Do you ever just walk down the street with the wind blowing 80 miles per hour at your face and think, “Why do I go to school here?” If the answer is yes, then you’ll be able to relate to this article.

Don’t get me wrong; some people probably love Fargo. It’s really nice when the weather is hot because you can always count on an above average breeze to cool you off. On a sunny day, there are often no clouds in the sky, and it can look quite beautiful. It can get really hot in the summer, but not too hot. Fargo is north enough to where extremely hot temperatures never really reach it.

When winter comes, however, this place turns into a treacherous wasteland. For all the Minnesota kids that go to school here, you will understand when I say this is like a Minnesota winter but 10 times worse. The cold temperature is roughly the same as Minnesota winters, but the wind chill is what draws the line.

Try walking to class when the wind chill is negative 40 and the wind is blowing directly at your face. You’ll have all winter to try this. It will not be fun. You’ll actually start considering a transfer and questioning your existence. Maybe it’s not that bad, but it’s not good by any means. You’ll be more grateful for your warm dorm, apartment or house once you experience a winter in Fargo.

You might be thinking, “Just drive at that point.” Believe me, I want to. But I’m also not wasting $180 for a parking pass when my apartment is within walking distance. It’s probably worth it, but it wouldn’t make sense to purchase one at this point given we’re already almost two months into the school year.

The city of Fargo should seriously consider planting some trees or something. Nothing stops this wind due to the flatness of this state. Minnesota winters are cold, but they’re manageable because there aren’t 20-plus mile an hour winds blowing every single day.

When I say Fargo stinks, I mean it metaphorically and literally. You could just be walking, minding your own business, and then all of the sudden you get a whiff of a farm. Not cool. I don’t want that putrid scent crawling up my nose. Nobody does. There was a cow that got loose on campus last year outside of Minard, so it’s understandable why you would smell that. Anything outside a 20-mile radius of this city is straight farmland. There’s nothing that can be done about that, but it’s just an extra negative effect of going to school at North Dakota State.

I guess it depends where you come from as well. If you grew up on a farm in North Dakota, you’re probably more content than others about the weather and smell. Kids from Minnesota aren’t used to this, and if you’re one of those transfer students from the south, well, good luck to you.

Not only is the weather ridiculously cold, but it’s also inconsistent. You’ll have days where it could be entirely blue skies and sunny like Philadelphia. (Get that pun?) Then, the very next day, it could be raining like you’re in India. There could even be a few inches of snowfall like it’s nothing. It will just have you thinking, “Where is this coming from?” There is no answer to that question. Perhaps the only answer is that you’re in Fargo, so expect anything.

I think it’s also safe to say it’s not fun driving around this city. There are so many one-ways, it’s a joke. When coming to a turn, I make sure there isn’t a one-way sign so I know I can turn there. I also just don’t see the point in one-ways. Why do you have to make it more confusing for drivers? Why can’t this place just have simple roads that don’t have so many rules? You don’t see this kind of stuff where I come from.

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like people in Fargo are terrible drivers. I have almost gotten in a crash more times in my slightly over a year of going to school here than my whole driving career in Minnesota. I suggest you watch out for drivers because they won’t watch out for you. I know it could be simpler, but Fargo just makes everything a lot more difficult than need be.

While I love the school and campus, I am not a fan of this city. I hope to find work when I graduate somewhere in Minnesota so I don’t have to resort to staying up here. The town is nice and all, but the weather, smell and roads are too much for me sometimes.