One of my recommenders told me Minnesota is like a family -- I think that sums up what I saw. All the faculty were incredibly welcoming. For example, I brushed into one of them as we were going from happy hour to dinner. Since we didn't get a chance to talk, he called me yesterday. The grad students seem very happy... they were all eager to talk about the program and their experiences. Everybody just seemed so lively, including the prospectives.
Also: Chari is indeed hilarious, Kara is a godsend, Minneapolis is awesome, Ellen McGrattan should move from the Fed to the U because she would be an incredible advisor, Happy Hour will be a must, cooperation is key, and the flyout was great.