Ah yes, young love. Follow to the ends of the earth…
I agree with the others…tell her flights are cheaper this time of year and ship her up there for, I donno, maybe three glorious winter wonderland weeks.
If she comes home and still wants to go there, well…consider yourself lucky BF isn’t stationed in Kabul, (although they might have a better website, weather and university there.)
I’ve vacationed in Minot before (in fact there’s a thread about it around here).
It’s really cold in the winter. It’s really hot, and humid in the summer. There are mosquitos the size of buicks. There’s a LOT of Christians who are really, really into their Christianity - which is fine, but it can be a bit overwhelming for someone coming from Canada.
Incidentally, the Zoo is great! They have a Kodiak bear and he’s a cutie. 
Oh dear Og, please tell me that it’s not pronounced “My knot”. In my head it’s always been “Mee know”. I think I was assuming it was founded by French trappers.
It’s pronounced “My-knot.”
No, it’s my-not.
And I drove through their once or twice on the way to Canada. I think.
I don’t remember driving through there, except seeing the city on the map in the direction we were headed.
…it’s not terribly memorable.
My mom is from Minot. She married to get out.
Eh, Minot isn’t quite the end of the world. It’s gotten a lot better in recent years. But I won’t sugar coat it: it takes a certain type of personality/mindset to live there.
(I love you Mom, but if I had to move back to ND I’d go bonkers within a week.)
If she likes the outdoors, big open spaces, doesn’t need the ‘big city’ to be entertained (as in, a large variety of things to do, large variety of eating establishments, etc.), and can get used to the slower pace of life, she may be able to make it in Minot.
If she needs to be able to wander out at 2:30 in the morning and get sushi, she’s SOL however. 
Truthfully, if she wants to relocate closer to him, she’d probably be better off in Grand Forks (and attend University of North Dakota). She can drive up to WInnepeg or over to Minneapolis as needed, but still be close enough to spend weekends over in Minot. (And if the relationship doesn’t work out, she’ll be in a better position.)
<< You guys start writing code and I’ll go find out what they want. >>
I have lived in Northern Minnesota. It’s not for me. The type of person I can see it working out for is someone who is very mature for that age, and generally inclined to focus on her studies and homemaking. Because there won’t be a lot of distractions. If their plan is for him to be career military and her to be a military wife, this will introduce her to what that can be like.
There are a lot of colleges and universities in Minnesota, including some very good ones. That is as close as I’d recommend an urban person go to North Dakota. I could see that working out OK, if this is “really love.” They could still get together over long weekends and such. And if the relationship does end, she will be in a pretty good place in terms of school and access to civilization.
I will say that the internet has probably made it much easier to live in an isolated place like that than it was back when I was there [shudder]
I grew up in Northern Minnesota and spent four years at UND in Grand Forks.
Overall, this is not a good program she is proposing.
It could be an interesting experience for your daughter to live in ND, but I don’t think that she should give up her place at the University in Philly. Her boyfriend in the Air Force will probably not be there very long anyway. He may be transferred before she completes her program at Mindrot State. Then she is hung out to dry, as another poster pointed out.
Suggest to her that she can spend hollidays with him and he can visit her on furloughs.
Thank you all for your advice and life notes. I’ve forwarded the postings on to HallGirl2…for all the good it will do. Personally, if she feels that this is her “rebellous” part of life, and this is how she wants to rebel, then she should go for it. She really doesn’t have any obligations (kids, house payment, career, etc.) to hold her back from doing something like moving across the country (although personally, I’d move to some place like Hawaii or something, but what do I know?). I’ve also asked her what happens in 3 years or so when the boyfriend is transfered to wherever and she goes to transfer her grades to another university to finish, and the New University looks at her transcript and goes, “Minot State University? You mean Minot has a university? <snicker>”
Time for a voice of dissent.
Now, for the record, I’ve never been to Minot, but I have spent time in other small Midwestern towns that are far from anything. They’re not for me, but some people do like living in places like that.
Is the academic program fully accredited? If so, questions of transferring credits are minor, at most. It may not be the most prestigious place, but that doesn’t necessarily mean a degree from there is useless. Do some further reading on the school, on placements, etc.
Granted, her reason to go there is to follow her current love, which is often not a prudent move. However, when she’s young and a student is as good a time as any for her to find out if small-town life suits her. Maybe she’ll turn out to be a kindred spirit to John Mellencamp. That’s not likely if she grew up in a big city, but you never know.
The winter? Yeah, it’s going to be brutal. No doubt about it. She can either find lots of indoor activities she likes or take up cross-country skiing. And buy a heavier coat. No, the coat that worked in Philly is not heavy enough. Really, it’s not.
Bottom line: she has to make her own decisions, and face the potential of making her own mistakes. If she does decide to go ahead with it, support her. It’s one thing to make sure she goes into it with her eyes open. It’s another to say “I think that would be a horrible place to live, so I’m going to do everything I can do dissuade her, right up until she gets on the plane.” That reminds me far too much of my mother saying “I’m cold – put on a sweater.” And if she does decide it’s horrible, don’t say “I told you so.” Just accept her return with good grace. That will serve both of you best in the long run.
Notwithstanding the bad logic of just uprooting oneself and moving for “loves sake”, Minot os not that bad of a town, providing you have a network of support.
I just moved from Minot in 2003 after being stationed there for three and a half years. To be honest, I like the town, and still do. I met my fiancee there, and I have good friends and good memories of the place. Keep in mind though, that I’m over 21 [sub]hint hint[/sub].
I will personally and wholehearteadly dissuade your daughter from moving to that town if she doesn’t know anyone else. The bitter cold and driving winds ain’t nothing to sneeze at; there’s not much as far as solid employment besides working on the base, farming, nursing, or working the railroads; she will have problems finding a place to live (tight market unless you’re going to buy her a house); and when she has problems, who is she going to turn to if he SIGO is deployed?
I grew up in Northern New Jersey, and it was a bit of a culture shock for me when I moved there at 23 after college. I think it would be more so for her.
[hijack]What’s his name? I’ll tell ya if he’s a decent fellah or not [/hijack]
Tripler
Straight Dope Minot Advisory Board
Oh, and Minot State does have a pretty good nursing program. I don’t know what she’s taking now, but if it’s nursing she’s getting into, North Dakota has a pretty rigorous program.
And they have decent pick-up hockey games at the MAYSA arena every Wednesday night from 2030-2330.
Tripler
Straight Dope Minot Advisory Board
You trally have to think this through…winter in such an isolated place is going to be a real test of nerves. Let’s face it, Minot doesn’t have much going for it-are there any decent restaurants that don’t close before 9 PM? And when January settles in, you may find yourself house-bound. Again, the place might be OK, but you might also find yourself going str-crazy! Mid-Westerners are great people, but I’ve noticed that come winter, all there is to do s drink!