From Arabic to Urdu

Did you know that the College of Liberal Arts offers nearly 40 different languages? Many of you are exploring languages in high school. Maybe you want to continue with the language you’ve started or even learn a new language! Learning another language can help you connect with people from different cultures—both in the US and across the world.

Here's a snapshot of language offerings at the University of Minnesota:

• Number of languages offered at the U of M: 36, including American Sign Language


• Number of CLA languages courses: about 400


• Most popular language: Spanish


• Less commonly studied: Swahili, Sanskrit, Ojibway


• CLA's Language Center offers: Bollywood films in Hindi, aerobics in Arabic, Survivor in French, and many more!
  

CLA graduates are in demand

Did you know that the average American changes his or her career path between five and seven times? From the environment to mathematics, human rights to healthcare, and from the global economy to diverse cultures—as a CLA graduate you'll acquire skills that are high in demand in a range of fields across your career lifetime.

The College of Liberal Arts has a long and strong tradition of educating global leaders, ingenious entrepreneurs, and innovative artists. Garrison Keillor , creator of National Public Radio's Prairie Home Companion and esteemed writer and radio personality, is a CLA graduate. Keillor has taught creative writing seminars in CLA, and was recently on campus discussing his new book in Coffman Memorial Union’s bookstore.

Keillor's story illustrates the unparalleled opportunities available to you as a student. CLA has a network of successful graduates who bring their experience and accomplishments back to you as a CLA student!

What is a liberal arts education?

As the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) admissions counselor, I speak with prospective students daily about their interests and what they are hoping to study. Many students say “the liberal arts,” or “I'm undecided but I love writing,” or “I'm really trying to decide between majors in math, psychology, and Russian." To that, I respond that they are wise to consider a liberal arts college!

A liberal arts education provides students with a strong foundation in a variety of subjects to gain a better understanding of the world we live in. A liberal arts education prepares students for a lifetime of opportunities in our ever-changing global economy.

Employers are interested in future leaders and they recruit CLA graduates because they can:

• Turn challenges into opportunities for innovation


• Communicate clearly and persuasively


• Cooperate and with people from diverse backgrounds


• Adapt to a range of complex situations and ever-changing environments


• Analyze and translate knowledge into solutions
  

Want to learn more about the University's fantastic liberal arts education? Then check out this thought-provoking interview with the dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Dr. Parente.

CLA students get real-world experience with Radio K

Have you ever imagined yourself behind the microphone at a radio station? Radio K, the University of Minnesota's award-winning, student-run radio station is playing an eclectic variety of music. It broadcasts on two FM signals in the Twin Cities. Listen for your self locally on 104.5 FM in Minneapolis and 100.7 in St. Paul, or stream online at Radio K's Web site.

Even if you're not dreaming of becoming a DJ, students on campus are working with Radio K as webmasters, sound engineers, news directors, or marketing gurus!

The CLA student experience

While I will continue to keep you updated on all the great things going on in the College of Liberal Arts, I thought you might want to also hear from the current students who make CLA such a great place for your education!

We all have an essential need to ask "why?" In CLA, we never stop asking that question. In fact, as we say at the U of M, we're Driven to Discover. For example, CLA students are crossing disciplines to explore how the brain processes language, and why learning a language consists not just of vocabulary but also cultural understanding.

CLA students study everything from acting to urban studies, and are as diverse as the nearly 70 majors offered. Since 2000, CLA students have won four Rhodes scholarships and six Truman scholarships. In the 2009 alone, eight CLA students were recipients of Fulbright grants! These are all nationally renowned scholarships awarded to the country's top college students.

Remember the Discover CLA Web site I told you about last week? Well, featured on the site are the experiences of current CLA students who will describe their favorite classes, write about study abroad programs, and share what kept them busy this summer—from advertising internships to immigration research.

Click here to meet the students of CLA!

Discover CLA

Last month, students in the CLA Class of 2013 had a blast getting to know one another and what it means to be a Gopher during Welcome Week (Sept. 2-7). My first week on campus as a freshman was truly unforgettable. Between meeting new roommates, navigating the dining services, and attempting to memorize my oh-so-important student ID number, I was thrilled to start my four years at the U of M!

Whether you're a Minnesota native or you're considering the U of M from across the world, when you get to campus it becomes your home away from home. As you explore liberal arts at the U of M this year, I would like to introduce you to what may become your future campus home: the College of Liberal Arts.

One of seven freshman-admitting colleges at the University of Minnesota, CLA is a smaller community of students, faculty, and advisers bringing together diverse disciplines and perspectives.

In CLA you'll study the sciences, mathematics, fine arts, social sciences, languages and culture-- the basis of a liberal education. You'll gain skills in problem solving, critical thinking, communication, language and understanding other points of view.

When you choose CLA, you are choosing a college that supports your passion for discovery. From freshman seminars to senior research projects, you'll find engaging and challenging courses taught by faculty who are some of the world's brightest scholars and most talented teachers.

• Majors and courses: Nearly 70 majors and more than 5,000 courses in the arts, humanities, natural and physical sciences, and social and behavioral sciences.
• Engaging classes: Dynamic lectures and small classes—taught by dedicated and award-winning faculty—will energize you and challenge the way you see and think about yourself and the world.
• Interest-based advising communities: Interest-focused advising communities and individual career counseling will connect you with others and help you discover your own academic goals and career paths.

In the College of Liberal Arts you'll have access to the people and resources of one of the nation's top public research universities. I encourage you to visit the Discover CLA Web site created just for you—a future undergraduate student to CLA. Discover CLA through the list of majors and career resources, YouTube videos from current students and faculty members, and learn about incredible study abroad possibilities!

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!