Pros and Cons for Going to College in Duluth
Joy Hepokoski
There are a lot of advantages to spending your college years in Duluth. A few advantages are small-ish class sizes, the smorgasbord of attractions, and the stunning scenery.
Class sizes range from about 20 - 200 students. The larger classes are typically lecture classes, whereas the smaller classes are more interactive discussion-based classes.
Duluth offers many things to do and places to go outside of the classroom. A few examples are Spirit Mountain, the Duluth 10 and Omnimax Theaters, and the Great Lakes Aquarium.
Spirit Mountain is a ski resort reknowned for it's incredible snowboard park. It has jumps, rails, and boxes for the more experienced snowboarder, and easier hills for beginners. Spirit Mountain is located near campus, which is convenient for UMD students.
The Duluth 10 and Omnimax Theaters are also located close to campus. The Omnimax Theater seats 270 people with stadium seating and no obstructed views. It's a nice change from your typical movie theater.
The Great Lakes Aquarium is a 60,000-plus square-foot facility and is located on the shore of Lake Superior. It is the nation's only freshwater aquarium and is home to some 70 species of fish and to 30 other animal species.
Duluth is a very beautiful city to live in. It is right on Lake Superior and is also built on a hill, which makes for a fabulous view of the city lights at night. Duluth is also home to Canal Park, which allows you to walk along the shore and enjoy the scenery.
Josh Taylor
As great as it is living in Duluth, there are also some disadvantages. The cold weather and the hilly roads make life difficult, and jobs may be hard to find.
Duluth, being on Lake Superior, has a very cold climate. It's only October and it's already starting to snow. Driving on the snowy and icy hills is very dangerous and is very hard especially with a manual.
It's harder for people to get where they want to go on time because a lot of roads may be shut down due to harsh weather conditions. The hilly roads also take a toll on your car's engine and it wastes gas, which makes life much more expensive, considering the high gas prices.
It may be difficult to find a steady job in Duluth considering that the economy is not very great. The first place to look for a higher paying job in Duluth would be the docks. But the problem with that is that all the jobs associated with the docks and shipping are unionized. Also previous students already have taken the majority of campus jobs leaving the most viable option being the D.C.
Josh Beckfeld
Overall, we found that the advantages of living in Duluth outweigh the disadvantages. The classes are comfortable sizes which does not inhibit your chances to learn and meet new people.
Despite the harsh weather conditions, students living in the dorms can simply walk through the tunnels and be nice and warm in their pajamas. Not to mention all of the snowfall is welcoming to skiers and snowboarders.
If you don't want to destroy your car in the winter you could opt to use the city bus which just happens to be a free service for students with a U card.
With the cold weather that Superior provides for us it makes for the perfect hockey town. This fits right in considering that UMD is home to one of the top D1 college hockey teams in the nation.
In conclusion, Duluth really isn't a bad place to live. At least the three of us agreed on that.
