Moving to Minneapolis

Welcome to Carlson

It was March 2019 and I had just received a telephone call with the fantastic news: I had just been accepted to Carlson! I was so excited! The program had everything I wanted: experiential learning, small class size, and access to great companies. However, as someone who was raised in California and lived there all my life, I had one major question: are the winters as bad as they seem?

Minnesota Winters

When you tell people you’re from California, the first thing they typically ask is “have you been through a Minnesota winter before?” Coming from a desert climate where people freak out when the weather goes below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (because the palm trees freeze), I respond “no.” Some laugh, some respond with “oh, you’re gonna be cold,” and some give some very useful advice. Out of all the conversations I’ve had, the main advice comes down to learning how to layer, buying a good coat, and embracing the winter because it lasts longer than you think.

Embracing the Winter

Out of all of those, embracing the winter is something I have thoroughly enjoyed during my time at Carlson. During the program, I have joined classmates in going ice fishing, enjoying a festival on a frozen lake, and snowboarding – all great Minnesota winter activities. As someone who enjoys the outdoors and being active, I never realized how much I would enjoy being outside in frigid winter weather. Also, learning to run in cold weather was certainly an adventure!

Carlson Community

But what makes these activities fun are the friends I’ve made along the way. One of the things I was most worried about when moving to a city I had never lived in, let alone been to, was making friends. Since I moved to Minneapolis and started the program, I have made so many friends from all over the world and would not change this experience for anything. Now bring on spring and summer!