<p>Minnesota was my first choice school, so I'm extremely happy to have gotten in, but I'm curious about a couple of things:</p>
<p>I'm a Texan. I lived in San Antonio until I was 12, now I live in Dallas. I can count the number of times I've seen snow on one hand. How long does it take to get used to the continuous gelid weather? I know hot-and-humid and hot-and-dry are two completely different things; are cold and wet and cold and dry also two completely different things, or does it even matter (since Minneapolis is the "City of Lakes")?</p>
<p>I'm gay. I hope that this won't be an issue at all, I certainly don't plan to make it one. I know there are bigots every where, but is the student body very accepting? I've been told that I'm not "obviously gay," but I want to continue to be who I am shamelessly.</p>
<p>I'm a vegan. I've heard that Minneapolis has a lot of hipsters, so I assume that there is a lot of vegan-friendly restaurants; is that assumption correct?</p>
<p>While I cannot really vouch for all students at the U of MN, Minneapolis is the most gay friendly city (click on link). And the U strikes me as an accepting campus. </p>
<p>And being a vegan in Minneapolis is fairly easy. You may want to check the on-campus options though.</p>
<p>But the winter may be an obstacle for you…it gets COLD and does take some getting used to. Calling home on a below zero day will be fun though – “you won’t believe the temp here.” Much of the year is lovely though - really.</p>
<p>Humidity isn’t a big weather factor in the winter the way it is in the summer. For me, it really only affects how dry my skin and hair get. The weather factor that plays the role of humidity (in terms of making the temperature seem worse than it is) is the wind.</p>
<p>MPLS gets cold, but I think it’s totally bearable if you wear the right gear. You don’t have to wear a snowmobile suit and flannel long johns, but you definitely want warm layers + a scarf + a hat + gloves/mittens + boots. I think that will make the biggest difference for you; you may never “get used to it,” but you can manage it!</p>
<p>I too am one of the not “obviously gay” people that will be going to the Minneapolis next year, but I am from Kansas so I have seen snow. I am vegetarian too, and the eating situation when I visited wasn’t a problem at all, so I wouldn’t worry about that (although I am not vegan, so that is obviously more difficult). Everyone I met was extremely nice and although there will always be people who aren’t accepting, the majority of the people I met were awesome and wouldn’t care at all. Minnesota also has a pretty active LGBT group, so that is also something that shows that people may tend to be more accepting there.</p>
<p>Congratulations on getting accepted! The University of Minnesota is very open to the gay community. As the other person mentioned, the gay/lesbian groups on campus are extremely active. Yes, there are people who are anti-gay, but as you said, they are everywhere. </p>
<p>Not eating meat shouldn’t be a problem here. There are countless restaurants you could go to, so I doubt you will be starving here! </p>
<p>Yes, the weather is going to take a lot to get used to. If I were you, I would start out trying to figure out the underground tunnel system. Are you dorming on the superblock? If yes, the tunnel system is not too far away. I find that it does take longer if you try to navigate the underground system, but if you do not wan to be outside, it shouldn’t be a problem. I now plenty of people who only where sweatshirts, and I have never seen them with their jacket. But yes, it gets very, very cold. Today it snowed a lot so the sidewalks were tough to walk on! If you have anymore questions feel free to ask. Good luck!</p>