Welcome to my blog!

My name is Meredith Newlin and I am the College of Liberal Arts admissions counselor at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. This blog is a way to keep the lines of communication open with each of you and to share many of the exciting things going on in the College of Liberal Arts (CLA). From new courses and academic programs to stories of Big 10 traditions, this blog will help you see yourself as a student in CLA!

Through the blog I will also keep you updated on important dates in the admissions process and answer questions that I often receive from prospective students--providing information and advice that might make your college search easier and the admissions process more transparent.

One obvious perk of my job as the CLA admissions counselor is that I have the opportunity to share my own experiences in CLA with families every day! You'll learn, for instance, that I grew up as a “cheesehead” in Wisconsin and have been a Golden Gopher since choosing the U of M during my senior year of high school (and I haven’t looked back since)!

As a child psychology major and a CLA student in the Honors Program, I was involved both on and off campus. On campus, I worked one-on-one with a faculty member researching how mothers and children are affected by domestic violence. Off campus, I volunteered at a nonprofit organization called Free Arts Minnesota, which is dedicated to healing abused, neglected, and at-risk children through artistic expression.

CLA lies at the heart of a thriving metropolitan community and you can become part of it through the arts scene, cultural events, internships, volunteering, and service learning. Whether it's working with world-renowned professors and researchers, or gaining real-world experience in your areas of interest, these are just a few of opportunities you may choose to take advantage of as a student here!

Stay tuned as you continue to explore the College of Liberal Arts this year! I hope you will use this blog as a great resource in your college search process and please feel free to leave comments or contact me directly at meredith@umn.edu. I look forward to hearing from you and getting to know you and your family throughout the year!