When I see the weather forecast at some popular colleges high/low Ann Arbor (-1/-13). Chicago (-5/-13), even Boston (19/10) does that give you pause for your kids choices?
Choices
Buy wool socks.
Why would it? Many properly clothed people happily live in these places. I wish to heck my desert-raised kid were freezing his butt off in Ann Arbor right now instead of freezing his butt off in a cold gray prison on the Hudson in New York.
(Go Blue!)
There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.
As someone who grew up in Massachusetts, went to college in Connecticut, grad school in Chicago and now lives in NY and whose kid has spent his whole life in NY, no. Many millions of people survive winter every year.
Well, my son has applied to McGill and that’s some pretty severe weather, but we happen to be planning a visit in February and if he’s good with it, I’m fine.
Budget for some weather appropriate coats, boots, etc.
If your kid had never really experienced winter and some exposure is possible before making a decision, it might not be a terrible idea. I had a friend in college who was from Berkeley and she actually found the weather in Connecticut hard to deal with because she was used to being able to spend a lot more time outdoors year round. So I’d make sure your kid is on board not just for the lower temperatures themselves but for what it can mean in terms of different lifestyle, depending on how your kid likes spending time.
Ha, D18 called me today, describing the warm breezes and beautiful sunny weather in the 60s at her school. She comes from an area where it is currently -10 wind chill.
Cold temps sound terrible but really, you get used to them. S18 only owns fleece lined hoodies. He has no proper coat though that will change if he needs to walk around a campus.
One issue: University students spend more time outdoors than high school students. That means that they need good winter gear. They also need to be a bit careful about what they purchase since there isn’t much room to store winter gear in a dorm room, and after walking a mile in 0 degree weather they then enter a warm building for a few hours, then back out into the cold.
“Budget for some weather appropriate coats, boots, etc.”
I am pretty sure that we stayed well under $1,000 per child for winter gear. This is not too bad considering the cost of a university education.
Many students have survived this. Both kids have dealt with the winter weather just fine. Unlike some of us old folks, they still have good blood flow to their toes.
I still remember meeting a graduate student who was studying at U.Michigan, who had never seen snow before she arrived there as a grad student. I thought she was very brave.
We did university visits over the winter. We happened to visit McGill during a record cold spell. This did not go as well as I might have hoped.
Heavens, we spent nowhere near $1000. They got LLBean boots, a down jacket (popular brand but from a discounter,) and a Northface pullover. For Maine. Less than $500 (I’m thinking maybe 400.) They had rain boots, etc.
People forget 1) class buildings, dorms, and other common buildings are warm. Walks are shoveled early. 2) they aren’t outside that much, tend to focus inside. 3) it’s not so bad until mid-January through Feb.
This year is a bit unusual, with the 7° day this week. Every so often, we get an icy winter.
I have seen a few posters state that the kids will survive the weather but the question I wrestle with is shouldn’t they be enjoying their college experience not just enduring it?
A poster in another thread stated that U C Boulder has “fantastic weather”. Really? I guess it’s all relative but when we in LA this past weekend are hiking in shorts and t shirts in 75 degree sunny weather, it makes you wonder what is the best college environment for your kid.
@socaldad2002 Let me guess, you’re from Southern California, right? All you warm-weather folk 
A friend and colleague of mine has actually turned down offers from California universities because he wanted to live somewhere with Real Seasons…
Seriously, though, people acclimate pretty quickly. I grew up in Jerusalem, where the weather is pretty close to California, and it took me a year to get used to the Midwest. However, by my third year, I was happily doing field work during mid winter at temps of about 0 Fahrenheit or colder (the lowest temp ever recorded in Jerusalem was 23 Fahrenheit). It may be a change from wearing sandals and shorts most of the year to wearing boots and heavy coats for half the year, but weather is only part of life, and cold winters create entire different lifestyle, which our kids may actually love.
Nope
The weather at my D’s school gives me pause for jealousy: 90 inches of powder snow over the last 9 days in the ski resorts 30 minutes from campus.
Our S said he was fine applying to schools anywhere in the US. We had a family trip to NY the summer before his SR year of HS. We pointed out the snow poles and snow fences in Rochester and he decided he wanted to apply to urban Wrst Coast Us primarily.
He went to school at USoCal. He’s now living in VA, where they don’t have much snow and seems pretty content there, weather wise.
I grew up in Chicago. The first year I moved out to California (Northern), I never wore any type of jacket. I thought it was so awesome that the temperature never got below 40 degrees. Now after being out here for 30+ years, anything below 50 is brrrrr…
So if you’re worried about weather for college, does that mean you think your kid should never take a job in a northern clime? Seems awfully restricting. As lots of said, you can get used to almost anything (and actually enjoy it! Oh to have missed sledding on dining hall trays!)
Personally, I prefer cold to hot so if I must be out of my comfort zone temperature-wise (50-80), I want it to be colder, not hotter. I can add clothing to stay warm. There’s only so much one can take off - and even that doesn’t take care of the sweating problem. We lived in FL for 5 years and summers were miserable causing us to move back north. We still like taking a southern winter vacation though and on our hot days in the summer we head north.
But getting to college, my U Rochester lad almost didn’t apply there due to the weather. At the last minute he decided to and has since graduated moving on to med school there. He calls applying the best decision of his life that he almost never made. My Eckerd (FL) lad enjoyed his winter weather and we enjoyed visiting him in the winter vs visiting Rochester lad in Sept/Oct, but when we took Rochester boy to St Petersburg for a Spring Break he brought up a very good point. “I don’t know how much studying I could do here with all the temptations to do other things.” H felt the same way. He loves sailing and would have loved to have gone to Eckerd with its location right on the water w/free sailing, etc, but often muses that he’s not really sure he’d have been able to graduate - unless they had sailing as a major.
Both lads graduated. Neither wanted to attend each other’s school. Quite honestly though, I often tell students to consider U Roc because it’s a great school tucked in to a not-so-great weather area. They’re a gem that’s often overlooked or dismissed by many (esp outside the northeast) due to the weather which could give a little bit of an advantage if they like it for geographical diversity reasons.
I went to school in New England, and I consider it part of my education to learn how to dress for the cold. I loved the snow, learning to ski, and the natural beauty. College is a great chance to try out a different climate.
My high school son agrees with you! We live in the north and he says he only wants to look at colleges in the south. He’s out!
As someone who lives in the upper Midwest, no. I have to say many of us enjoy the winter and the change of season in general and we aren’t just enduring it. Learning to dress right is a good skill. And we do not buy expensive coats. I’m a fan of the long lands end squalls and parkas. You can wait until they’re 40% off and they’re less than $200. Good boots - uggs or sorrels or bogs. Smart wool socks. Silk and/or wool under layer. Solid mitts and a hat and a baklava or scarf and you’re good to out out for most weather for hours. Sierra Trading is a good option to check for affordable winter gear. You can get a layer of waterproof wind breaker pants for really extreme or skiing, etc.
My son and I headed SOUTH to Chicago last February to do a tour of a bunch of schools and I was surprised how many people on the tours went on and on about the weather. It was actually very mild for February and my son and I spent many hours outdoors on that trip exploring Chicago and college campuses.
I wouldn’t force a warm or cold weather kid to a new climate for college if they didn’t want it. But it really isn’t that hard to make the adjustment. We go from -20 or less to 100+ every year and roll with it where I live. I actually prefer the cold myself. My ideal temps are 30-60. January and July/August are my least favorite months of the year.
My “I hate winter, lets go to the mall” daughter is LOVING school in New Hampshire.
She dresses for the temperatures when she goes out. When she’s indoors, the buildings are warm-- remember, the people running the school live there and know how cold it is out.
She’s not a skier, but I absolutely suspect she’s try snow tubing on the school’s annual ski day. She loved the mountains the fall-- she actually went hiking.
For Christmas, I made sure she got an extra pair of Bear Paws warm boots to add to the Uggs she already has. She has a nice warm winter coat and is well supplied with hats and gloves. That will get her from place to place outside. Inside, she wears leggings or jeans with a sweatshirt or sweater.
She’s not just “enduring” she’s absolutely loving being in the mountains in winter!
My suggestion is that your daughter plan a ski trip this winter, and see how she does in the cold.