Young Parents Moving from Texas to Minneapolis around University (St. Paul: apartments, co-ops)

[vegmamamegan]

Hey guys, currently me and the SO are trying to find a place to live other than the ridiculous heat of Texas! He has some family in Minnesota but is a little concerned about how cold TOO cold really is. What are the winters like up there? Do you have all 4 seasons or does it really ever warm up to the 90s?

Also, we are young and haven't started college yet and looking to attend the University of Minnesota in the Spring but we are raising a young daughter as well so we don't want a apartment in college town in the midst of sororities and frats. Could anyone steer me in the direction of a clean, CHEAP, safe, neighborhood maybe in the middle of of the university and Ikea

Thanks!

[tindo80]

There seems to be a large amount of people moving from Texas to MN of late. Do a quick search and you will find a number of other posters who asked the same thing you are.

The short-short version:

MN has only slightly milder summers and much colder winters. The summers usually get up to the 90s and there are a few days of 100 degree weather. There is an astounding lack of diversity of food choices, now where near the amount of BBQ, Mexican or Soul food.

Politically people are fiscally moderate and socially moderate to liberal. The schools are incredible, particularly in comparison to Texas schools, which right now rank in the bottom 5 states in both Reading and Math skills. Minnesotans do not tend to mind paying for their schools and investing money in their communities. You will find the parks are amazing, and the cities are overall much cleaner.

The U of MN is pretty much a near twin of UT austin...maybe a big bigger. It is among the best Public Universities in the nation...yet recently (especially now) admission is extremely difficult to get in. Good luck.

[uptown_urbanist]

The cold doesn't last all year (can get hot and humid in the summer) but the winters are very cold. You learn to live with them, though.

If you're hoping to attend school at the U I'd suggest applying first, and then moving; that way you will (a) know what you're doing, and (b) be able to more easily find a place (because worst case scenario is that you don't get in, at least not on the schedule you want, and then you're stuck living somewhere you don't want to live).

There are some student co-ops (I think a blend of apartments and townhouses with several different sizes available) by the St. Paul campus, which is linked to the Minneapolis by shuttle bus - they're pretty close. I don't know how easy it is to get a spot in them, and am assuming you have to be a university connection (although I don't think they are officially connected with the school) but from my research once upon a time they looked like a great option for a young college couple with a kid. I think the rates were very reasonable, and you'd also have the bonus of being surrounded by fellow students with kids. I think there are a couple of them, but the place I looked at (just online, not in person) also had a daycare. You can find the names of the student family housing co-ops from the U of MN's housing website.

[vegmamamegan]

This is very helpful! UT Austin is def. the feel I want in a college but it's pretty hard to get into as well. I will look up the stats on admissions at University of MN and the housing co-ops and daycare options. Thanks

Are there any other good colleges up there? His relatives are in Frazee so somewhere within the 5 hour mark of there if possible.

One more question about the weather, sorry!, does it get bad enough where I'm going to need snow tires or chains or something? I have a little pontiac grand am, I don't know how much snow that can take since I have no experience with snow at all haha

[uptown_urbanist]

There are no other colleges with a UT Austin feel, but there are a number of good colleges in both the metro area as well as in other areas in the state. If cost is an issue then you might want to consider also looking into some of the colleges located in the smaller towns; again, not UT Austin, but might be worth considering; you could always move to Minneapolis later (or do a couple of years somewhere else and then transfer) if you don't ultimately want smaller-town life. Frazee is northeast, isn't it? Bemidji has a college (Bemidji State) and is up that direction. I don't know if it will offer what you want, but it's a nice town. Fargo (ND) and Moorhead have universities and colleges, too. There are also several other U of MN campuses around, but they're smaller (although Duluth is pretty big) and may or may not offer what you're looking for. Cost of living would be cheaper, though!

I don't drive and can't give you much detailed advice on that, other than to say that I don't know anyone in the Twin Cities who has snow chains. They may be necessary in more rural areas; don't know. My family doesn't do snow tires, either, but I think they do get all-season tires. Maybe if you're not used to driving in snow and ice and were to be regularly traveling from the Twin Cities to Frazee you'd want to get seasonal snow tires, but I'll let someone else weigh in on that.

[golfgal]

I agree with looking at some of the outstate universities/colleges if you need to keep your cost of living down. To find something in a safe, family friendly neighborhood, 2 bedrooms, close to the U of M you can expect to pay at least $900/month. Try looking at some of the private colleges, St. Ben's/St. John's, St. Olaf, Gustavus, etc. Usually out of state tuition isn't as much and it is possible to get a job as a staff resident for the dorms which would then provide free housing.

Snow chains are illegal in MN. Keep in mind that we are prepared for snow and usually roads are plowed within hours of a snowfall. If the roads aren't cleared by then you won't have to worry because nothing will be open. You can take a class at a driving school in the winter and they will teach you how to drive in the snow or do like all the teenagers do and practice in an empty parking lot with someone that knows how.

[vegmamamegan]

Thank you for all the very helpful advice. Yeah 900/month is way out of our price range. What is minimum wage there, does that vary from state to state? Right now in Texas I think it's like 6.55.
Wouldn't the private colleges cost more though, I'm most likely going to end up using FAFSA to pay for most of my education.

Looks like I have a lot more stuff to look into!

[uptown_urbanist]

(first, I think Frazee is NW from Mpls, not NE - sorry if I added any confusion.)

Golfgal's suggestions of the private colleges is also a good one. They won't necessarily be more expensive, especially if you are coming to the state as an out-of-state student. The U is expensive enough for in-state students if you're not receiving aid. Investigate the various school options, figure out which ones would work best for you regardless of price, and then look at the final price. FAFSA doesn't mean loans - you fill out the FAFSA form as part of a larger program to qualify for all sorts of aids, including outright grants, as well as subsidized and unsubsidized loans. It helps the private schools figure out your financial need. Sometimes the smaller schools have large sources of private money to supplement whatever you'd qualify for from the government. As a young couple with a child there may be additional money or scholarships available for your specific circumstances. Don't give up on a school based strictly on the listed tuition, as the cost to you may be very different. Starting in the spring may be difficult, though; I'm not sure of the ins and outs of this, but a lot of schools are more set up to accept student in the fall. It may impact funding, although again, I'm not sure. All the more reason to target your ideal schools and then contact them for input on the financial picture. (and all the more reason to wait to move until after you're accepted, unless you can move early enough to meet in-state residency requirements)

Many schools (including the state schools) also offer eligible students the opportunity to apply for work-study jobs; you'll have to look into the details of this as well, but given the economy you'll probably be more likely to get a job through campus (and a better paying one, probably) than on your own.

[vegmamamegan]

Yes it is NW, I've been studying maps of MN today!

I compared my SAT scores on collegeboard.com with the U and I don't stack up, so other than that I'm looking at St. Thomas, Augsburg, Walden, North Central.

I'm really liking Augsburg can anyone tell me more about it?

[tindo80]

Originally Posted by vegmamamegan

This is very helpful! UT Austin is def. the feel I want in a college but it's pretty hard to get into as well. I will look up the stats on admissions at University of MN and the housing co-ops and daycare options. Thanks

Are there any other good colleges up there? His relatives are in Frazee so somewhere within the 5 hour mark of there if possible.

One more question about the weather, sorry!, does it get bad enough where I'm going to need snow tires or chains or something? I have a little pontiac grand am, I don't know how much snow that can take since I have no experience with snow at all haha

MN state is not too far from the twin cities in a nice college town called Mankato. There is also Bemidji state, MN state at Moorhead, Augsburg (near the U of MN) and U of St Thomas in St Paul. All great schools.

Chains are illegal in MN (I moved from WA state where they arent and are a necessity for travelling in most of the Eastern part of the state...it was a shock). They probably should be legal due to the amount of snow that comes down, but as long as you drive slow and aware, youll be ok.

Dont worry about experience with snow. Youll get used to it very fast while living in MN. Its actually very nice.