Cold weather schools when you aren't a cold weather person

[Anonymous]

I think rankings are overvalued, but even so, top 60s still sounds pretty good. The lower ranked school could be ranked higher for your child’s specific major, which your child might not yet know (even if they think they do). It may have special opportunities for top students allowing your child to shine there, rather than be just another anonymous student among many.

Certainly, weather can be overcome with clothing and a positive attitude, but it does have an impact. If your child becomes depressed by lack of sunlight or is less likely to push themselves to brave the cold to go to the library, study session, extracurricular activity, professor’s office hours, etc., then the fabulous resources of the “better” university may become irrelevant.

There are so many variables that affect a student’s experience at college, and a characteristic that one student might view as an asset, another might consider a drawback. I think most schools offer more opportunities than a student can actually take advantage of, but the student’s motivation to pursue those opportunities and make the most of them is the critical factor. Personally, I think it is wiser to consider which school is better for your particular child than which school is ranked better under some generic ranking of prestige.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think rankings are overvalued, but even so, top 60s still sounds pretty good. The lower ranked school could be ranked higher for your child’s specific major, which your child might not yet know (even if they think they do). It may have special opportunities for top students allowing your child to shine there, rather than be just another anonymous student among many.

Certainly, weather can be overcome with clothing and a positive attitude, but it does have an impact. If your child becomes depressed by lack of sunlight or is less likely to push themselves to brave the cold to go to the library, study session, extracurricular activity, professor’s office hours, etc., then the fabulous resources of the “better” university may become irrelevant.

There are so many variables that affect a student’s experience at college, and a characteristic that one student might view as an asset, another might consider a drawback. I think most schools offer more opportunities than a student can actually take advantage of, but the student’s motivation to pursue those opportunities and make the most of them is the critical factor. Personally, I think it is wiser to consider which school is better for your particular child than which school is ranked better under some generic ranking of prestige.

Thanks. The school is Michigan. I've looked up departments for almost any major that my DC has considered and Michigan is ranked better than any school on their acceptance list. I guess we will just have to see after Campus Days if the excitement overcomes the reservations. Heck, I grew up in the Great Lakes region and did just fine. Maybe it's just that DC doesn't know what they don't know.

[Anonymous]

I am not a cold weather person and I went to UMichigan. I don't remember having issues with the weather until the final winter senior year, but then I knew I was leaving soon.

That said, being from NYC was was accustomed to walking everywhere, rain, shine, snow or otherwise.

[Anonymous]

You get used to it IF you are happy at the school. If the cold weather school is the right fit, your kid won’t be focused on the cold. If it’s not the right fit, the cold will come an issue. My DC hated the cold, and probably still does. But is now a junior at Northwestern. Was first choice far and away despite the cold, perfect fit, and loves the school. Learned to deal with the cold and doesn’t really mention it much anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does he want?

My mom talked me out of my first choice school because I don't love cold weather and it was in New England. She was convinced I'd be miserable.

In retrospect, the issue is just that I'm not outdoorsy in cold weather (I don't ski or skate or anything and don't want to) but actually don't really mind winter as long as I have warm clothes and can hole up inside when I want. Which you pretty much always can, especially on a college campus.

My college experience was fine but I do regret not going to my first choice (which was also more prestigious with a better alumni network) just because of this idea my mom had that I couldn't handle the weather. I now live in a place with cold winters and I handle it fine, I'll event take my kids sledding or to play in the snow and not hate it.

Weather isn't everything. Don't push him to go to the higher ranked school if he doesn't want to, but don't discourage it just for weather reasons. It's four years, not the rest of his life. If you can afford trips to the Caribbean, you can also afford some really high quality warm weather clothes.

Don't make a college decision based on weather alone.

+1

[Anonymous]

Michigan not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Go to the better ranked school. T25 is very different student body and curriculum depth than T60

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes. Have a warm coat and layers, and they will be fine.

+1

[Anonymous]

For everyone saying you just put on a coat and hat and deal with the cold, that is true BUT what is missing is that warmer weather campuses are a lot more bustling the majority if the school year - kids are outside throwing frisbees and sitting in lawn chairs and clustering in groups talking and sitting outside to read and do HW and so on. Cold weather campuses, especially those that start to get dark at 4:30pm (looking at all those Maine and Mass colleges!) just don’t have the same vibe.

- Went to undergrad in NC and law school in Boston

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think rankings are overvalued, but even so, top 60s still sounds pretty good. The lower ranked school could be ranked higher for your child’s specific major, which your child might not yet know (even if they think they do). It may have special opportunities for top students allowing your child to shine there, rather than be just another anonymous student among many.

Certainly, weather can be overcome with clothing and a positive attitude, but it does have an impact. If your child becomes depressed by lack of sunlight or is less likely to push themselves to brave the cold to go to the library, study session, extracurricular activity, professor’s office hours, etc., then the fabulous resources of the “better” university may become irrelevant.

There are so many variables that affect a student’s experience at college, and a characteristic that one student might view as an asset, another might consider a drawback. I think most schools offer more opportunities than a student can actually take advantage of, but the student’s motivation to pursue those opportunities and make the most of them is the critical factor. Personally, I think it is wiser to consider which school is better for your particular child than which school is ranked better under some generic ranking of prestige.

Thanks. The school is Michigan. I've looked up departments for almost any major that my DC has considered and Michigan is ranked better than any school on their acceptance list. I guess we will just have to see after Campus Days if the excitement overcomes the reservations. Heck, I grew up in the Great Lakes region and did just fine. Maybe it's just that DC doesn't know what they don't know.

New poster. If "Campus Days" is in spring, I'd take DC to visit ASAP while it's still winter. When I wanted to go from our home in the South to a university in a place so cold, it got sub-zero wind chills regularly, my mother insisted we visit IN winter. Very wise idea. It was so cold, and the snowplowed mounds were black with grime....And I still wanted to go to school there, and did. Your DC might decide for or against Michigan but should do so knowing what it's like in winter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My DC's top two choices could not be more different weather wise. Of course, the cold one is a much better school academically (top 25). The warm one isn't nearly as strong (60s), but my kid loves sunshine and warm weather. Thanks to merit, the cost is not that different between the two and they both are a plane ride away. If the academics of the warm one matched the cold one, it would be a no brainer. If you or your kid went to a cold climate (and weren't a cold climate person), how did that work out? Is weather a big enough issue or does academic reputation matter more?

I did promise we could go to the Caribbean for Christmas if they went north. :p.

I am from the south. I was miserable my four years in Ithaca. Made lifelong friends, but that kind of cold weather is just not for me. Every chance I had, I got the hell out of that place to thaw….I’m going to say I regret since it has opened a lot of doors for me over the years, but I could have stayed South at Rice, but decided to go up north…..tough one.

[Anonymous]

Michigan is a great school but I remember walking to class in -30 degree wind chills , slipping on an icy sidewalk, and having my car stuck in a foot of snow. I would let your student decide based on whatever criteria they deem important.

[Anonymous]

Michigan's positively tropical! It's nearly in Ohio. Mich Tech grads laugh at the idea that Ann Arbor is cold.

In seriousness, yes Ann Arbor gets cold. Either you plan to embrace it, or you go elsewhere. I wouldn't trade my years at Minnesota-Duluth for anything, even if I saw temperatures I didn't know you could see in the Continental US. I did things I never thought I'd do (dog sled, cross country ski, walk on frozen Lake Superior, snowshoe), and learned a different outlook on cold weather. I stayed for another 3 years after graduating. Sure, sunbathing in January wasn't something on campus, but we did plenty of other things. It's just a different college experience. I wouldn't say I love the cold, but I have a healthy respect for it and learned how to do lots of things I otherwise never would have had the chance to learn.

And, yes, I'm now one of those absolutely obnoxious northerners that lives in the south (North Carolina) and mocks everyone for putting on puffy coats when the temperature drops below 60.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For everyone saying you just put on a coat and hat and deal with the cold, that is true BUT what is missing is that warmer weather campuses are a lot more bustling the majority if the school year - kids are outside throwing frisbees and sitting in lawn chairs and clustering in groups talking and sitting outside to read and do HW and so on. Cold weather campuses, especially those that start to get dark at 4:30pm (looking at all those Maine and Mass colleges!) just don’t have the same vibe.

- Went to undergrad in NC and law school in Boston

I went to college in the south and this doesn't sound like my campus at all. It was a Greek heavy campus so maybe that had an effect on the location of socializing. I don't even recall outdoor seating anywhere.

[Anonymous]

I do not understand the fuss about weather. If your child’s preference is in the warmer climates, why did you apply to schools in the NE?