We talked about growing up in small town MN before, and even truths only Minnesotans know; but it’s time to combine the two and take it back to the heart of a Minnesota upbringing… high school. A key difference a lot of people note about Minnesota is that a lot of people who grow up and go to high school here, tend to stay here. So call up your old pals and enjoy this list of simple truths that you undoubtably learned at your small MN high school.

1. The friends you make in high school can be some of the best friends you’ll ever have.
Flickr/Peter Anderson
This is especially true in MN where a lot of them tend to stick around.
2. In small schools it’s normal for your teachers to have taught you, your siblings, and your parents.
Flickr/Jaine
That is, if they didn’t graduate with them.
3. A small high school student’s college application might be less impressive than it appears.
University of Minnesota
You were probably in every club, on multiple sports teams, and your class ranking seems awfully impressive (just don’t tell them how many students were in your class).
4. Word travels fast in a small town. Especially when you get in trouble.
Flickr/coolio-claire
Your parents will know before you even get home.
5. Everyone knows everything about you.
memegenerator.net
Your name, your parents' names, your address, and your family history, too.
6. Small town high schools don’t really need reunions.
Flickr/Dave Fischer
You probably see everyone every week, if not at the bar around the holidays.
7. High school sweethearts are more common than you think.
Flickr/Paul VanDerWerf
They all got married a few years later - by a lake, or in a field behind that small high school.

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8. The best proms are held in gyms or cafeterias.
Flickr/upwiththemooses
Or the multipurpose space that's used as both.
9. Dating can get super weird in a small town.
livememe.com
You learn to accept the inevitability that everyone will date everyone in your friend group.
10. People love to talk big about getting out of small towns - but a lot of them come back in the end.
Flickr/brian donovan
It's just too hard to resist the pull of your MN hometown.
11. There might not be as many snow days in small towns. But there is deer opener.
Flickr/USFWSmidwest
Because you don't have far to go - and there's no excuse for skipping, except hunting.
12. The legacies left by your siblings (and sometimes parents) will always precede you.
Flickr/Siena College
Especially if they were particularly athletic or some kind of genius.
13. 75% of the graduating class from a small high school will of course end up at the University of Minnesota.
Flickr/A Gude
The bridge might as well extend to your graduation stage.
14. Small town high schools are incredibly proud of their famous alumni and will never stop praising them.
Flickr/iprimages
Especially if they've actually advertised their MN roots.
15. Going to college can be like traveling to a foreign country, and no matter how famous that one alumna was, there is a 0% chance people will know your high school.
Flickr/Eric Sonstroem
Sorry folks, but once you leave, it's a whole new world for you.

What else do you remember being a key part of the Minnesota high school experience (for better or for worse)? Tell us what we missed on the Only In Minnesota Facebook Page.

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