Metropolitan State University

Metropolitan State University is a perfect wedding reception venue in the Twin Cities! Absolutely beautiful! The venue offers so many wonderful locations for photographers to get amazing shots of the couple and bridal party!

I have been to many universities both public and private. I attended Metro from 1998 – 2002, and earned my social science degree from here. Metro State stands in the first rank as a university that provides accessible, quality education. It exemplifies the very best qualities and ideals of academia, and puts them into practice.
If I ever have money to donate, I’ll give it to Metro – but only if they make a statue of me as a centaur holding a flaming sword in one hand and a megaphone in the other. It will be called «The Classic Bombastic Iconoclast Goes To Class.»
I think I’ll need to donate more than 5 million to qualify for the statue. Well, I’ll work on it.
As a working adult, I attended part-​time, evening and weekend classes. Metro caters to working adults in terms scheduling, cost, and attitude. Let it be known that the is the cost of tuition here is lower than at any other four-​year university in Minnesota.
My professors were not ivy league, ivory tower faculty who felt superior to students. They were humble, had community jobs and practices, and treated students as equals in the classroom – an exceedingly rare quality in the academy. This imparts a kind of down-​to-​earth integrity that can be very difficult to find in academic social structures where hierarchy, ambition, and status-​seeking are the norm.
Not only were they respectful and personable, they openly encouraged skepticism and critical examination of ideas and theories. My efforts to think critically have been met with resistance and punishment at other schools I have attended, but they were amply rewarded by my professors here. Never before or since (and certainly not in graduate school, where every prof has a pet theory students are supposed to pay homage to) have I experienced the freedom to exercise my ability to think, to examine and evaluate the merits of ideas in a safe, neutral atmosphere. My professors’ teachings gave me perspectives and tools for examining ideas that I have employed far beyond the scope of my 5 years at this school.
Additionally, the teachers here are committed to social justice and diversity. It shows in every classroom. At times, Metro State feels much more global than local. This is very much a culturally diverse and immigrant-​friendly institution.
While all of my teachers were caring and knowledgeable, I cannot speak highly enough about the social science department faculty. They were my mentors and guiding lights during my time here. They recognized my potential, and collaborated with me to develop it. Do you know how rare that is? It is to them that I owe my ability to think critically, and to speak truth to power. Unfortunately, they couldn’t teach me to stay out of trouble. But maybe nobody can do that.
At Metro State, you will not find the usual Greek life and sports affiliations. What a relief to not have your tuition dollars wasted on any of that BS! Nothing interferes with learning here. There are a few extra-​curriculars. I was proud to serve as associate editor of the student newspaper, The Metropolitan for a few years. I had carte blanche to write whatever I wished in op-​ed pieces, and I got paid to do it. I got to learn the production side of things as well. If you like to write and want some professional experience, call The Metropolitan. It’s a great way to get rewarded for your writing.
I have nothing but contempt and disdain for the other schools I attended, because the teaching was so scandalously shoddy and treatment of students, so poor. Everywhere else I have been has made me appreciate my experience at Metro State that much more. Not that I didn’t love it while I was there. If I could have, I would have attended graduate school here as well, but alas, life takes you elsewhere sometimes, and school is not an end unto itself, but a means to an end.
But what a «means» it is, here at Metro State! Fortunate indeed is the student who has the opportunity to complete their degree here.

(This review pertains only to the undergraduate programs at Metropolitan State. I have heard mixed things about their graduate programs.)
I’ll admit it: I was intensely skeptical of this school when I enrolled two years ago. It’s dirt cheap. They admit just about anyone. There’s… three separate campuses? Uh, okay. I was halfway convinced I was entering some kind of Phoenix Online joke school, but after seven years of being in and out of various universities (including a nightmarish one-​quarter stint at Globe College) I was getting desperate to find a school where I could just hunker down in peace and finish what I’d started.
I’m almost done now, and if I had to do it all over again, I wouldn’t pick any other school. Like a mangy, slobbery, secondhand mutt from the humane society, Metro State has completely won my heart.
Metro is not your typical four-​year college, though they are a fully accredited state university. There are no sports teams, no dormitories, no trashy sorority girls, and no frills. The median student age is something like 30, and though I’m sure they exist, you’d be hard pressed to find a single student who is here straight out of high school. And because of that simple fact, you know that everyone who goes to school here honestly WANTS to be here.
Instructors come from a wide range of backgrounds, some having gone here themselves, some from more traditionally prestigious universities nationwide. What most of them have in common, though, is a solid practical knowledge of their chosen field, and a real passion for teaching. You won’t find any giant lecture halls here, or classes taught exclusively by TA’s. Most classes seem to be capped at around 35 students; once you’re in upper level classes, that number drops to around 18. It’s not unheard of to sit in a class of 6 to 12.
Metro offers some very specific career-​based programs (aviation management, dental hygeine), but also the regular offerings of a liberal arts school (English, psychology, history, biology). It also offers a few unique degree programs, like BA’s in creative writing and screenwriting. And for the student who wants to design their degree from the ground up, there’s the First College program, where you can actually get course credit for previous life and work experience.
Because it’s really a commuter school for working adults, extracurricular student activities aren’t necessarily joined with the vigor of other schools. However, they do exist: Metro boasts a monthly student newspaper, an award-​winning literary magazine, a GLBT club, and groups for just about every ethnic, social, and religious persuasion.
Basically, if you’re looking for a school where you can party and slack off, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for highbrow academia, this probably isn’t it, either. But if you’re looking for a friendly, blue-​collar school where you will be accepted, listened to, and challenged, without devastating your pocketbook, Metro is pretty much unbeatable.

MBA program is a joke. I have two classes to go and Im finished but I would highly discourage anyone planning to attend to pursue a graduate degree. I received my undergrad elsewhere so I do not know about that program. I dont know what the admissions requirements are but they must be pretty low, the «peers» I attend class with barely speak english in some cases. Most students I have been in class with can barely put together a passable presentation much less professional quality. The only professors I felt gave me an education were K. Zapp (he just retired) and Joel Wilson. My adviser has never returned a phone call or email requesting assistance in the 2+ years I have attended. When you call the admissions office or financial aid office they give you the run around and tell you to call a different number, no one will assist you.
The best thing about this program I can say is that its cheap but I think you get what you pay for, if I am ever a hiring manager and I have two MBA’s to choose between I will not choose the person that graduated from Metrostate.