<p>Yes, and if an applicant is afraid he will be lost among the masses at U Mich, or not be able to motivate himself to go out for a run everyday in Ann Arbor in the winter, he will have plenty of other fine choices that will allow him to avoid those perceived shortcomings.</p>
<p>Bay, if there are two colleges of equal academic quality that you are choosing between it is irrelevant what the “student body” looks like.</p>
<p>Let’s all stipulate as a fact that:</p>
<ol>
<li>Every year, some ratings company or other publishes a list of the dishwashers with the worst repair record, the cars with the worst gas mileage, greatest chance of rollover in an accident, etc, and yet people continue to buy these items.</li>
<li>Every year there are lists published of “the biggest party colleges” or “the colleges with the worst graduation rates” or whatnot, and again, every year, people choose to attend those schools.</li>
<li>There are ratings on Yelp of restaurants with “B” ratings from the board of health, where the service is lousy and yet you walk past them in the evening and the tables are full.</li>
</ol>
<p>So- let us all agree that other people don’t use the same criteria as you might when making decisions. OK?</p>
<p>This “is Michigan too cold to jog/is Houston too hot to jog” argument is growing tiresome.</p>
<p>I agree, blossom. Thanks.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Why is it irrelevant?</p>
<p>sally305 wrote: “and stated that it is also considered one of the most “outdoorsy.””</p>
<p>I read that link to the outdoorsy article and it doesn’t seem to say what people think it says</p>
<p>“Minneapolis boasts an extensive park system, great paddling on the St. Croix and Mississippi rivers, and great hiking around the city. It is also home to an environmentally conscious group of people.”</p>
<p>Having great parks doesn’t mean when it is 10 degrees out that there are a lot of people using them. When the St Croix is frozen over, I doubt there is a lot of paddling going on.</p>
<p>It is like saying that I am really healthy because I have gym equipment in my home and carrots in the refrigerator.</p>
<p>Well, it “should” be irrelevant even if it isn’t to you. You know all the clich</p>
<p>collegedad, have you ever heard of ice skating? Do you know how many lakes there are in Minnesota (I’ll give you a hint: it’s on the license plate)? Do you know how popular ice hockey is for kids and adults?</p>
<p>[In</a> Depth: America’s 10 Fittest Cities - Forbes](<a href=“http://www.forbes.com/2010/05/21/fittest-cities-washington-lifestyle-health-exercise-obesity-fit_slide_11.html]In”>In Depth: America's 10 Fittest Cities)</p>
<p>This study ranks Minneapolis as the third fittest city in the US. It has a higher exercise rate (84.3%) than any of the other cities on the list. If you want to believe Minneapolis residents are incredibly active 2/3 of the year and sit on their butts eating Swedish pancakes the other 1/3–and yet still maintain a higher fitness level than people in climates where they can be outside all year long–go ahead.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>omg, no one said anything remotely close to this.</p>
<p>collegedad is insinuating that few people use parks and rivers/lakes in the winter, and that all the outdoorsy/healthy activity occurs in the other seasons.</p>
<p>Ok, I understand your perspective, Kennedy, and I respect it, but I don’t think it is a universal one.</p>
<p>Humm, swedish pancakes and ice fishing! Sounds like a winner.</p>
<p>Are the twin cities anything like this:</p>
<p>[Anthony</a> Bourdain Parts Unknown Canada - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/video/shows/anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown/episode4/index.html]Anthony”>http://www.cnn.com/video/shows/anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown/episode4/index.html)</p>
<p>Seared foie gras on potato pur</p>
<p>OK cool. It’s really none of my business what criteria folks use to choose their colleges.</p>
<p>NO, sally, that is what you want him to be saying. He is saying there are probably not that many people out on the frozen lakes and in the park snow drifts in the winter. But they may very well be on their treadmills inside, 24/7, no doubt.</p>
<p>And Bay, what I have been trying to say ad nauseum is that PEOPLE LIKE WINTER SPORTS in some parts of the country. I can’t tell you how many people I know up here who say winter is their favorite season. Why is it so hard for you to accept that not everyone sees things the way you do?</p>
<p>Yum, xiggi. And thanks for the reminder that there is an ENTIRE COUNTRY north of this one where people voluntarily live.</p>
<p>sally, your comments are truly bizarre. No one on this thread said that people don’t like winter sports. No one. Not even me. I like to ski at Mammoth and Tahoe in the winter, right here in CA. Its as though you are trying to create an argument where none exists.</p>
<p>Weather?
This horse is dead. I repeat, dead.</p>
<p>That’s fine with me, but I won’t let false “insinuations” about me go unaddressed.</p>
<p>You’re right, Sue. I should know better than to engage with people who claim that state school graduates are more likely to be of “dubious moral character” and who refuse to actually read others’ comments before responding. I’m out of this thread…going to pick some lingonberries for my pancakes before the first frost. :)</p>