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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I remember seeing hammocks at UVM, so I don't think cold weather students don't go outside. :p

Exactly! Visit a "cold weather school" on a random day in February/March/April when it is warm and sunny---the quad and all outdoor areas will be filled with kids out "playing frisbee, sitting in hammocks, etc". Watched it when visiting my kid's school in April. So the kids embrace the nice weather and everyone is outside enjoying

[Anonymous]

My friends - all of you saying "cold is no big deal! just bundle up!" don't HATE the cold.

The question isn't whether someone who doesn't hate cold weather can deal with cold weather.

It's whether someone who HATES cold weather should pick a school in a cold climate because it's a few points higher on some list than a school in a place where they don't hate the weather.

[Anonymous]

Visit the cold weather school in February, stay the weekend. Walk around campus, walk to restaurants. Put the rankings out of your mind and focus on which school is a better fit from a day-to-day and major perspective.

I love snow and cold as long as I have appropriate clothing, but the darkness and grey can still be really hard. I chose to go to school up north, but I went in understanding that it would be winter from October to April.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friends - all of you saying "cold is no big deal! just bundle up!" don't HATE the cold.

The question isn't whether someone who doesn't hate cold weather can deal with cold weather.

It's whether someone who HATES cold weather should pick a school in a cold climate because it's a few points higher on some list than a school in a place where they don't hate the weather.

Warm schools in the 60s are Santa Clara, Tulane and Miami. Would you still send your kid there over Michigan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What does he want?

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Well Ithaca is a "special type of dreary and cold" It is so isolated, we visited in warmer weather and my kid did NOT like the area (or Cornell). So IMO, that one is likely more to do with small town/isolated town versus just cold and dreary.
oh, and my kid selected a school 2hours away that is also "grey and dreary and cold" but it's in a town of 250K+ so there is much more to do. So it's not 100% the cold weather but the other factors

Assume you are talking about Syracuse? Syracuse is consistently ranked as having happy students. It is also the city that gets the most snow in the US.

Every kid I know who goes there loves it. So it is the culture and fit.

[Anonymous]

I would follow your kid’s lead on this one. He is the one that has to live at the school so if he has strong feelings about weather, they are valid concerns. We aren’t caught up in rankings though. Our kids picked where they felt was the best fit given the budget we provided them with at the start of their process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friends - all of you saying "cold is no big deal! just bundle up!" don't HATE the cold.

The question isn't whether someone who doesn't hate cold weather can deal with cold weather.

It's whether someone who HATES cold weather should pick a school in a cold climate because it's a few points higher on some list than a school in a place where they don't hate the weather.

That's why OP just needs to let her DC decide. None of us can predict how he'll handle the cold, and it may be difficult for him to assess, too!
It's all part of growing up. If he chooses the cold weather school but ultimately realizes that he's not a good fit for cold weather, he can make it priority to look for jobs in warmer climates after graduation. Whatever he decides, take it as an opportunity for him to learn more about himself and how that may help shape his future life choices.

OP, I sincerely hope this doesn't sound dismissive, it's not intended that way. Good luck to your son with his decision!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would follow your kid’s lead on this one. He is the one that has to live at the school so if he has strong feelings about weather, they are valid concerns. We aren’t caught up in rankings though. Our kids picked where they felt was the best fit given the budget we provided them with at the start of their process.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friends - all of you saying "cold is no big deal! just bundle up!" don't HATE the cold.

The question isn't whether someone who doesn't hate cold weather can deal with cold weather.

It's whether someone who HATES cold weather should pick a school in a cold climate because it's a few points higher on some list than a school in a place where they don't hate the weather.

Warm schools in the 60s are Santa Clara, Tulane and Miami. Would you still send your kid there over Michigan?

My kid chose UMiami over Michigan. She said her mental health depended on it. It's worked out for her. She's happy, well-adjusted, and well-employed, now living in NYC. Still says Miami sunshine was the place for her for her college years. Go figure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friends - all of you saying "cold is no big deal! just bundle up!" don't HATE the cold.

The question isn't whether someone who doesn't hate cold weather can deal with cold weather.

It's whether someone who HATES cold weather should pick a school in a cold climate because it's a few points higher on some list than a school in a place where they don't hate the weather.

Warm schools in the 60s are Santa Clara, Tulane and Miami. Would you still send your kid there over Michigan?

My kid chose UMiami over Michigan. She said her mental health depended on it. It's worked out for her. She's happy, well-adjusted, and well-employed, now living in NYC. Still says Miami sunshine was the place for her for her college years. Go figure.

Not being "a cold weather person" is much different from needing sunlight for good mental health

[Anonymous]

Cold weather won't stay cold weather with global warming.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friends - all of you saying "cold is no big deal! just bundle up!" don't HATE the cold.

The question isn't whether someone who doesn't hate cold weather can deal with cold weather.

It's whether someone who HATES cold weather should pick a school in a cold climate because it's a few points higher on some list than a school in a place where they don't hate the weather.

Warm schools in the 60s are Santa Clara, Tulane and Miami. Would you still send your kid there over Michigan?

My kid chose UMiami over Michigan. She said her mental health depended on it. It's worked out for her. She's happy, well-adjusted, and well-employed, now living in NYC. Still says Miami sunshine was the place for her for her college years. Go figure.

Can I ask what major your daughter chose? I think UMiami is really strong in some areas. Did she receive post-graduaton placement assistance? I feel like private schools might be better at this, but I don't have any reason to believe it.....just a feeling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Well Ithaca is a "special type of dreary and cold" It is so isolated, we visited in warmer weather and my kid did NOT like the area (or Cornell). So IMO, that one is likely more to do with small town/isolated town versus just cold and dreary.
oh, and my kid selected a school 2hours away that is also "grey and dreary and cold" but it's in a town of 250K+ so there is much more to do. So it's not 100% the cold weather but the other factors

Assume you are talking about Syracuse? Syracuse is consistently ranked as having happy students. It is also the city that gets the most snow in the US.

Every kid I know who goes there loves it. So it is the culture and fit.

nope---University of Rochester (but they also have happy students).
My kid can take the grey, cold, dreary, but they cannot stand isolation/remoteness. So they didn't apply and are happy with their cold school choice.

But yes, I have heard great things about Syracuse

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My friends - all of you saying "cold is no big deal! just bundle up!" don't HATE the cold.

The question isn't whether someone who doesn't hate cold weather can deal with cold weather.

It's whether someone who HATES cold weather should pick a school in a cold climate because it's a few points higher on some list than a school in a place where they don't hate the weather.

That's why OP just needs to let her DC decide. None of us can predict how he'll handle the cold, and it may be difficult for him to assess, too!
It's all part of growing up. If he chooses the cold weather school but ultimately realizes that he's not a good fit for cold weather, he can make it priority to look for jobs in warmer climates after graduation. Whatever he decides, take it as an opportunity for him to learn more about himself and how that may help shape his future life choices.



OP, I sincerely hope this doesn't sound dismissive, it's not intended that way. Good luck to your son with his decision!

+1. And if you can afford it, you need to visit in Feb so they can experience a long weekend in that weather.