Hi! I am currently deciding whether I should EDII to Carleton College or not. I love everything about the college- the students, teachers, academics etc, but I’m just worried about the winters. I am an International student and I live near the equator, so I am not used to such extreme winters as it is summer here all year round. It is also not possible for me to visit Carleton College and experience the cold before applying. Would you recommend I still EDII there or not? I am considering EDII as it would increase my chances of getting in, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to make the commitment.
It is cold. No way to sugar coat it. But it is a great intellectual environment, and only 4 winters if you are lucky enough to get in and be able to afford to attend. 
You will just need to buy some warm clothes once you get there.
California is the U.S. state that sends the second-largest number of enrolled students to Carleton (after Minnesota). So, if they manage to thrive in the winters, you will, too.
The winters here are a dryer cold and it typically doesn’t penetrate the same way it often does in, for example, the New England region of the U.S. I’ve spent years living in Connecticut, New York and Massachusetts as well as here in Minnesota, so I know. Besides, there are fewer days of extreme cold in Minnesota than there were 30 years ago – a reflection of the gradual effects of climate change.
That is kind of sugar coating it (from someone who just moved away from MN after living there for 30 years). But I think the OP just needs to decide whether they are going to let weather drive their decision. I personally think they should not. You aren’t going to freeze to death, and it is often a good experience to live someplace totally different from your home environment for a few years. Carleton is a welcoming school to international students.
alright, thank you so much everyone!
Will you be able to get home at the winter break? If so, that’s six weeks you can avoid each year. Personally, I told my Carl you can do anything for four years and to not let weather be the deciding factor when he loved everything else about the school. To me, when you’re young and unencumbered is the time to take a risk, but only you know you. It’ll be an adjustment, for sure.
I know you’re not used to the cold, but anyone can handle it. Just wear a winter coat, hat, and mittens whenever you’re outside, and if it’s super cold, wear more layers. It might be shocking at first but you will get used to it, and the school is amazing. In the end, the decision comes down to what you care about most–the school or the weather.
The link below has some neat suggestions for fun activities to try when the winter weather in Minnesota hits minus-20 degrees F. or lower. It was minus-24 F. when we woke up this morning in our Minnesota town, located 3 hours north of Northfield – perhaps during what might be the longest cold-spell of this winter. Have fun!!
@MinnesotaDadof3 Ha! 3 degrees here in Chicago. Thanks for your cool experiments!
S19 and his friends are piling into a car to go bowling. And tomorrow they made plans to meet at our town’s ice rink. They will bundle up with the right coats, hats, socks, gloves, etc and skate quickly to stay warm. Have to learn to be creative and to dress correctly. Blue skies and white snow is beautiful and getting outside for at least short stints is good for the winter psyche!
You can adapt. We are a warm weather family that sent a kid to Carleton and had the same concerns, so much so that we had him visit in January to be sure he wanted to go there. Yes, he has war stories about how cold it gets, but it is sunny and students come up with plenty of things to do.
Our son thinks he’s ready for extreme winters, but he has NO IDEA. We live in a much more temperate climate. If he gets in/goes to Carleton, he will be very ready for the 6 week winter break!
@ProfessorMom1: Because your user-name implies you are in the knowledge business, I’ll send you a bit of historical perspective on Carleton’s 6-week winter break.
It was instituted during the1974-75 academic year (my freshman year), after OPEC placed an embargo on U.S. oil imports. This meant long lines of cars at the gas pumps and fear of WWII-style fuel rationing complete with ration cards. So it made sense for the college to create a long break between fall and winter trimesters, instead of a brief Thanksgiving break before holding the fall-term final exams. Result: The ability to lower thermostats settings in campus building for a full six weeks during some of Minnesota’s coldest weather. The long break has stuck!
I look forward to punishing all those Philadelphia Eagles fans with our single-digit temps when Mpls. hosts this weekend’s Super Bowl. But sorry they will miss the recent minus-20 readings.
Carleton kids in our area had a much easier time getting a part time job in retail over the holidays if they wanted one because they could start around Thanksgiving and work quite a bit through December. Just something to think about regarding that six week break.