University of Minnesota voted among ugliest campuses
The University of Minnesota’s industrial look is off-putting to many. Nevertheless, the U of M offers excellent education.
November 27, 2013
When it comes to deciding what college to go to, most will think of the quality of education they gain from the school of their choice. The appearance of the school campus might affect part of the decisions for certain students, but is probably not the biggest influence on their choice.
The University of Minnesota Minneapolis has been ranked as one of the 13 ugliest college campuses by Travel and Leisure magazine. Some think that it looks too industrial and all it needs are some smoke stacks to make it look like a factory. However, most, if not all, of the campuses ranked had an industrial or factory look to them.
Even though, the University of Minnesota is not the prettiest college, it is unlikely this would affect students decisions on whether or not they should attend the college of their choice.
“I don’t think students should care whether or not the building is ugly. I think they should focus on the education the school provides,” said sophomore Jordan Sivigny.
Most students do not base their decision on which college to attend because of the aesthetics, but people do not want to go to a college that looks like a prison or a factory. The University of Minnesota would be open to doing a little remodel, but with 30,000 students attending the college annually it is simply too difficult for such a renovation to take place.
“Frankly I’m a little surprised. The University of Minnesota is much nicer now than it was 20 years ago,” said French teacher Mary Ellen Kasak-Saxler. “It is kept up much better now and the college has a view of the city. I hope this would not affect students decisions and answers.”
The education for most of the colleges put on this list are known for the schooling they offer. For example, New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, New Jersey, is known for being a “crown jewel” when it comes to the technology institutes in the state. The University of Minnesota is another example of the schooling being great universally for all fields of study, but has an unattractive look to the eye.
“The University of Minnesota really is in the middle of the city, which is difficult to maintain, obviously,” said junior Trevor Witt, “but just improved maintenance and attention could really do a lot of good.”
Although the University of Minnesota is not the most attractive campus it does not mean that the education level there is not ranked highly, as with several other unattractive colleges. Students should make their decision on what they believe is important for attending a school, and the architecture could possibly be a reason.
Christy Prust • Nov 27, 2013 at 7:04 pm
I agree with the way Olivia wrote the article by kind of defending it by getting quotes say it really has improved and because of the location, it is not ideal for have a “pretty” campus. I also liked how she touched base on that it would not likely sway a student one way or another when decided where to go to school.
Alex Magler • Nov 27, 2013 at 4:28 pm
Great title that ties readers in as it makes them wonder why it was said to be one of the ugliest campuses. While reading it makes it clear that people think that they should focus on the education system not the looks, so very good use of quotes.
Charlie Haumersen • Nov 27, 2013 at 5:28 am
You did a very nice job not giving an opinion on the issue. This had a lot of good supporting facts. Great article!
Nick Brevitz • Nov 27, 2013 at 5:01 am
Good job with the quotes and supporting facts. I liked how you pointed out how difficult it is to maintain a good looking campus in the middle of the Twin Cities. As others have pointed out you did a really good job of staying impartial. Nice job with getting several types of sources
Megan Katula • Nov 27, 2013 at 4:38 am
This article did a really good job of staying neutral and not straight up calling the campus repulsive. All of the information is relevant and I like how it focuses more on the education the college provides than the way it looks. Good job!
Hannah Crawford • Nov 27, 2013 at 4:30 am
I like that this article focuses on how the views of the U of M campus effects students of the school and students of SAHS who are considering the school. This information is useful and relevant for students and readers.
erin dickie • Nov 27, 2013 at 3:26 am
I chose this article to read because I thought it would be interesting to read the quotes people said about the campus. I think you did a very good job at staying neutral and made it very relatable to the readers.
Madeline Ek • Nov 27, 2013 at 2:15 am
I think you did a good job of staying impartial and not giving your opinion on this topic. One thing I think you could work on is making your article maybe a little longer and expanding more on your ideas.