I just wanted to follow up and also thank everyone for their input. We did go on the tour on Saturday and it was fine. It was 35 with flurries, thankfully, instead of 35 with rain. Son described it as pretty good, and thought the school was better than he thought it would be. Thanks again!
Really, 35 with flurries is always better than 35 with rain—glad it worked out for you!
Your UW is Wisconsin, not Washington, and you questioned a tour above freezing??? Below 40 it is nice to have a hat and gloves available but pockets can work. The time to buy winter coats is late fall- they simply are not very available now. I find it funny that in Florida the natives wear winter parkas when the temp is in the 50’s. I even saw a small dog wearing a sweater once, the owner obviously didn’t realize her Lhasa Apso likely enjoyed the cooler weather. I do not miss the cold but do remember at least one snowfall can be expected after spring officially starts In WI.
aside- if the site spell checker thinks a spelling is wrong they should give alternates- it did not like Apso , which is the correct spelling. At least email gives options, even if the one used is correct.
I get what you’re saying - your’e worried he will balk at more tours if this is one is a miserable experience. If the weather is not good, tours will usually weave in and out of buildings to give you a break from the elements. Still, if he has time to take a tour a bit later in the season, I see nothing wrong with postponing - though you can never predict weather. It could be warmer but very rainy.
I have to say we were spectacularly lucky with weather on all our tours (and we went on about a dozen in the midwest and northeast regions).
My S was a bit resistant to touring initially but after his first tour, he realized he got a different impression from physically being on campus than just browsing websites. It also had him thinking about some factors that he hadn’t considered before. Most importantly it helped him decide about size of university and setting (rural vs urban vs college town).
My D and I took a tour at UMASS last winter after a snow/ice storm. It was windy, cold & miserable. Needless to say she was miserable & didnt have a favorable opinion of the school. Fast forward to Feb 2016 at Accepted Students Day, weather was tolerable & she loved the school, campus, students etc She has since decided to attend UMASS!