Question for those families with kids in colder climate colleges.

[Anonymous]

I went to Cornell. I was not prepared for the crazy amount of snow there would be and the fact that it wouldn't really melt in between storms. But they handle it sooo much better than here in DC and life goes on like nothing really happened. I don't remember ever not going to class or out socially because of the weather.
Invest in a good coat and good winter shoes/boots.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You think there's no activity in the cold places? We bundle up and go out there!

We hike, we skate, we go to the gym. We cross country ski. We go for walks.

Seriously.

+1

OTOH, those of us who despise the heat are stuck indoors from June-September in DC.

My DC is like me, in that he vastly prefers the cold and snow to the DC climate. We both have the opposite of SAD, and get depressed when it gets hot and muggy outside.

Yup. I am much more likely to voluntarily go outside when it is 10 degrees than when it is north of 90.

OP. You are projecting.

How am I projecting? She plays sports all summer long but that is her choice so she can't hate the heat that much. She rarely goes outside when is is cold, but constantly says she prefers the cold to heat/humidity. I hate heat and humidity too but most schools aren't in high heat/humidity weather during most of the actual college year and since my daughter has a tendency to prefer cold but yet stay indoors, not to be out and about, I am nervous about SAD and not doing much to stimulate her. Both sports she plays are outdoor sports.

It was just a question. Just because you prefer 10 degrees to 90 degrees does not mean everyone at cold weather colleges do, or my daughter. I can certainly say my daughter doesn't prefer 10 degrees as it rarely gets that cold here in DC and it snows maybe 1-3 a year which is exciting. But not snow for 4 months straight. I just wanted feedback if it was a positive or negative experience for those that lived in DC all of their lives.

Because your daughter says she wants cold weather, and you respond with a language that sounds more like you are the one who has the strong opinions. If you aren't projecting, why is it that you won't trust her words?

And what's so bad about 4 months straight of snow on the ground? First off, few cities in America are cold enough so that once the snow hits the ground it doesn't melt until spring (it evaporates, by the way). Second, so she gives it a try? Third, in those really cold places, your feet are never wet so when you go inside you warm quickly.

PP your are an obnoxious B. You know exactly what the OP means as many people do not do well in cold, snowy, and endless gray days. A young teen comparing some of the areas to DC might not truly understand how cold and dreary it can be at this moment in her life.

What's so bad about 4 months of snow? A lot.
So she gives it a try? This is 4 years of her life. It isn't trying a new veggie.
It evaporates by the way? No words

Get over yourself PP.

[Anonymous]

Not PP, but I wish I had know what it was like to live in 4 months of drenching heat and humidity per year before taking a job here. ...and being surrounded by passive aggressive pansies who can't take a little cold weather. No, winter isn't necessarily gray in some places. Nor is it necessarily bite-ass cold. Those two tend to not go together.

The word is not evaporate: it is sublimate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Not PP, but I wish I had know what it was like to live in 4 months of drenching heat and humidity per year before taking a job here. ...and being surrounded by passive aggressive pansies who can't take a little cold weather. No, winter isn't necessarily gray in some places. Nor is it necessarily bite-ass cold. Those two tend to not go together.

The word is not evaporate: it is sublimate.

It's a free country, you can leave.

[Anonymous]

Where else could I go to suckle off the teet of the American taxpayer?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Michigan State and the snow never stopped us from socializing on weekends. I loved my college experience. They do a great job shoveling the walkways and roads and it really wasn't a big deal. I do remember one time my freshman year we got a horrific amount of snow and they actually cancelled classes bc they just couldn't get things clear quick enough.

I agree with PP: These regions are terrific and clearing walkways etc. and OP, your kid will find it's as easy to walk to class in January as it was in September, for the most part. And these schools also are well aware they're going to get a lot of snow and cold, and incorporate that into life by sponsoring outdoor activities that take advantage of the cold weather.

I say this as someone from the South who chose to go to college in Chicago and yeah, I was a bit worried about the winters, but it was no big deal to me after the first few weeks of winter freshman year when I was getting used to having to bundle up.

OP, here's a tip: Have your DD visit these schools during the height of winter so she can see what it's like. Does the campus seem to have clear walkways and roadways? Do students seem to be getting outdoors? Is your kid fine with a few months of grimy "black snow" that's sitting there by the sides of the roads after pretty snowfalls are plowed and driven over? I visited my college in January at my wise mother's insistence and still wanted to go there, despite the fact there were mounds of gritty, dirty snow piled up where it had been plowed...back in November, and in the months after.

So rather than visiting in fall or spring, visit when the weather is at its winter worst and if she likes that, she's fine.

[Anonymous]

On the banks of the Red Cedar ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Not PP, but I wish I had know what it was like to live in 4 months of drenching heat and humidity per year before taking a job here. ...and being surrounded by passive aggressive pansies who can't take a little cold weather. No, winter isn't necessarily gray in some places. Nor is it necessarily bite-ass cold. Those two tend to not go together.

The word is not evaporate: it is sublimate.

Yes. But really five or more months.

[Anonymous]

"The word is not evaporate: it is sublimate."

- thanks. I knew it didn't look right, but I haven't needed the word in over a decade.

For the rest of you - the point is that you rarely have wet feet in the winter in Chicago or Minneapolis in the winter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Not PP, but I wish I had know what it was like to live in 4 months of drenching heat and humidity per year before taking a job here. ...and being surrounded by passive aggressive pansies who can't take a little cold weather. No, winter isn't necessarily gray in some places. Nor is it necessarily bite-ass cold. Those two tend to not go together.

The word is not evaporate: it is sublimate.

Yes. But really five or more months.

Heat and humidity here for 5 months? Maybe 2.5 max. May early June and Sept are beautiful. The last 2 weeks of Aug were in the low 70's.

This isn't Texas or Florida.

[Anonymous]

I went to Penn and MIT. Philly weather is manageable. It gets cold but not insanely brutal. Boston on the other hand can get pretty rough.

[Anonymous]

My kids also hate the weather here and went to school in Boston. The snow and cold didn't bother them and didn't stop them from getting outside. What DID bother them was how early it got dark in December and January because Boston is so far North and more importantly East in the same time zone. They got used to it, but they didn't look forward to that aspect every year.

I would recommend visiting a school or two in the heart of the worst weather season to get at least a taste of what it would be like. That goes for southern schools too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids also hate the weather here and went to school in Boston. The snow and cold didn't bother them and didn't stop them from getting outside. What DID bother them was how early it got dark in December and January because Boston is so far North and more importantly East in the same time zone. They got used to it, but they didn't look forward to that aspect every year.

I would recommend visiting a school or two in the heart of the worst weather season to get at least a taste of what it would be like. That goes for southern schools too.

Sun sets in Boston at 4pm. That is so early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to Cornell. I was not prepared for the crazy amount of snow there would be and the fact that it wouldn't really melt in between storms. But they handle it sooo much better than here in DC and life goes on like nothing really happened. I don't remember ever not going to class or out socially because of the weather.
Invest in a good coat and good winter shoes/boots.

Actually, don't invest before she goes. Give her the money and have her invest where the people really know what should be purchased.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter hates the heat and is really looking at Northeast, and upper Midwest. She has a tendency to be lazy outside of sports and my concern is those cold/snowy winter months are tough on the kids as there is no sitting outside, picnicking, socializing outside etc... I feel like it is a recipe for depression and loneliness. I am trying to steer her towards some southern/western schools emphasizing she won't be there during the summer. She loves the snow but rarely skis and not sure if all these colleges up north will benifit her emotionally.

Any feedback would be great.

I don't mean this cruelly, but you come across as VERY helicoptery with this post. Does your daughter honestly think that it's not in the 90's in the summer in New York and New England? Have you never heard of skiing? Snowboarding? Ice skating? The winter Olympics? There are a slew of cold-weather sports. Plus all the sports normally played indoors - yoga, basketball, volleyball, swimming, etc. Plus, do you honestly think every kid who lives somewhere that has true winters is fat and lazy? Come on! There are more ways to socialize than by picnicking. Hell, I'm 41 and have only been to two picnics in my entire life.

I think you're completely wrong in the direction you're pushing her. Kids change a lot in college.