University of St Thomas-Saint Paul Top Questions

St. Thomas provides you with the opportunity to discover yourself and how you can make a difference in this world. With its rigerous academics and focus on the student the professors want to see you have success. I would recommend St. Thomas to anyone.

In my experience, many of my peers are prepared for class, are eager to participate, and have the drive to do well academically.

I don't think that any "type" of student would feel out of place at St. Thomas due to the many clubs and organizations. As long as you are willing to put yourself out there, you will easily find people that share common interests. I am involved with the club Students for Justice and Peace. This club works with many other departments throughout St. Thomas. We do a lot of work involving human rights, the environment, social problems etc. I would say that many students that attend UST come from upper middle class families. I would say that most students at St. Thomas are politically aware and politically educated.

My classmates at St. Thomas are reflective of the outstanding character demanded at St. Thomas, are motivated and driven to succeed, and genuinely care about those around them, on campus and in the community.

If I had to choose three words: Excited, driven, and fun. Most days you cannot turn a corner on campus without seeing someone furiously copying a textbook, or a student picking a professor's brain in a hallway, or a study-group discussing their upcoming class. St. Thomas is a school filled with driven students, who are determined to make a positive difference in the world and know the hard work it takes to get there. This is not to say that you won't find those same students organizing a touch-football game for the quad in the afternoon, or planning a fun night out on Grand Avenue, or asking people to gettogether for a relaxing night of movies and some DaVanni's pizza. St. Thomas students know how to be excited and driven about their education, but also how to relax and have a good time. Some of my best memories have been made with friends I randomly met in the classroom, which is exciting because I still have a bunch of classes to take before I graduate!

From my own experience, the students of St. Thomas create a diverse community of people who are interested in meeting new people, hearing different points of view, and are respectful and supportive of each other. St. Thomas is located in a very urban environment which allows people from all walks of life to come together. I have observed that people from very different backgrounds often become friends, and are willing to get to know students who are different from themselves. The type of student that would feel out of place at this school would be one who isn't prepared to open their mind at at least hear opinions different than their own. In my experience, students are very casual and friendly. Most students go to class in very casual attire, which creates a very relaxed atmosphere. If one were to enter our cafeteria and observe the tables of students eating, one would probably see a slight divide in gender (however only slightly; men and women interact very commonly and peacefully at St. Thomas). One would also see that race is not divided. White people make up the highest percentage of race at St. Thomas, however, it is very common and acceptable for students of different races to interact. In fact, if I walked into the cafeteria and saw an entire table of only Asian American or African American students, I would find that odd. I have also noticed a very strong acceptance of difference in religious, sexual orientation, and socio-economic backgrounds. It is also interesting to hear students talk about politics because there is such a variety of views prevalent in our student body. My friends and I happen to be more conservative, but I have also had pleasant conversations with classmates who are strongly liberal. Overall, I would describe the students at St. Thomas very relaxed in regards to social interaction. Students are more concerned with their studies than in getting worked up over drama between friends and judging people for their backgrounds.

St. Thomas students are extremely well rounded: they are good students, great members of the community, healthy, compassionate, driven, social and fun!

Friendly; but to get to know people, you need to spend extra time with them because otherwise most people stay on the acquaintence level.

My classmates are intellectually mature, fun-loving people who are dedicated to their academic life and extremely socially conscious, allowing everyone on campus to have a sense of belonging at St. Thomas.

My classmates are all extremely knowledgeable and helpful in the classroom.