Founded in 1858, Winona State University is the oldest member of the Minnesota State System of colleges and universities. Today, Winona State University serves students across two campuses in Winona and Rochester, Minnesota, as well as others throughout southeastern Minnesota and beyond. WSU offers over 80 majors and programs, and our classes are small in size and taught by expert faculty. All our degree programs offer opportunities for internships with some of the Midwest’s most prestigious companies and organizations. Winona State holds the #1 Student Success Rate in the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities. WSU was recently named the best public institution in Minnesota by U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges,” and listed among the “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review since 2003. One of America’s 100 Best College Buys for 24 consecutive years, 93% of freshman also benefit from some form of financial aid. 97% of WSU graduates find employment after graduation and 92% of those are employed within their field of study. Community engagement is important at Winona State, with most of our programs providing students a chance to use what they’ve learned to help others through internships, clinicals and other learn while you work opportunities. RESIDENT TUITION SCHOLARSHIP EXPANSION: Starting Fall Semester 2022, Winona State University will expand eligibility for the Resident Tuition Scholarship to offer in-state tuition rates for all students—undergraduate and graduate—who meet WSU's admissions criteria. This is great for students who will be joining us in the fall! To qualify, students simply need to be a non-resident of MN as students are automatically considered for this with their application to WSU. This award means that you will pay the Minnesota resident (in-state) tuition rate rather than the non-resident (out-of-state) tuition rate. You can think of it as a roughly $6,500 scholarship. This scholarship is renewable if you maintain at least a 2.5 GPA in college. This is another way Winona State University is working actively to keep a WSU education affordable—and accessible—for all students. TWO CAMPUSES - ONE WINONA STATE Widely known for our stunning natural setting, the WSU Winona campus is nestled between picturesque bluffs and the Mississippi River – meaning that rock climbing, paddle boarding, hiking, kayaking (and more) are within a mile of campus. Additionally, the city of Winona is home to a wide range of art, music and theater opportunities, as well as museums, local boutiques, and festivals galore. WSU’s second campus is located in Minnesota’s third largest city – Rochester. The city is a dynamic, urban hotbed for industry, arts and culture and was ranked the #1 city of Top 100 Best Places to Live by Livability.com in 2016.
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The Education program is designed to help you become a great teacher. The classes revolve around literacy education and how to be in a classroom with gifted or challenging students. The education program is not test-based but rather project and or paper understandings.
One thing I don't like about Winona is once you get off campus there are not a lot of street lights so it can be very dark if ever walking on the sidewalks.
Winona had so much to offer that I did not take advantage of. If you are engaged, you will love WSU. While I excelled in my studies, I did not engage in campus life further, and I highly regret that. There were many clubs and campus things going on, constantly, but I was caught up in other things. Regardless of regretting not being an active WSU student, I do not regret going there. The area is beautiful, especially if you are looking for someplace "bigger" than your "small" hometown, but a place that is not too big.
Some classes, especially general education courses that do not pertain to your major, were hard to find as they are in unfamiliar buildings. Ask for help or scout those classrooms out prior.
The professor is nice and works well with students.
Old buildings not have a lot of funding in the art department.
My favorite part of Winona State is the people. Everyone is very friendly and it's nice having people in a small community that you can connect with. Most professors are super friendly and genuinely care about your education and your goals. The campus is also super beautiful in the summer and fall. It's also very easy to travel around campus and off-campus. There are very many transportation options.
Some of the buildings are quite old, so they are not very aesthetically pleasing. Winona State also lacks a lot of diversity compared to other schools.
On the outside, everything at WSU seems like it works smoothly, with a caring community and easy-going college experience. In some ways, yeah, that's true, but I find that in a lot of ways, college life ended up being filled with more complications, and not just at the hands of unfulfilled expectations. In many ways, Winona State fails in proving that they care for their students, that they want to help, and that there are any actual improvements that the school is willing to make. Their handling of the pandemic proves they dropped the ball in lots of ways, with piling student mental health issues, instances of dropouts, and the lack of overall policies to help with the pandemic in the first place. Reporters for the Winona State newspaper will write about issues around the school and receive backlash or lectures from those they write about; there are multiple professors that are publicly racist or sexist to their students, yet it's the students that receive forms of punishment if they are called out for it. Beyond that, in my three years as a WSU student, I've seen rundown buildings never get the improvements they were scheduled for, incredible crime rates of stalking, robberies, or sexual assault on campus with no news as to whether people had been arrested, and tuition costs rise. I stay at WSU, however, because I know it's the cheapest university in my state and I don't have many other options. I know it sounds as if I'm simply saying it's an awful school, which it's not. It just has its share of problems, and if I had other options, I don't know that I'd stick with it. For many students, WSU is the right choice. Just not for me.
I've never felt like the administration at the school cares for the students or what they need/want. Student voices seem near-silent when it comes to admin decisions.
During my freshman year, it was clear that most professors there are not entirely interested in teaching the curriculum as they are conveying their own political opinions. And if you don't agree, it might affect how they grade you.
Quality of food, lack of diverse opinions, lack of sharing challenging ideas, and few professors in my field.