10 Things Potential College Students from Out of State Need To Know About Minnesota

Being born and raised in Minnesota, something that most people know about me is that I have a large passion for anything Minnesotan. Whether its Minnesota food, cities, landmarks, and especially the Minnesota Vikings, Twins or Wild, I tend to keep very true to my home state. One thing that I have experienced since coming to college however is that there are a lot people that are going to school from Minnesota, but are originally from out of state. There are several colleges in the Twin Cities area and from around Minnesota that provide generous amounts of financial aid to out-of-state students, mostly as a means of encouraging them to look at colleges from Minnesota. Needless to say, I feel that there are some things that potential college students who are looking at Minnesotan colleges/universities from out of state should know about Minnesota and its people. Over my first year of college, I've heard testimonies from several out of state students about the kind of things that they had to adjust to since coming to college in Minnesota. While I was talking to them, there were some things that they were not told about since choosing to come to college in Minnesota,that they feel would've been helpful to know before coming to Minnesota. Thankfully, many of these people I know have enjoyed coming to college in Minnesota, and have found these things that they wish they knew before coming to college to be adjustable. Nevertheless, there are some of the things I feel that students from out of state need to know about Minnesota and Minnesotans.

We Can Be Passive-Aggressive At Times

This is one of the biggest things that people from outside of Minnesota do not learn about Minnesota until they get here. It’s something that isn’t particularly unique to Minnesota, but it is something that people tend to do sub-consciously from here. I think it has more to do with the fact that Minnesota’s have strong beliefs on things, but we aren’t too key on trying to enforce our will among other people. We respect other people and their boundaries, but we also very much keep aware of our own boundaries. Not to be rude, but this is something that you will have to put up when you come to Minnesota. It is just something that is a common stereotype of people around here, but it is something that you can get used to rather quickly once you've lived here for a while.

We Are Crazy About Our Hockey

One of the most common nicknames that Minnesota gets besides the Land of 10,000 Lakes is the State of Hockey. Whether it’s professional hockey, collegiate hockey, or even prep hockey, the sport is a big part of our past time. It is a favorite of many people in Minnesota to go ice-skating during our long winters, and it is very common to see a group of people playing hockey out on frozen arenas/ponds. Minnesota is known for producing a lot of solid hockey players and has solid prep and collegiate hockey programs. Minnesotans also tend to be passionate about supporting the Minnesota Wild, which is our local NHL team, even though we are not the only team people root for in Minnesota. Hockey is apart of our past and will be apart of our future, and would be instrumental to college students who do not pay attention of hockey to know some of the basic rules. Something besides WIld games that also draw a lot of attention to hockey is the high school state hockey tourney in Minnnesota, which is one of the largest and most competitive high school tourneys in the country. While hockey is still popular in other states and is even more popular in Canada, Minnesota pastime and tradition in sports is heavily influence by the hockey plays its produced. While its not vital that you know hockey, it would help you understand some of the sports fanatics in Minnesota who are passionate about hockey.

We Like To Brag About Our State Fair

Something else that is well known about Minnesota is that we have a very large state fair. The State Fair in Minnesota Falls on the last couple weeks in August and the beginning of September. The State Fair is commonly referred to as “The Great Minnesota Get Together”, and is host to several traditional Minnesotan foods, customs, and traditions. Originally started by Minnesota Farmers, the State Fair is a great place to get to know the history and culture of Minnesota. It is one of the largest state fair in the United States, and in my opinion, one of the most fun festivals you can go to in Minnesota. While it might get annoying to people who are not from Minnesota, the State Fair is something we Minnesotans take a lot of pride in. If you have the opportunity to do so, I would highly recommend going to the Fair if you have time before class or in-between them, as it’s a great way to get to know Minnesota.

We Like Our Lakes (Because We Have Ten-Thousand Of Them)

Minnesota’s most common nickname, and pretty much our state nickname, is the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes. Being something of common folklore (Paul Bunyan’s footprints) people like to have cabins around the lake and enjoy spending time on the lakes. While we probably brag a lot about our lakes for no reason (considering that other states have more lakes then us), it is still a common Minnesotan thing to talk about.
P.S. If you are a Los Angeles Lakers fan, keep in mind the reason that they are called the Lakers is because the original franchise was first in Minnesota and then moved to Los Angeles. The name Lakers was originally designed by Minnesota to commemorate the history of our lakes, but the team decided to keep the name when it move to Los Angeles. In other words, your welcome.

Our State Has One of The Largest Indoor Malls in The U.S.

You probably already know the name of this mall, but the Mall of America is one of the biggest attractions that people have to offer. There are thousands of stores; there is an indoor theme park, movie theaters, restaurants, and tons of other things. While it is probably not the greatest thing is that one of the few tourist attractions we have is a giant overpriced mall, it is place that a lot of Minnesotans go for different reasons. It is a great place to shop, socialize, eat, and relax, and is a good meeting spot to meet friends and family to do something on the night. I have been to the Mall of America countless times and I can tell you that there are a ton of different things ot see and do.

There Are Lots of Different Types of Nature

Something interesting to know about Minnesota is that there are several different biomes that make up the different parts of Minnesota. There are grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests in accordance to the Minnesota forest Wikipedia page, and there are also other kinds of wildlife as well. While Minnesota is rather industrialized, there is a lot of farmland and areas outside the cities that is teeming with wildlife. The cities in Minnesota are often times well kept and are taken care of by other people. There are a lot of hiking paths and trails that you can take on walks in Minnesota, and it is a great place to enjoy the wonders of nature. The Twin Cities area of Minnesota(where a majority of the most major colleges in Minnesota are located), tend to be a more environmentally-friendly city and has several walking paths/ biking paths that are prefect for enjoying nature.

Minnesota Nice

This is another common stereotypes about Minnesota that we take pride in, as we tend to be rather friendly to outsiders and people we don’t know. Minnesotans love being kind, but keep in mind that we aren’t pushovers. We definitely won't let you push us around and be a jerk to us, but we will not be mean towards you for no reason. Minnesotans are in general nice people however, and this is something you should look forward too if you are choosing to come to college in Minnesota.

We Have A Cool Accent (not all of us have it however).

This is another common stereotype of Minnesota that is also true in some regard. While a common phrase used to generalize that stereotype is “Don’t Ya Know”, Minnesota tend to be very light-hearted about making fun of this accent. This accent normally involves us drawing our "O's" out, like when we say Minnesota(Minni-sOta), along with some common While some people have it and others don’t, it often times sounds very similar to the Canadian accent. While Minnesotans don’t like to be generalized as Canadians, we admit that our accent can sound a bit odd to people who are outside of Minnesota.

Get Used To The Cold Weather

Something that you need to do when packing for Minnesota if you are going to college there is to pack warm clothing. Minnesotan winters tend to be long and unforgiving, and not going to school with the proper weather attire can make it very difficult for you. People who go to college that live here have the advantage of knowing how to deal with this, which is one reason that might explain why a majority of applicants at Saint Thomas come from Minnesota. The beauty of Minnesota is that you will get to experience winter in its fullest, and there are plenty of ways to keep warm and enjoy the winter weather.

We Aren’t Canada

We may be close to Canada. We may like Hockey, Wildlife, Maple Syrup (I know very few people who don't ), but simply put, we aren’t Canada. We are proud to be Americans, and don’t like to be referred to as “America’s Canada”. We simply aren’t Canada and certainly don't identify as Canadians. We don’t need to get much further into that.

For those who choose to go to college in Minnesota, the most important thing that you need to know is that you aren't going to be bored. There are plenty of different sights, opportunities, and advantages that come with going to school in Minnesota. Trust me, I’ve lived in Minnesota for 19 years, and there is a strong reason for why I choose to go to college here and don't plan on leaving anytime soon.