Five Reasons Why Any Recruit Should Choose Minnesota

[OCS]

Let me premise this post with the fact that, as a passionate Gopher fan, I absolutely love GH and frequently lurk both the basketball and football forums.

Taking that into consideration, I really hate to self-promote and, in effect, "spam" this message board. However, if you could, please check out my new article published on the brand new website, On Campus Sports, a site that I help edit and that we are attempting (and hoping) to expand exponentially here in the near future.

The article talks about all of the aspects that make the U a special place, and why any potential recruit (or student for that matter) should highly consider enrolling.

I would really appreciate any feedback that you might have, both on my article and on the website in general.

Thanks so much in advance! Go Gophers!


http://oncampussports.com/2011/12/hey-recruits-this-is-why-you-want-to-come-to-minnesota/

 

[Rog]

January, February and March, the 3 months that no one brags about to a new "southern recruit".
However, these are the slow months to a football player, except for studying. These are the months a football player, should Hit the books, forget the weather and get the grades to keep eligible.

Maybe these months (and the weather allows fewer distractions) that a football player should use to his advantage.

 

[everybody knows my name]

Reading your article brings to my mind a phrase that you don't hear very much any more: "Damned by faint praise."

 

[Gopherprof]

Reading your article brings to my mind a phrase that you don't hear very much any more: "Damned by faint praise."

I'm of the same mind. A lot of your reasons describe why Minnesota is a nice school/place to live, but if we want to get top recruits we need to:

1) Win

2) Put people in the NFL


Until we do that, I honestly don't think they care if we won in the 1930s and that the locals smile a lot.

The best argument we can make now is:

1) You will get a chance to play early

2) You will get on T.V.

3) Our staff knows how to coach people up

 

[GopherVotary]

Why is being located in an area with many Fortune 500 companies an advantage to the U? I'm pretty sure that those companies hire Iowa and Wisconsin graduates also. The Twin Cities is crawling with Hawkeyes and Badgers, so they don't seem to be having trouble finding work here.

 

[Killjoy]

Easy Question

Why is being located in an area with many Fortune 500 companies an advantage to the U? I'm pretty sure that those companies hire Iowa and Wisconsin graduates also. The Twin Cities is crawling with Hawkeyes and Badgers, so they don't seem to be having trouble finding work here.

It gets you a foot in the door and name recognition. Does it guarntee you job? Only if you live in Columbus or some other Helmet school town where you are already on the payroll.

 

[Breakin' The Plane]

Those reasons are all well and good. If you want to lure a recruit here, you've got to give them something that they can't get elsewhere. The main thing you can sell right now is opportunity. If you've got the drive and you've got the desire to attain legendary status, Minnesota's the place for you. Look, I love Kent Hrbek and he's probably my favorite "athlete" of all time, but he's far from one of the greatest baseball players in the history of the game. Nevertheless, he's getting a bronze statue outside of the gate at the stadium that bears his number. Why? Because he gets extra points for being a Minnesotan and he was an integral part of two championship teams. What do you think is going to happen to the coach and/or star player who finally gets the Gophers back to the Rose Bowl?

 

[OCS]

I'm of the same mind. A lot of your reasons describe why Minnesota is a nice school/place to live, but if we want to get top recruits we need to:

1) Win

2) Put people in the NFL


Until we do that, I honestly don't think they care if we won in the 1930s and that the locals smile a lot.

The best argument we can make now is:

1) You will get a chance to play early

2) You will get on T.V.

3) Our staff knows how to coach people up

I wholeheartedly agree with every point that you and others have made on this topic as it pertains to the football team.

Listen, if Jerry Kill walks into a recruit's living room and solely says that we have friendly people and our program won games before the kid's grandparents were born, he is, in all likelihood, not going to seal the deal.

What you said is exactly what he needs to tell his recruits right now, and what he probably does tell his recruits. Come here, and you'll be able to play early for a Big Ten program.

The goal of my article was to exclusively sell the University of Minnesota itself across all three revenue-producing sports. Perhaps I did a poor job of articulating that desire, and if so that is a grave cause for concern.

People should know that Minnesota is not America's Siberia, and that, as a matter of fact, it's an outstanding place to live and receive an education. One of the best when you take all of the aspects that I discussed - excellent athletic facilities/heritage, environment, academics, location, and campus - into consideration (but then again, I am extremely biased ).

 

[imthewalrus]

Nice job. IF we don't like ourselves, why should anyone else like us? You have great passion for the area and the U of M. You were lucky to have received your education at the U ( an educational institution that you love) and the U is certainly fortunate that one of it's graduates has so many positive things to say about the U.

What do football recruits want? No one on this board can give you a "universally complete" answer to that question. You never know, having a recent graduate presenting a very positive impression of what his idea of the University, the area, the history as well as a composite of some of the published generalized rankings of the University just MIGHT be enough positive information in one place to make an impression on a recruit or a recruits family members.

Sites such as GOPHERHOLE can sometimes be a bit cynical and also at times can tend to by hyper-critical and somewhat narrowly focused, in addition to being great fan sites. So, I want to just tell you that you did a very nice job with this piece. Keep your great spirit up and if you feel as positive about the U as you appear to feel, find ways to give back to the U. As you head out into the world, or if your life keeps you close to the great area of Minneapolis and St. Paul find ways to stay connected to the U. Keep "selling" all that the U can offer people seeking an education (Not JUST athletes, but people with all kinds of talents and interests...The U has MUCH to offer to so many!)

Good luck to you and hang on to your passion for the U and this area. It is good to "sell..." a place and an area that you like and that has given you so much. It is GOOD to feel positive about your school and to: "...be true to your school..." You just never know what will make an impression on a perspective student!

Nice job!

; 0 )

 

[imthewalrus]

Why is being located in an area with many Fortune 500 companies an advantage to the U? I'm pretty sure that those companies hire Iowa and Wisconsin graduates also. The Twin Cities is crawling with Hawkeyes and Badgers, so they don't seem to be having trouble finding work here.

Perhaps the location might make it a bit easier to line up internships and make some contacts for a very bright, energetic and "locally" connected University of Minnesota student. Nothing in this life is ever guaranteed, but, sometimes "location" does mean something...

; 0 )

 

[popeyoung5]

I like the positive take vs. the alum tool in Detroit who threw his school under the bus. IMO, 1) You can play right away 2) The only Big ten school in a major city 3) Brand new facilities.

 

[Dr.Don]

Five reasons to choose the Gophers:

1. Meet GopherLady
2. Meet Chris Monter
3. Meet Sid Hartmann
4. Meet BleedGopher
5. Meet Pat Reusse

4 out of 5 ain't bad.

 

[highwayman]

I've spoken to several player parents who sent their kids to Minneapolis over Madison/Milwaukee/Iowa City over the dearth of decent internships and jobs in their particular field.

Also--in reply to another post--"The Twin Cities is crawling with Hawkeyes and Badgers, so they don't seem to be having trouble finding work here."--yeah, they had to come here to do that. A U alum is already here--already been here for 4-5 years making a name for him/herself. That's an advantage in itself.

 

[Dirk Diggler]

It's a good academic school and unlike Madison or Iowa City, it's in Minneapolis. You're in a great city, with just enough college feel to it. Plus, Coach Kill and his staff and great people and great coaches who'll care about you.

It's a pretty easy sales pitch, unfortunately, we're not very good right now but we will be soon, so get on now on the way up.

 

[GopherVotary]

I've spoken to several player parents who sent their kids to Minneapolis over Madison/Milwaukee/Iowa City over the dearth of decent internships and jobs in their particular field.

Also--in reply to another post--"The Twin Cities is crawling with Hawkeyes and Badgers, so they don't seem to be having trouble finding work here."--yeah, they had to come here to do that. A U alum is already here--already been here for 4-5 years making a name for him/herself. That's an advantage in itself.

How many kids expect to get a job in the same town/area that they went to college? Kids going to Carleton, St. Olaf, or St. John's generally don't expect to work and live in Collegeville or Northfield after they graduate. Likewise, kids that go to Iowa and Wisconsin generally don't expect to continue to live in Madison or Iowa City, either. No big deal, no disadvantage.

 

[Bob_Loblaw]

How many kids expect to get a job in the same town/area that they went to college? Kids going to Carleton, St. Olaf, or St. John's generally don't expect to work and live in Collegeville or Northfield after they graduate. Likewise, kids that go to Iowa and Wisconsin generally don't expect to continue to live in Madison or Iowa City, either. No big deal, no disadvantage.

That's precisely the point!

Again, you don't have to go to college in the town where you plan on working. Most people do not. That is why it's called an ADVANTAGE. I used to work for one of the Fortune500 companies and we definitely took interns in from all over the country. However, those interns had to travel to MN for the summer for their internship and they were only here for 3 months (sometimes a semester too). The kids at the U (or St. Thomas) could continue their internship the entire time that they were in school. That is a huge plus. That is how I got my job there over the other 200 kids who had internships. I was able to keep working, they got to know me better and I met more people. That's the nature of the game.

On a resume, it is a plus to be able to have as much experience as possible A student who has an internship at Target for 6 months is better off than a student who has an internship at Target for 3 months. A student who has an internship at General Mills for a year is better than the kid who an internship there over the summer. It's really not that complicated. A student who goes to the U, on average, will have more of an ability to pad their resume while they are in school. They will also likely have many more connections in the TC area as the alumni network for the U is larger in the Twin Cities area than Sconnie or Iowa.

Is it the only thing that matters when you get a job? Absolutely not! That's why it's called an advantage. They are just small perks that you have better than the average. They are not the only thing that matters. However, it certainly is an advantage.

 

[MNGoldenGophers1]

I've spoken to several player parents who sent their kids to Minneapolis over Madison/Milwaukee/Iowa City over the dearth of decent internships and jobs in their particular field.

Also--in reply to another post--"The Twin Cities is crawling with Hawkeyes and Badgers, so they don't seem to be having trouble finding work here."--yeah, they had to come here to do that. A U alum is already here--already been here for 4-5 years making a name for him/herself. That's an advantage in itself.

That's right. I could go somewhere else for work but it is much easier to find it here namely because I'm better connected to the community in which I live. As a result, living/going to school in a major metropolitan area is a big plus when it comes time to find a job. Consequently, the U of M is located in a great spot.

Go Gophers!