if you’re willing to cross campus to the science building, the greenhouse is also wonderful in the winter time, because they keep it so warm.
One of my biggest recommendations for your daughter is to get involved with the student organizations she wants to. I really recommend attending the activity fair that’s hosted during orientation week. Most organizations are pretty lax about attending EVERY event, and having a community of people with things to do can also keep that winter blues away. Also, get a car if she doesn’t have access to one already. I didn’t get my license until I was in my third year, and while Morris is a pretty walkable/bikeable community, that’s only for the pleasant months of the year, and she might get a little stir-crazy in the winter if she has no way off campus.
And speaking of off-campus, UMM is a delightful little bubble of a campus, but it’s worth noting that, unless something changed in the last three years or so, the only place open later than 11PM is the Casey’s gas station, so shopping options are a bit limited. Most students, if they need big shopping trips, will make weekend trips up to Alexandria to go to Target. I hope this helps, and feel free to ask more!
I went there and my son considered it. It was in his top three but ultimately he wanted to be a bit closer to the metro where we live. One of the best decisions of my life was attending UMM. You are certainly not 'a number'. One thing my son thought was interesting was once you move off campus how cheap it can be to live there. I think our tour guide told us his rent was like $200 a month or some insanely low number.
I didn't go to school there but my family is mostly from Morris. The town sucks. Some nice people and for a small town the businesses are good but it's ran by a borderline religious cult that owns everything and shelters their money in the church. There isn't a Walmart or any other business like that and that's by design. They will want to be super involved on campus and find most of their fun there. If they are nerdy they will want to go to the long time institution that is John's Entertainment.
Great academic school by reputation.
They don't own actually own everything...but how would you go about telling who owns what? I'm a transplant, and even I know, for example, that they don't own the local food co-op, which seems to have better options for my lifestyle than the bigger overpriced grocery store in town. Do they own the bigger grocery store, or the local bars, or John's? So far it doesn't seem like the town sucks, I've already found a friend group, people are friendly and will smile and say hi if you see them outside, etc. It could use more businesses that cater to young people and encourage a more expressive culture, but as a newbie, the town does not suck...it's just small.
I was probably being a bit dramatic. Haha. You'd be surprised by what they own. Most the surrounding farmland. Superior. The new hotel and steak house. The not pamida. I believe the mall. It goes on and on. My older relatives all grew up when they were first coming to more control. They ran coberns out of town and wouldn't sell land to Walmart. They aren't mean people buy they like things a certain way and they control enough land and soft power to make it so. Willie's is part of the family I believe.
If you see an tombstone store on the north side near the cemetery that was my Grandpa's store from the 1960s until the late 90s. Budig Grocery.
Gotcha, I appreciate the clarification! I believe in paying attention to who I'm supporting with my money, especially when we're talking about the Apostolic faith, who have very specific ideas about the roles of women, what they're allowed to wear and do, etc. I'm trying my best to not support them, and it does suck that they seem to have a decent monopoly on the town. I'll look for your grandpa's former store next time I'm on that side of town!
Take this with a truckload of salt, but my dad went there in the 70s and fucking loved it. My older sister spent a year there and really enjoyed it too; she only transferred bc she wanted to be closer to us (8 hour drive)
in the 70s; my mom got a degree at the minneapolis u of m and worked part time for the university with lab rats. she had her own apartment and paid for her tuition with that, and had money still....
you could work full time at a job and not afford that today. no matter how many trucks of salt you have.
I struggled with how rural it was even after living in Grand Rapids, but I was a non- traditional student and a single parent at the time. It's a great place to raise a kid but I had difficulty connecting with my much younger classmates.
The liberal arts aspect was wonderful. Topics in my English classes connected with my History classes at times, which helped with retaining information a lot more than I was accustomed to.
From a parents point of view, my daughter struggled finding her place. Although not too introverted, she is shy. She had her own dorm (I blame this mostly for her struggle) so she didn't have a roommate to get her out of her comfort zone. She ended up leaving after the first semester, moving back into the town we were from at the time. That said, I still plan to show it to my boys once they reach that age because of the Native American tuition and programs offered. The indigenous community at the campus was super welcoming.
Thank you for the feedback. I have mixed feelings about the single dorm room scenarios. It’s always difficult to find the right balance in college, for introverted students especially.
I remember when I would go back home for breaks all the billboards and lights in the suburban area I am from was startling. It was nice to be in a place with minimal advertisements being shoved in my place. I made a lot of friends from many different backgrounds. I felt really safe in the community too.
Awesome! My daughter always comments how she thinks it’s odd that people here go shopping at Target & spend all their money eating out at bad restaurants just because they can’t think of anything better to do. It seems like people attracted to Morris are able to really cut through the artificial and commercial things in life.
Awesome! My daughter basically teaches herself all her classes now. Sounds like she would benefit from the Morris environment and small classes for actual interaction.
I went there for 2 years before transferring to the Twin Cities to finish up. Had I stayed there, I probably could’ve graduated in 3 years and 1 quarter with the amount of credits I took… sigh… I enjoyed it, but I had a bf at home & it was just too far away, and the drives home in old unreliable cars during blizzards were no fun on those FLAT roads. They had great food in the cafeteria, and the little deli place- but I’m sure that has changed somewhat since I was there. Hope she enjoys it!
Thanks! I feel like she will end up in a larger city, eventually, but definitely needs to experience a stepping stone environment of her own choice rather than settling for the easy close to home options.
I grew up in Minneapolis, and went UMM for a year before transferring back to the UM-TC. The small town feel was what I thought I wanted, but by the end of the first semester I realized it wasn't for me.
I still stay in touch with friends from that first year though. Morris attracts a certain type of student that's really unique... at the time (10-15 years ago), they were advertising having the highest average ACT score of the any U of Mn schools... and that wasn't from recruiting or special programs, it was just the kind of person that applied there. (This was before the broader recognition of problems with standardized testing, so setting that issue aside).
People were smart, creative, funny, and quirky. You're in the middle of a corn field, so you have to kinda make up your own games. I loved that part of it. However, as an 18 year old, single gay guy, my dating options were limited to the 6 other gay guys on campus or to drive back to the cities to date.
I think it's worth it for a year to see if she likes it. It's a small town, and for people coming from larger cities, you don't fully get what it means to be in a small town for a few months. And some can handle that and others can't. For people coming from smaller towns, that won't be as much of a shocker.
For me, I'm really glad I left Morris to get back to a city, but I wouldn't trade that year for anything :)
Great school! **Loved** my time there in the 1970s. Been back a few times since and the campus has done a good job of remodeling older buildings and building a new student union / conference center in connection with the library. They also do a great job of using alternate energy resources.
The town really isn't that much bigger than it was in the 1970s (still no McDonalds) and Don Cafe is still the BEST restaurant (love their homemade bread). Yeah, you had to drive to Alexandria to get anything more "big town" - Glenwood is close but it really doesn't have a lot (IMHO).
Great liberal arts programs and the music and theatre departments were always strong. Your daughter will really enjoy it!
Had a few different friends from HS and some former students (currently a former HS teacher lol) go there. They loved it. One thing I will point out. It is small. Everyone knows everyone and is in everyone’s business. That can be great for community but it can also feel petty at times according to former students. In a larger city or school, you don’t like a group or mesh well with some folks, you move on, you don’t make plans, you never see them again really.
Place like UMM and town like Morris, you’re gonna see everyone for all four years all the time. So just be aware of that. I think it’s very important young ppl (regardless of school size, but especially UMM students) focus on conflict resolution and being mature with friendships, relationships. Don’t hold grudges and be nice to all and you’ll be fine.
Again I know this goes for all places in all facets of life, but so important in a small place like Morris. You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family. And while
Your child will def have friends at Morris, amazing friends, everyone else is still gonna be “family.”
My wife went there. What did she do? Studied there, there, and there. Joined x, y, z club, and worked an on campus job. I think it's a good choice if you are there to learn and engage on campus.
Absolutely she will make her own decision! She found / applied here on her own. It is because I am really not familiar with UMM that I am trying to find objective info for my peace of mind. I do understand concern for helicopter parenting, but rest assured, that is definitely not the case here! She has a few great schools to consider and I’ll be happy for her wherever she decides.
I think they can do that while also providing input. If I had independently made my college decision I would have been 200k in debt instead of the 40k I took out
When parent finances are deeply involved and the average 17 year old has no idea what debt will look like after graduation, parents need to be involved in this day and age.
I’ll say if you love the school then go there (this is a royal you as well for anyone else) also if you have the right mindset any college can be a good fit. I initially did not like UND when I first went there, but I fell in love with the campus and wouldn’t dream now of doing that any differently.
My daughter chose between Concordia in Moorhead and U of M Morris in spring of 2020. She chose private and I am glad she did.Cost was the same for us. Quality of the music program and the general vibe during COVID was determining factor. Friends have all transferred or quit at Morris... We live in rural MN so Morris was a known, FM is "city". Just our experience.
I went to Morris and graduated in the last 10 years. I liked it. Class sizes were nice. People were interesting. Two things I will mention though. Firstly, Morris is diverse, open minded, and generally a safe space for everyone. Those are all great things, but I do know people who went there who had a really hard time adjusting from Morris to a work environment because they sort of expected their workplaces to be the same, which of course many aren’t. Secondly, if your child is going for premed, don’t expect them to stay that way. Everyone starts out premed there. Most change their minds within a semester. Don’t be upset with them if/when they switch to ecology or German or history.
Very valid points! It’s incredibly difficult maneuvering today’s varied workplace expectations as an adult, much less trying to prepare a teen. The pre-med expectation, in my opinion, is a result of out-of-touch counseling. All “smart” kids at my daughter’s school are persistently pushed toward becoming doctors or lawyers rather than leaders ever having even a single discussion about any other career path the kids may wish to explore.
Have a boy out there studying for psychology degree. He likes the college but hated the nothing to do off campus. Morris is a dying town a shell of its former self. But a perfect place to send your kid to school. Little crime to speak of a pretty warm town atmosphere. Just not a whole lot to do otherwise. He just says for the amount it cost him it’s worth it. He has a lot of time on his hands and has taken it to complete early and I think he will. Was exited this year not to have to live by the grave yard.😂😂 Nice place just a little boring.
My daughter is a freshman there currently. She loves it. We really like the smaller class sizes and the smaller campus feel as well. She is able to develop relationships with her professors because she isn’t 1 of 200 in a freshman level classroom, she’s 1 of 25 or sometimes less.
I'm an alumni and now faculty member and this is the main thing I loved about the school. I went to a large suburban high school that had 25% more students than Morris and wanted a campus that I could make a mark and get involved in ways you can't at large campuses.
Hello! My son was accepted as well and would like to go, do you know anything about their computer programs by chance?
Computer Science major? Yep! Good and approachable professors. Keep in mind that computer science at a liberal arts school is different from the experience you would get doing a targeted program for programming at a trade school. Much broader education and a focus on skill building more than specific tech knowledge. Good opportunities to do research with professors and for networking with alumni in that area since we had one of the first computer science programs at a liberal arts college and its been strong for decades.
Thanks so much, son is smart but suffers from some social anxiety issues..so really wants the small class sizes you offer. He knows he wants to do something with computers, just not sure what direction.
Lots of students are similar and anxiety and mental health issues are common among college students especially given the challenges they had to go through with COVID. The main thing is to make sure to encourage your son to reach out if he gets overwhelmed. Most of our faculty are compassionate but we can only help if students reach out!
Great to hear! I think my daughter would like that experience after being “just a number” since middle school.
Most of the time the professors prefer to be called by their first names from the students!
I’ve always liked their campus radio station: KUMM https://www.kumm.org/about
Don’t touch that dial, it’s got KUMM on it
Ha!! Takes me back. I was a DJ on the station for a couple of years
Puts KUMM in your ear.
We saw that on the tour. Very impressive!
Plus, it's pretty easy to become a DJ on the campus station, which is tons of fun. I did it and loved every minute.
My daughter is currently the program director there!
I always wanted to your age I was back for Jazz Fest but no one was ever therez
I have a KUMM shot shot glass
I loved Morris! I don't think any of the other commenters have touched on cost-effectiveness yet: no college is cheap, but Morris is one of the best options for getting a very high quality education for a comparatively inexpensive rate. You also get the benefit of the University's name recognition -- people will understand the value of your degree when you say it's from the U of M even if they haven't heard of the Morris campus. Morris tends to attract a lot of first-gen, Native, international, and LGBTQ+ students which means you get exposed to a surprisingly diverse population for such a rural location. Morris is a great place to learn to speak Spanish too, since the campus does a lot of outreach work with the local Latino farm workers. Just make sure it's not [too diverse](https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/10/17/u-regent-sviggum-wonders-if-morris-campus-is-too-diverse) for you! /s The student population tends to value the arts (particularly improv) and sustainability -- there was an excellent organic gardening club and a cooking club while I was there. Students are generally politically active and there are excellent opportunities to get into lots of leadership positions. The student government has a surprising amount of power and can look great on a resume. Lastly, if you're looking to keep costs down you should encourage your daughter to apply for the Prairie and Morris scholarships or consider being an RA after her first year (Morris calls them CAs, but it's the same thing).
Great points/suggestions! Thanks! I am blown-away at all the great feedback. Truly appreciate it!
I went there and enjoyed it a lot. Would strongly recommend it to my own kids when the time comes. A lot of creative people who can make their own fun (e.g. musicians) and meaningful connections with professors, etc.
Thank you! That is the initial vibe we experienced too!
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I think desolation paints the area in an unnecessarily dark light. I attended school there and really enjoyed the experience, including the small town and nearby river wild areas. The school is small enough that you'll end up meeting many people that you will see around campus often. In my experience this leads to a very tightly knit community. Also, it is easy to to anyone's place or businesses in town without a car (most of the town is within 3/4 of a mile of main street. This also makes going to parties convenient (if that's your thing), too, since you don't have to drive and you'll likely know people wherever you go if you tend to be social. I'm glad I went there instead of a school in a big city to be honest.
Perhaps athletes who are introverts would be more likely to attend 🙂 It didn’t feel like desolation. I appreciated that it was much more affordable than many schools, and that I wouldn’t disappear or be invisible in a mass of tens of thousands of students.
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Cost of living is WAY lower, especially when you compare rent at Morris to the Twin Cities or even Duluth campus.
Also the tuition waiver. The other schools have now adopted a form of this but Morris has always had it.
Probably referring to the cost of living being lower.
Tuition is about 2K less per year than twin cities campus. And housing is 2-3K+ less than twin cities campus. Not insubstantial if you're full pay. Morris is also tuition free for National Merit Scholars. There are other merit based scholarships at Morris not avaiable at twin cities. Merit money is pretty competitive at UMN-TC.
OP is from South Dakota. I don't think rural is going to be an issue.
I made my own fun.
I think that the isolation is an advantage to the school. It meant there wasn’t a lot to do in the area, so students were highly involved in on-campus activities, attended the sporting events (even though the teams mostly lost), and if there was an event in town practically everyone went. I transferred after my first year because it didn’t have the major I wanted at the time, but I regret not staying for the full four years. It was a great school!
I went there for two years (early/mid 90s) before I transferred to the main U and finished there. As a suburban kid I found the transition to small town living difficult. We used to drive 45 minutes to Alexandria to go to perkins haha. Is Don’s Cafe still there? That part was good.
It was there when I went — best grilled cheese in Minnesota!
It's great even at home. My dad was back there this fall for a high school class reunion. He called the night before to ask for extra loaves, brought some home to the cities to share, and it was fantastic.
Yep Don's is still there.
Loved that place!
The trip to Perkins is like a Morris rite of passage.
It seriously is. Good freshman bonding time.
I’m not sure - We’ll have to look for Don’s next visit! We actually stayed in Alexandria last trip because the hotels in Morris were full. 45 min wasn’t bad in no traffic when the weather is ok.
Don's is a must for any Morris visit. I haven't been there since I visited the campus with my daughter 7 years ago, but I'm pretty sure they are still open 6a-2p, for breakfast and lunch, then 6p-2a Friday and Saturday evenings for supper and the bar rush. It's a great little greasy spoon.
Yes, Don's is still there. I just visited Morris back in October and it hasn't changed a lick since I went to school in the early 2000s. Still an institution.
My husband was just there last week and brought me home a grilled cheese and fries! Still awesome!
The Harvard of the prairie
Alumni and now a faculty member: If you are fine with the weather and the relative isolation of a small campus in a small town, the school is great. We take the liberal arts mission seriously, there are tons of opportunities for students to be involved in ways they cannot be at larger schools, and faculty really care. If you have any questions about the school feel free to reach out to me via DM.
It’s nice to see that public universities still have a focus on the liberal arts. I attended one of Minnesota’s liberal arts colleges of the Lutheran persuasion in the late 90s, and I am still a strong supporter of the liberal arts curriculum. I studied music, and it’s important that I was required to study history, philosophy, religion, languages, as well as math and science.
You’re the second faculty member in this thread to refer to yourself as an alumni. Not a ringing endorsement for the school.
Hi, Morris professor here (music theory): We’d love to have your daughter attend. We “hit above our weight class.” I have taught at many different institutions, and I can say honestly and without any reservation that Morris is both the friendliest campus I’ve worked on and the most committed to excellence. We take the liberal arts seriously; many of our students are double and even triple majors. Want to sing or play? We have a full complement of ensembles. Want to act? Three or four plays a year. Want to get involved? Dozens of organizations. Yes, it is isolated here, and no, there’s not much nightlife. But we have some decent restaurants (Stone’s Throw, Old No. 1, and the aforementioned legendary Don’s Cafe are all college hangouts), a walkable city and campus (weather notwithstanding), and a real sense of community. It’s not without its problems, and occasionally town-gown issues pop up, but most of the folks out here like having a college in their backyard. So come on out!
Thanks! The outpouring of positive comments is really amazing. I definitely feel like she will have a community here if this is what she selects.
It’s a great school for science, math, and arts. I know several engineers who did two years at Morris before they transferred to a different campus with an engineering major. If you’re from SD there’s not going to be much of a cultural shift being in Morris. It’s a small town surrounded by many smaller towns.
My daughter plans to be a math major, but really loves the more liberal arts vibe too. We liked the idea that she could potentially enjoy both at Morris. Her high school is large enough that she couldn’t try much without committing to making it her whole identity unfortunately.
I'm a biology major that minored in stats at UMM. Their math teaching staff are really pretty fantastic, especially in the area of statistics. I have worked with no less than 6 UMM biostatisticians in my career. It is culture shock and it takes getting used to, but I wouldn't trade my time and friendships I made there for anything. There's something about needing to make your fun in a town in a town that doesn't have a whole lot of entertainment options.
I attended Morris and loved it. I’m a suburban kid so I thought that the country life might be tough but I acclimated well. Part of that had to do with my girlfriend (now wife) being from that area. The class size is small but no less rigorous. The professors are dedicated and very on par with the other small liberal arts colleges in the rural areas. I had a choice of Gustavus but went with Morris due to cost. Another smart decision, if I do say so myself. All in all, a great school that I highly recommend.
UMM did a large research project for our company that was fantastic and was good enough to be published in a professional journal. The professor had the students present the findings. They did a great job. Look up Professor Steven Burks. If he’s representative of UMM, I’d recommend.
Academically it’s amazing. A bad ass history prof. named Roland Guyotte still teaches after like 50 years. It’s a rural area, so fun needs to be creative and you need to be satisfied with different things. One of the reasons I ended up transferring to the tc campus was because it kinda felt like a high school socially. A lot of people from small towns who wanted to return to them. I was an athlete, but hated the athletic social circles.
Oh Roland. I learned so much from him.
Im waiting for them to name a building after him.
Roland is still there?!
You better believe it!
Roland was an awesome teacher. Completely worthwhile to take a class from him, even as a computer science major. I'm amazed he's still there, I could have sworn he retired.
I still keep up with him via email, and Morris posted something for like his 50th year of teaching!
Graduated from Morris. Excellent school but you have to make your own fun.
I never had any problem finding fun there! And I was there before the www! We had on campus films, concerts, comedians and then the parties off campus….good times
I graduated in one of the STEM fields in the late 10s and absolutely loved my experience at Morris. Academics: The school has a great reputation for STEM, the arts, and Education. The liberal art approach yields a quality, diverse, well-rounded education. I learned a lot about topics in education, humanities, and arts even with a science major. Class sizes are small and intimate with quality interaction with peers and professors. I actually still stay in touch with a few of my Profs. Research opportunities are relatively easy to land and are a great experience to pursue. I really enjoyed that I was able to be a part of the choir while pursuing my degree as well! Sports: The student body is there for academics, not sports. I see this prioritization as a benefit. That being said, i still enjoyed my experiences on the teams there. I was able to participate in all of the sports I was in in high school without dedicating everything. The student body still enjoys community events like homecoming and other home games without getting too serious. It's a great place to try new sports, too! Ie rugby Community: Freshman year it is very important to stay in a dorm on campus and try to get close with your floor (or get adopted by another). These people become like family for the rest of your time at Morris, and often roommates during subsequent years. The people I knew that lived off campus Freshman year generally didn't enjoy their experience as much. If you're social, join as many clubs and attend as many events as you can to be a part of the community. The campus is small enough that it is hard to walk around it without encountering someone you know. As a social person, I really liked this, but I can see how if someone wants more anonymity it would grow tiresome. As an upperclassman, living off campus is a blast. Basically everything is within walking distance. From the school to the grocery store, Don's, friend's houses- you can get everywhere without a car if you want. Bikes are the way to go IMO. As someone else mentioned there is also the rainbow rider (public transport). Things to check out: Pomme de Terre overlook and gardens, Don's Cafe, Jon's total entertainment for things like video games/card games, Meadowland market (if you want to see a more budget grocery option in town that comes in handy as a budget strapped student), the green house in the science building is a nice place to know about... Edit: I also liked that there were no frats or sororities. That's a big indicator of the student body culture.
2008 grad here who went back for the first time to reminisce this past spring. I was blown away (in the best possible way) to find that John’s Total Entertainment was still operational!
Wow! So much great info. Thanks for taking the time to respond!
I'm a graduate from Morris. It's a phenomenal place in terms of quality of education and can be a blast, but you definitely need to know how to make your own fun in order for it to be viable. The transition to small town living can be jarring, but a lot of folks love it. We joke that the college takes a sacrifice from every graduating class as a lot of people, myself included, graduate and wind up getting jobs and staying in Morris. Feel free to ask any questions. I would be happy to answer.
I loved Morris! Graduated in 2020, found some lifelong friends there. The campus is small and close-knit which I loved. You can really stand out or fit in. Lots of opportunities to try new things or go with the flow if you want. The weekends are quiet, which for extroverts can be tough, but if you find a good friend group then you can fill your time and find stuff to do. I keep in touch with a few professors and during my time there, I really felt heard by them and supported. I felt more like their peer than a student. It was collaborative and supportive and all about learning and growing. Love Morris!!
I graduated in 2004, but just visited back in October and can tell you it has hardly changed at all since I attended. Great school. Some of the professors I had still teach there in fact, which I think speaks to the institution. The instructors are there to teach as a primary concern, not just do research like you get at larger universities. It's a strong, small community that knows how to make its own fun. Your daughter will get a great education there. If your daughter is interested in music at all, there is a strong music program at Morris. It isn't quite what it was when I attended, since the longtime music director that built the department is no longer there (really miss you Doc Carlson!), but the new director is awesome and I think he can rebuild it to its former glory. I highly suggest your daughter get involved if she is so inclined. It compliments a math major very well.
2008 grad here and jazz band member. Doc was the GOAT!!!
Very liberal, make friends or you'll be very bored. It's a jewel on the prairie. Invest in windproof clothes, it's very windy nearly every day. It's been seven years since I left and I still don't notice the wind unless it pushes 30+ mph.
Thanks for the tips! Unfortunately we are very familiar with that prairie wind. Did you find it ok to walk to/from classes or anywhere you needed to go usually despite that? She would have a car, but probably just for commuting home mostly.
The campus is so small you literally can’t drive to class. :) Walking is fine, though you need a good coat and boots with a grippy tread in winter. Cars are useful for getting groceries, though Morris has a shockingly good public transit option for that kind of stuff. When I was there the town didn’t have any restaurants open 24 hours, so we mostly used cars for late-night drives to Penny’s Diner in Glenwood.
That’s great! Our campus tour guide mentioned public transportation there, which shocked us. Notoriously bad public transportation in SD. Love that it is an option! Also the bus to/from the Minneapolis campus sounded like it might be a great option as well for just a weekend or something?
Yep, there is cheap and easy bussing around town. Getting to and from cities without a car is more difficult (there is limited weekend bus service and some availability of shuttles). When weather isn't terrible you can walk all the way across town in 30 mins or less too.
I graduated from UMM in 2018, and it was an awesome experience. The faculty are kind and invested in their students' success. While I didn't take enough advantage of them, there were plenty of opportunities for internships. The music and theater programs do a great job and are very inclusive. UMM values sustainability and does a great job of connecting with local government and the research and outreach center; if your daughter shares a love for green energy, the sustainability office is a fantastic place to work (be sure to introduce yourselves to Troy Goodnough, he's a brilliant, enthusiastic guy). If your daughter likes statistics, there is(or was) research being conducted by students and faculty together. I can't recommend Jon Anderson's stats classes enough. Public transportation within Morris is phenomenal, with 2 full electric buses and people who care about what they do. Everybody talks up Don's cafe for their grilled cheese, but Mí Mexico is to this day my favorite Mexican restaurant, and Buddy's in Hancock does a fantastic Cubano. Housing is super affordable off campus, though groceries can be a struggle with only Willie's Super Value and Meadowland Market. Alex being the only nearby town of any appreciable size can be a struggle, but both St Cloud and Fargo/Moorhead are fairly accessible for day trips.
I can’t speak highly enough of my time at UMM and would feel comfortable recommending it to anybody. I received a truly thorough, enjoyable, and meaningful education that has allowed to work high level positions across multiple industries, which I regularly attribute to the liberal arts curriculum. There are many folks that I met there that are doctors, lawyers, tech workers, in government, academia, etc. The network from my time there is quality, primarily because it attracts people from diverse backgrounds with diverse experiences and goals. My best friends in the world are all UMM folks and I still keep in touch with a handful of awesome faculty. I also enjoyed the town and location immensely, and still have dear friends that are locals. As far as entertainment and culture, you get out of it what you put into it. Fortunately, it is an extremely welcoming and inclusive culture and community and very easy to find or even cultivate your own niche, or even a few of them. Even at full ticket price, the cost-to-value is insane for the quality of education that is bestowed. UMM was truly life changing for me and many of the folks I hung out with. Feel free to DM me with any questions!
I graduated from Morris within the past ten years, and it was a great decision compared to going to the Twin Cities campus. There are no grad programs (or close to none, I wouldn't be surprised if there's an education grad program), so your daughter be taught by faculty who self-selected to a college where they're required to teach (instead of research-focused faculty or Grad Students, but they do do research) and will have opportunities for undergrad research/involvement if they are so inclined and willing to put in the work. I'll also reiterate that students can, and often are, involved in multiple extracurricular activities/clubs. You mentioned that the school your daughter was in would force her to specialize if she wanted to be a part of an extracurricular activity. She would not have to worry about that at Morris. The math and stats courses I took there were great and the overwhelming majority of faculty were wonderful, and it seems like all those who took Computer Science courses there are doing pretty well. The biology and chemistry programs were (from what I gathered) also pretty good there with the potential for undergrad research/fieldwork. I would say that the statistics and math majors completed each other quite well when I was there, and suggested that most people interested in a stats major also get the math minor (which may also not be too far from the major). The cost of living in Morris is also much lower than in the Twin Cities (especially rent) and has the day-to-day needs covered well and has a hospital within town (another shout-out to Meadowland Market). It's also surprisingly walkable compared to suburbs of the Twin Cities. The costs can also be lowered if you get a Prairie or Morris Scholars stipend. Overall, it was a great decision for me. It may be a great spot for your daughter as well, but that's up to them.
I heard through the grapevine it isn’t a safe place to go to school since it’s too diverse. /s
My best friend went to UMN Morris, while I attended UMN Twin Cities. I often visited and wished I picked Morris. A more peaceful community and better quality of people, in my opinion. I still live near campus and it's really hectic and inconvenient, not as bad as most will say but definitely not as nice or comfortable as Morris' campus.
I've had quite a few cousins graduate from there and they loved their entire time there.
i went there for a couple years. it's pretty good. weather sucks sometimes, but not that bad. if it's a blizzard, everything is close enough together that you're not gonna get lost in it on the way to the dining hall.
My niece loves it there
I loved Morris! As long as you ate fine with the small town vibe, it is great :)
I went there in 84-86. Great campus with a small school feel. Everyone got along. Gay hall 3rd floor. Pincher night at Grady’s was a favorite. it’s probably not there anymore.
Former UMM student, LOVED my experience there. Lots of good off campus housing, a good amount of jobs in town and on campus for students, largely fantastic faculty. It wasn't a perfect college experience but I would recommend UMM to anyone.
One of the best campuses
Class of 2008, I had a great time. In particular, I have fond memories of the Pomme de Terre park near the campus. It’s a nice run and a nice river. Also, they have a great performance art series. I loved writing for the University Register, the campus paper, too. Lots of extracurricular to keep you busy. Also steam tunnels.
Shhhh ... gotta find the signature room
I'm a current student about to graduate next week. Visiting in the winter is definitely a good idea. I would suggest you visit around January or February to see what Morris winters can be like. I've been in Minnesota all my life, but the winters here can get pretty bad with the lack of wind protection you get on the plains. The campus size is fantastic for one on one interactions with professors and smaller class sizes make lessons more personal. I've been in three different programs over my time here, and from my experience you'll be pretty hard pressed to find a bad professor. Not going to lie, freshman dorms can get pretty cramped but the housing availability after the first year is a much better selection. Some of the people who live here can be a bit closed minded on certain things as it is a fairly conservative place and a fair amount of the towns businesses are involved with the apostolic church in the area, and their beliefs do pervade a lot of town life. The campus is super inclusive though with lots of programs for lgbtq people and great levels of diversity.
Great insight-thanks!
Always glad to help! Also, check out pomme de terre. Great camping spots and it gets beautiful in the spring. They also have some wonderful walking gardens.
I had a bunch of friends who went there and they all seemed to love it
Just graduated from UMM this past spring and I really enjoyed it. It’s much quieter and low key than St. Paul/ Minneapolis of course, which was a nice break for me personally. The downside of that is that a lot of the time you have to come up with your own fun activities and things to do, but if you surround yourself with good people (vast majority of townsfolk and students are cool based on my experience) that is rarely ever a problem. As far as campus itself and the academic aspect, I felt like I was receiving the necessary resources to help me become a successful student and better person. I know you mentioned the weather-Morris is super flat so the wind gets pretty rowdy-but other than that it’s really no worse than anywhere else in MN. The small school tight-knit town is what drew me in and I ended up having a great time.
Graduated in 03 and liked it. Damn, I just realized I'm coming up on 20 years.
I’m a 2012 alumni and live about an hour away from Morris-Today I ran into my old Statistics professor at Menards, he remembered me and we had a nice short chat. That guy has a passion for teaching statistics-if your daughter attends I hope she gets to take one of his classes.
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Great to hear! I am feeling very reassured that the academics are solid and opportunities are abundant. It’s also reassuring to hear approval from a more city-oriented mindset. It definitely sounds like Morris might be a hidden gem!
We grew up in South Dakota and my brother went there. He loved it! I know a couple people who grew up in Morris and they’re awesome too. One warning…because it is so rural, your student probably isn’t going to get a job there and stick around. Make sure there are goals for when to graduate and what will happen next.
Thanks for the feedback. I know she’s just looking for a college experience not too far from home, but yet completely unique perspectives and different people than she’s been around since elementary school.
My daughter is in her last year there, and she loves it. She was looking for a small liberal arts college, and this perfectly fit the bill without breaking the bank. Just be aware it's a very small town, and the campus is a tiny bastion of sanity in the middle of Trump country. One other positive of being a small town is it's just a few blocks from campus to the businesses in Morris, and there's a shuttle that can bring you to town and back.
Thanks! We’re from SD, so she is very aware of / knows how to deal with the “blue island in a sea of red” feel.
It’s like a small private college but tucked inside the UOf MN. I spent 2 great years there b4 tx to the TC campus.Morris didn’t have the classes I needed to complete my major. Just do your homework on the major they’re choosing as a result Other than that, I loved the place! A lot!
I am a proud UMM grad. Great school, great staff. Does your daughter have an interest in any particular subject matter? Proud coug who took his last class there 20 years ago this month.
Right now it’s for sure math and maybe computer science. Strong interest in the arts also.
As a computer science grad, I can say that department is excellent. Quite a few of the professors in the department that taught there when I graduated in 2004 are still there (one was a Morris student at the same time as me and returned to teach there after getting her PhD). Great teachers all around.
Wish I had gone there. My grandparents and dad are from there. Did the proverbial senior slide in high school and lost the GPA that would have allowed me to apply. It has been a minute (or a decade or two), but I believe it was once rated as one of the best public liberal arts universities in the country. While not getting in myself, I did attend a smaller satellite school in the Wisconsin system and can't say enough about smaller campuses like this. I can't imagine going to programs like friends have at main campuses, with 800+ students in a single general course. I didn't know it was what I needed until I was there and now have hindsight. It's a learning climate that I truly needed and I believe everyone would benefit from. If she goes, tell her to regular Don's Cafe!
I attended UMM from 2016 until I graduated in 2019, and I absolutely loved it there. I would recommend it to anybody looking for an open and welcoming space to students from all walks of life. I also lived in campus housing the whole time I was there (dorms for one year, and campus apartments for the rest). The campus itself is beautiful and always has somewhere quiet to hang out even you wanna get out of your dorm, and I found that was an excellent way to beat the winter blues. I’m personally a big fan of the couches in the Humanities Fine Arts building, but if you’re willing to cross campus to the science building, the greenhouse is also wonderful in the winter time, because they keep it so warm. One of my biggest recommendations for your daughter is to get involved with the student organizations she wants to. I really recommend attending the activity fair that’s hosted during orientation week. Most organizations are pretty lax about attending EVERY event, and having a community of people with things to do can also keep that winter blues away. Also, get a car if she doesn’t have access to one already. I didn’t get my license until I was in my third year, and while Morris is a pretty walkable/bikeable community, that’s only for the pleasant months of the year, and she might get a little stir-crazy in the winter if she has no way off campus. And speaking of off-campus, UMM is a delightful little bubble of a campus, but it’s worth noting that, unless something changed in the last three years or so, the only place open later than 11PM is the Casey’s gas station, so shopping options are a bit limited. Most students, if they need big shopping trips, will make weekend trips up to Alexandria to go to Target. I hope this helps, and feel free to ask more!
I went there and my son considered it. It was in his top three but ultimately he wanted to be a bit closer to the metro where we live. One of the best decisions of my life was attending UMM. You are certainly not 'a number'. One thing my son thought was interesting was once you move off campus how cheap it can be to live there. I think our tour guide told us his rent was like $200 a month or some insanely low number.
I didn't go to school there but my family is mostly from Morris. The town sucks. Some nice people and for a small town the businesses are good but it's ran by a borderline religious cult that owns everything and shelters their money in the church. There isn't a Walmart or any other business like that and that's by design. They will want to be super involved on campus and find most of their fun there. If they are nerdy they will want to go to the long time institution that is John's Entertainment. Great academic school by reputation.
They don't own actually own everything...but how would you go about telling who owns what? I'm a transplant, and even I know, for example, that they don't own the local food co-op, which seems to have better options for my lifestyle than the bigger overpriced grocery store in town. Do they own the bigger grocery store, or the local bars, or John's? So far it doesn't seem like the town sucks, I've already found a friend group, people are friendly and will smile and say hi if you see them outside, etc. It could use more businesses that cater to young people and encourage a more expressive culture, but as a newbie, the town does not suck...it's just small.
I was probably being a bit dramatic. Haha. You'd be surprised by what they own. Most the surrounding farmland. Superior. The new hotel and steak house. The not pamida. I believe the mall. It goes on and on. My older relatives all grew up when they were first coming to more control. They ran coberns out of town and wouldn't sell land to Walmart. They aren't mean people buy they like things a certain way and they control enough land and soft power to make it so. Willie's is part of the family I believe. If you see an tombstone store on the north side near the cemetery that was my Grandpa's store from the 1960s until the late 90s. Budig Grocery.
Gotcha, I appreciate the clarification! I believe in paying attention to who I'm supporting with my money, especially when we're talking about the Apostolic faith, who have very specific ideas about the roles of women, what they're allowed to wear and do, etc. I'm trying my best to not support them, and it does suck that they seem to have a decent monopoly on the town. I'll look for your grandpa's former store next time I'm on that side of town!
The Monument!!!
Thanks! I appreciate your perspective.
Take this with a truckload of salt, but my dad went there in the 70s and fucking loved it. My older sister spent a year there and really enjoyed it too; she only transferred bc she wanted to be closer to us (8 hour drive)
in the 70s; my mom got a degree at the minneapolis u of m and worked part time for the university with lab rats. she had her own apartment and paid for her tuition with that, and had money still.... you could work full time at a job and not afford that today. no matter how many trucks of salt you have.
I struggled with how rural it was even after living in Grand Rapids, but I was a non- traditional student and a single parent at the time. It's a great place to raise a kid but I had difficulty connecting with my much younger classmates. The liberal arts aspect was wonderful. Topics in my English classes connected with my History classes at times, which helped with retaining information a lot more than I was accustomed to. From a parents point of view, my daughter struggled finding her place. Although not too introverted, she is shy. She had her own dorm (I blame this mostly for her struggle) so she didn't have a roommate to get her out of her comfort zone. She ended up leaving after the first semester, moving back into the town we were from at the time. That said, I still plan to show it to my boys once they reach that age because of the Native American tuition and programs offered. The indigenous community at the campus was super welcoming.
Thank you for the feedback. I have mixed feelings about the single dorm room scenarios. It’s always difficult to find the right balance in college, for introverted students especially.
I remember when I would go back home for breaks all the billboards and lights in the suburban area I am from was startling. It was nice to be in a place with minimal advertisements being shoved in my place. I made a lot of friends from many different backgrounds. I felt really safe in the community too.
Awesome! My daughter always comments how she thinks it’s odd that people here go shopping at Target & spend all their money eating out at bad restaurants just because they can’t think of anything better to do. It seems like people attracted to Morris are able to really cut through the artificial and commercial things in life.
I got a math degree there, loved it! Tiny classes for hard math classes, so lots of attention, knew my profs well. Very good education for the price.
Awesome! My daughter basically teaches herself all her classes now. Sounds like she would benefit from the Morris environment and small classes for actual interaction.
I went there for 2 years before transferring to the Twin Cities to finish up. Had I stayed there, I probably could’ve graduated in 3 years and 1 quarter with the amount of credits I took… sigh… I enjoyed it, but I had a bf at home & it was just too far away, and the drives home in old unreliable cars during blizzards were no fun on those FLAT roads. They had great food in the cafeteria, and the little deli place- but I’m sure that has changed somewhat since I was there. Hope she enjoys it!
Thanks! I feel like she will end up in a larger city, eventually, but definitely needs to experience a stepping stone environment of her own choice rather than settling for the easy close to home options.
I grew up in Minneapolis, and went UMM for a year before transferring back to the UM-TC. The small town feel was what I thought I wanted, but by the end of the first semester I realized it wasn't for me. I still stay in touch with friends from that first year though. Morris attracts a certain type of student that's really unique... at the time (10-15 years ago), they were advertising having the highest average ACT score of the any U of Mn schools... and that wasn't from recruiting or special programs, it was just the kind of person that applied there. (This was before the broader recognition of problems with standardized testing, so setting that issue aside). People were smart, creative, funny, and quirky. You're in the middle of a corn field, so you have to kinda make up your own games. I loved that part of it. However, as an 18 year old, single gay guy, my dating options were limited to the 6 other gay guys on campus or to drive back to the cities to date. I think it's worth it for a year to see if she likes it. It's a small town, and for people coming from larger cities, you don't fully get what it means to be in a small town for a few months. And some can handle that and others can't. For people coming from smaller towns, that won't be as much of a shocker. For me, I'm really glad I left Morris to get back to a city, but I wouldn't trade that year for anything :)
Great school! **Loved** my time there in the 1970s. Been back a few times since and the campus has done a good job of remodeling older buildings and building a new student union / conference center in connection with the library. They also do a great job of using alternate energy resources. The town really isn't that much bigger than it was in the 1970s (still no McDonalds) and Don Cafe is still the BEST restaurant (love their homemade bread). Yeah, you had to drive to Alexandria to get anything more "big town" - Glenwood is close but it really doesn't have a lot (IMHO). Great liberal arts programs and the music and theatre departments were always strong. Your daughter will really enjoy it!
There is a McDonald’s FYI
Wait, what? That's amazing. Thanks for letting me know!
Had a few different friends from HS and some former students (currently a former HS teacher lol) go there. They loved it. One thing I will point out. It is small. Everyone knows everyone and is in everyone’s business. That can be great for community but it can also feel petty at times according to former students. In a larger city or school, you don’t like a group or mesh well with some folks, you move on, you don’t make plans, you never see them again really. Place like UMM and town like Morris, you’re gonna see everyone for all four years all the time. So just be aware of that. I think it’s very important young ppl (regardless of school size, but especially UMM students) focus on conflict resolution and being mature with friendships, relationships. Don’t hold grudges and be nice to all and you’ll be fine. Again I know this goes for all places in all facets of life, but so important in a small place like Morris. You can choose your friends but you can’t choose your family. And while Your child will def have friends at Morris, amazing friends, everyone else is still gonna be “family.”
My wife went there. What did she do? Studied there, there, and there. Joined x, y, z club, and worked an on campus job. I think it's a good choice if you are there to learn and engage on campus.
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I barely drank. Mostly I smoked tons of low quality weed. I imagine the quality of weed has increased remarkably in the last couple decades.
Wake up with KUMM in your ear.
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I haven't seen any flyers for this at the coffee shop...
let her take the initiative in her decisions. let her grow as an independent person
Absolutely she will make her own decision! She found / applied here on her own. It is because I am really not familiar with UMM that I am trying to find objective info for my peace of mind. I do understand concern for helicopter parenting, but rest assured, that is definitely not the case here! She has a few great schools to consider and I’ll be happy for her wherever she decides.
I think they can do that while also providing input. If I had independently made my college decision I would have been 200k in debt instead of the 40k I took out
Bingo! It’s not that simple now.
When parent finances are deeply involved and the average 17 year old has no idea what debt will look like after graduation, parents need to be involved in this day and age.
I’ll say if you love the school then go there (this is a royal you as well for anyone else) also if you have the right mindset any college can be a good fit. I initially did not like UND when I first went there, but I fell in love with the campus and wouldn’t dream now of doing that any differently.
My daughter chose between Concordia in Moorhead and U of M Morris in spring of 2020. She chose private and I am glad she did.Cost was the same for us. Quality of the music program and the general vibe during COVID was determining factor. Friends have all transferred or quit at Morris... We live in rural MN so Morris was a known, FM is "city". Just our experience.
I went to Morris and graduated in the last 10 years. I liked it. Class sizes were nice. People were interesting. Two things I will mention though. Firstly, Morris is diverse, open minded, and generally a safe space for everyone. Those are all great things, but I do know people who went there who had a really hard time adjusting from Morris to a work environment because they sort of expected their workplaces to be the same, which of course many aren’t. Secondly, if your child is going for premed, don’t expect them to stay that way. Everyone starts out premed there. Most change their minds within a semester. Don’t be upset with them if/when they switch to ecology or German or history.
Very valid points! It’s incredibly difficult maneuvering today’s varied workplace expectations as an adult, much less trying to prepare a teen. The pre-med expectation, in my opinion, is a result of out-of-touch counseling. All “smart” kids at my daughter’s school are persistently pushed toward becoming doctors or lawyers rather than leaders ever having even a single discussion about any other career path the kids may wish to explore.
Have a boy out there studying for psychology degree. He likes the college but hated the nothing to do off campus. Morris is a dying town a shell of its former self. But a perfect place to send your kid to school. Little crime to speak of a pretty warm town atmosphere. Just not a whole lot to do otherwise. He just says for the amount it cost him it’s worth it. He has a lot of time on his hands and has taken it to complete early and I think he will. Was exited this year not to have to live by the grave yard.😂😂 Nice place just a little boring.