Hi! How formally should we dress, in regards to outerwear? Would a heavy peacoat be too much?
A peacoat would be great.
I actually just did mine at Concord Academy about a week ago, it was about 30 degrees with some chilling wind bursts, I wore a suit and a peacoat, whenever I got inside I took off the peacoat, would recommend doing something similar.
The admissions people arent going to judge your choice of outerwear. We have seen down jackets/parkas over blazers and khakis: over dresses and tights with snowboots. Just dress warmly and appropriately. Better to be comfortable, warm and dry.
Done plenty of tours in lots of conditions. I’ll echo the above, be comfortable and warm, I’d add to give some consideration choice of footwear. Personally made the mistake of touring SPS on a snowy December day in penny loafers with leather soles. DS1 showed me up, he was wearing his bean boots.
Funny, out here on the West Coast I’ve never seen students on tours wearing anything more formal than a collared shirt (and more often a t-shirt) and jeans/shorts.
I just did my exeter tour a couple of days ago in the snow, one thing that surprised me to no end (coming internationally from a city where 60 degrees is ABSOLUTELY FREEZING and we have no winters whatsoever) is that nobody really does anything special to prevent against snow. No umbrellas, or special jackets or anything like that, they just walked normally like there wasn’t weird frozen water drenching them from above!
I just had a thick jacket, and with a collared shirt with a sweater + two layers of pants, but really, most of the students dressed far more casually!
Wearing a warm coat/jacket, and if its really cold gloves, is all you need. Once you get accustomed to being in cold weather, it does become pretty normal. Same is true with lots of snow.