Hamline University (HU)

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

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

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