<p>Hey everyone.
As silly as it may seem, one of my biggest reservations about Chicago is the weather. I live in a very warm part of Texas, and to make matters worse, I'm very sensitive to the cold (for medical but not particularly serious reasons).
As an example: this morning it was 44 degrees, and I was FREEZING with a jacket, close-toed shoes, and a scarf.
So how bad are the Chicago winters? How often and for how long will I have to venture outside in 0-degree weather? Are the buildings close together?
And most importantly - are the dorms well heated?
All feedback is welcome, and comments from fellow Southerners are particularly appreciated.
Thanks!</p>
<p>can’t speak for the situation at U. Chicago, but can comment as a former Floridian transplanted ten years ago to Chicago. Also grew up in Syracuse, N.Y. so I’ve been exposed to long winters…
Chicago can be cold - like brutally awfully cold. Like your nosehairs freeze when going out to get the mail cold. Like wearing a sweater inside your house for months cold. Like too cold to enjoy any winter sports cold. Add to that the wind whipping off the lake and it is sometimes just plain unbearable. Not what you wanted to hear but it is definitely the singularly most negative thing about this area. There is some measure of dress that will help with things, but in general, you have to just get over the idea of it of you want to survive here… nothing much you can do about it. Anyone who tells you otherwise has not lived in a place with temperate weather.</p>
<p>as important as weather might be to you, don’t make your decision to attend a school based on weather. you will learn to acclimate wherever you go. it’s the truth.</p>
<p>specifically in regards to chicago, though, yes you’ll survive. i’m from miami, and i was concerned about the weather, but i was fine. chicago had a relatively warm winter anyway this year. it was never really that bad. there were a couple days that got really cold, but other than that it hovered in the 20s-30s at worst. dead serious. you just layer up, and you’re fine. </p>
<p>are dorms well heated? yes, very much so. at least the new dorm. it was actually too warm at times. i slept with one blanket, even during the coldest nights in the winter. the dorms, classrooms, house lounges, and dining halls are extremely well heated.</p>
<p>As a current student at UChicago and a Texan (D/FW), I can tell you that it’s not that bad. Not at all. I’d say the longest you HAVE to be outside in the cold is like…10 minutes. I live in BJ, but that’s like a 3 minute walk to the quad, then 3 more minutes to most classes. Not bad at all. You’ll want to bundle up more (a lot of girls have mid-thigh North Face coats), hats are a must, so are warm shoes. But there was never a day where I felt that I couldn’t go outside because of the weather. There were unpleasant moments, of course. (Walking to get a dollar shake at about 9 o’clock when it was below zero with wind chill and the snow was blowing horizontally across the Midway, whooo!) But I would definitely not let the weather stop you from coming here.</p>
<p>And the dorms are plenty warm. I live in BJ. We have radiators, which to a Texan who grew up with central heat, is sooo nice. Curling up in front of the radiator, watching the snow fall, and drinking hot cocoa? Aaaah!</p>
<p>When I was 11, I moved from Georgia to Colorado. For about 6 months, no matter what I was wearing, I was always cold (except when under an electric blanket in my bed). I just kind of got used to it and my body adapted to it. Now, it’ll be below freezing out, and I’ll just wear a hoodie and be fine. There’s an adjustment period, and then you get over it and learn how to dress warmly to deal with it. That said, I’m actually pretty worried that it’ll be too cold for me, and it’s snowing outside right now with 10-12 inches predicted. I think the worst part is the wind, so what you do is you buy a wind-proof jacket, gloves, long underwear (very helpful!), and whatever else. Just buy the gear and use it, and you’ll be fine. The adaptation period sucks is all.</p>
<p>The key to cold weather (just like wet weather?) is proper clothing. </p>
<p>We’ve lived from Texas to Minnesota. I can tell you from experience that it is much easier to put on a warmer parka, a warmer hat and thicker mittens in Minnesota than it is to strip down more in Texas in the heat. </p>
<p>Yes, the cold gets unpleasant when the wind is very strong, it is cold out and you’ve lost your scarf. It is also true that many of your classmates would be heading to the Point in the worst weather to do all sorts of things, because they dress for it. </p>
<p>Finally, don’t think the cold goes on for months on end. You’d be amazed at the warm spells in December and March. Jan and Feb are usually the only tough months.</p>
<p>I’ve pretty much lived in Chicago all my life, and I still feel like winter = death over here. It’s not so much the actual temperature as it is the wind chill—that’s what makes the wintery days and nights here so bitter. It sort of feels like… getting whipped with icicles…? However, that’s part of Chicago’s charm, and you just have to learn to live with it. You pile on the layers, look silly, and go. At least the snow looks pretty.</p>
<p>I’m a Midwesterner, so I’ve lived in a Chicago-like climate for all my life.</p>
<p>First of all, this winter was peanuts. So take any judgments based on this past winter with a grain of salt. The temperature (without wind chill, of course) never dipped below zero for the entire winter in the city. This is unusual, since it should have happened a few times. There was much less snow this year than usual, and the temperature was above freezing for a good part of the winter.</p>
<p>However, winter is what makes Chicago what it is. It’s a defining part of the culture of the city, and I wouldn’t change it, even as much as I despise winter. There’s a restaurant in Lincoln Park where the price of their soup in cents is the temperature in Fahrenheit. Warm beverages are wildly popular with basically everyone, and it’s always a conversation starter when you’re waiting for the bus or procrastinating at dinner.</p>
<p>Even if you think you’re wimpy when it comes to the weather, you’re probably not. UChicago heats its buildings ridiculously well, so as long as you can keep warm for the short amount of time you’re outside, you’ll survive just fine. Keep in mind that Chicago is quite cloudy in the winter, too. A lot of people seem to overlook this, but it’s common to go for a week without sun. But all of this makes you appreciate spring so much more, and I wouldn’t really say that winter negatively affected my lifestyle in Chicago. I actually went out and did more during the winter than I did in the fall.</p>
<p>Finally, this last bit is just my own rant to counter any weird arguments people throw out there:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The Loop is a giant wind tunnel. People complain about the Midway, but at least it’s only a block wide. In this regard, going downtown in the winter is a good way to have a greater appreciation of Hyde Park and its lack of tall buildings.</p></li>
<li><p>The cold wind is NOT the wind that comes off the lake. The lake is considerably warmer than the air temperature during the winter, which helps to keep the lakefront areas warmer as well. The temperatures are much lower in Chicago’s outlying areas. The wicked Chicago wind that everyone hates usually comes from the west or north. On the other hand, the lake keeps the lakefront areas cooler in the summer, since the lake is cooler than the air temperature during the summer. So the lake actually moderates the weather; it doesn’t make it more extreme.</p></li>
<li><p>Finally, I want to make sure no one gets any crazy ideas about average temperatures. The average high temperature in Chicago in January is 30F. Not 10 or -10. In February, it’s 36F. Yes, that’s above freezing. There will probably be days during January and February where the high temperature exceeds 50. It’s not that bad. There probably won’t be constant snow cover from December to March, no matter what people tell you.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>All in all, if you’re used to a warm climate, your first Chicago winter might be a slap in the face initially. But by the end of it, you’ll realize that it’s way overhyped, and that it was silly to worry about it so much.</p>
<p>I’m spent most of my life in San Antonio Texas and recently spent high school in Alabama.
Just got back to alabama for spring break, and I was freezing down south while chicago was nice and sunny for a few days.</p>
<p>My advice: as long as you wear a heavy jacket bought from an region close to russia or canada, you’ll be perfectly fine. </p>
<p>There were only 2 times i felt like I froze, both after failing math final exams. Once because it was genuinely cold and pierced through my thick jacket, and the 2nd time because it was last week and I was wearing shorts and a tshirt in the nice warm afternoon but ended up finishign the final during the freezing night. </p>
<p>As a fellow texan, bundle up and you’ll be more than happy.</p>
<p>Now, on a related issue, </p>
<p>How do northerners survive the weather at Rice? What is the cooler step beyond sandals, t shirt and shorts? I don’t think just a thong would work for most students.</p>
<p>So what do southerners do to survive the warm weather? In my few visits to Houston outside the winter months, the heat and humidity was terrible. I was miserable walking outside. </p>
<p>Maybe northern students should not consider schools in such hot climates?</p>
<p>It’s easy. You go to the Mall where it’s usually as cold as Chicago in January. (it is most pleasant after you’ve been outside for a while and are all sweaty and sticky).</p>
<p>I grew up in Chicago. My mother still lives there and we have many friends there. So, we get back frequently.</p>
<p>IMO, Chicago easily has the worst weather of any major U.S. city. While the winters are brutal, it’s not just the winters that make Chicago weather miserable. I think the worst part of Chicago’s weather is its unpredictability and changeability. One day in, say, April it might be 70, and the next day it’s in the 20’s and there’s 6 inches of snow on the ground. Try to plan a picnic for a July weekend and there’s better than a 50% chance that the day you pick will be too cold, too hot or too wet. Chicago summers can get hotter than Florida summers.</p>
<p>Here in Florida you don’t really have to think about the weather from day to day. One day is much like the next. Weather change is very gradual over the year. Growing up in Chicago made me appreciate predictable weather.</p>
<p>The U of C is isolated from most of the things that make Chicago an interesting place. So, if the weather is bad, which it is much of the time, those interesting places aren’t easily reached.</p>
<p>BTW, according to my mother, all things considered, this last winter was one of the worst in many years. It wasn’t just the cold. It was also the snow and the many dreary days.</p>
<p>However, the U of C is one of the best universities in the world. Also, you will find that when you go to any college, the college becomes the center of your universe. So, the weather in Chicago isn’t going to be as big a factor on your U of C experience as you might think. While Chicago does have a lot of interesting places that you’re probably looking forward to frequenting, after 4 years at U of C you will probably find that those places weren’t a significant part of your U of C experience either.</p>
<p>If you’re going to the U of C, enjoy it. Just a few years after graduating, the Chicago weather will be a distant memory (unless you decide to reside there) and the nights you staggered from one northside joint to another will be mostly forgotten. The U of C though will still be with you.</p>
<p>You’ll be fine. In my experience, people from the south generally enjoy winter more than midwesterners. They have a child-like reaction to snow and some of them don’t understand the danger of frostbite, so they happily go out in a skirt or flip-flops… in January… when its 15 degrees outside.</p>
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<p>Just for the record, I’ve never let that stop me from going out into the city. I’ve gone out to the North Side for dinner when the wind chill was well below zero, and I just try to prepare for the wind tunnel that is the Loop. I figure that those experiences in the city are what I’m going to remember years from now, since Hyde Park can get pretty boring if you’re there all the time. Getting out of Hyde Park is usually a highlight of my week, and I use it as an escape from the studying and work I do the rest of the week. Sure, the U of C makes a great center of the universe. But when I talk to my parents, I prefer to tell them about my adventures in Lincoln Park than how I studied for so long that I’m too tired to do anything but get delivery from Noodles, Etc.</p>