<p>blythe, check out some schools in the mid-Atlantic region...you'll get all 4 seasons but none of them are too harsh. Johns Hopkins, UMD-College Park, Penn State, University of Pennsylvania, Bucknell, UVA, William and Mary, Virginia Tech, etc etc...</p>
<p>i grew up in syracuse and currently live in ithaca. Syracuse is without a doubt much colder and snowier. I went home for thanksgiving break and syracuse was covered in roughly 5-6" of snow. Ithaca had none. Syracuse snowed all break. Ithaca got some, i guess. I left Syracuse in 30 degree weather with snow, came home to ithaca in 50 degree weather and no snow. The turning of leaves (marks the real start of winter) in syracuse typically occurs in the first week or two of october. In ithaca, the leaves were still here in november. </p>
<p>They may only be an hour apart, but i'm really surprised at how much warmer ithaca is!</p>
<p>SYRACUSE has a TOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN of Snow. </p>
<p>I know this because my cousin lives there with his family.</p>
<p>Holy crap look at that, I just realized I have over 100 posts and I am a Juinor Member Whatever the heck that means.</p>
<p>Michigan isn't cold, come on....</p>
<p>Yeah, I have to agree that Syracuse is worse than Ithaca winter weather-wise. I'm not so sure temperature-wise, besides knowing that Syracuse typically hovers mid 20s once winter really hits (Dec-March ish), but the snow factor is huge in Syracuse. It gets even worse the farther north you get, up onto the Lake Ontario shore (which is where I live) and on the Tug Hill, which is a plateau area a ways north of Syracuse right before the Adirondacks that gets truly insane amounts of snow on a regular basis. Expect lots, though-- as in at least a few feet most of the winter-- and also take into account the whole ice and slush thing, too. Both are winter staples, and ice can get pretty nasty if a college or city doesn't deal with it. I've only been to Colgate once, in March two years ago to hear Senator Clinton speak, but it seemed exceptionally cold there, though not too snowy. Just really, really freezing, at least compared to closer to the lake. Rochester is pretty similar to Syracuse, but with quite a bit less snow.</p>
<p>Frankly, though, if you're looking for seasons and make an effort to dress appropriately during winter (coat, gloves, scarf, etc), upstate NY is marvelous. Fall is absolutely gorgeous: the trees start turning late August / early September and keep on doing so until November. I can't rave so much for spring-- mostly because I resent the slush that lingers for the early portions, though the fruit trees and flowers blooming are quite pretty once that stops-- but summer, autumn, and winter are all quite clearly defined seasons. The Finger Lakes are beautiful and hilly, and the Adirondacks aren't more than a few hours away. The lakefront, in many places anyway, is gorgeous. I don't know if you'd exactly find much diversity, but it's a decent place to live if this sort of setting appeals to you. Check it out if you can, and see if you like it. That's the only way to truly know what you can stand.</p>
<p>vermont gets pretty cold like -30</p>
<p>i agree about the 'dressing up' part with winter. The only times i mind the cold is when i dont put a coat on, or forget gloves/hats or something like that. It's worth investing in a really nice winter coat (columbia, north face, etc). Really nice ones are typically $150 and up, but the ones around $250-300 are really ment for skiers and snowboarders. Get a coat, some boots, a quality hat, scarf, and some really nice gloves and you wont have a problem at all.</p>
<p>I live in Minnesota, and in my opinion, it is not THAT cold. </p>
<p>Example:</p>
<p>It snowed two inches last night. Get up, need nothing more than a rather thin blue pullover jacket and a pair of gloves to take the snow off the car - primarily because my hands and feet don't react particularily well to cold substances. </p>
<p>Temperature? About 12 degrees.</p>
<p>I think universities near the great lakes would be really cold.</p>
<p>Wisconsin=cold</p>
<p>I have lived in NJ, Virginia, Chicago, and San Francisco. Believe me, if you are from Hawaii, both Syracuse and Ithaca are going to seem mighty cold. And Chicago can be ridiculous. We went 17 days straight with below-zero temperatures one year. The famous "wind chill factor" would reach 80 below. No, I'm not making that up. There were "tips" on the 10 o'clock news on how to wait for a CTA bus without having your nose fall off. </p>
<p>Yes, you can dress for it. But there is no rolling out of bed 4 minutes before class and running across campus in your flip flops in January in Ithaca. </p>
<p>The mid-Atlantic states definitely do have four seasons. The trees are deciduous, the leaves turn color and drop off, and even Virginia Beach can get a dusting of snow every five years or so. Your feet will still be very cold in flip flops in January, but your toes probably won't fall off. </p>
<p>There are a number of great schools between Atlanta and southern NY where you can experience all four seasons without becoming an expert on frostbite. You don't need to spend four years in the frozen tundra to experience the changing seasons.</p>
<p>So let's reverse this thread, what are the best schools for a top student in non-freezing regions of the US? (especially ones with decent transfer rates)</p>
<p>stanford!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>i go to North Dakota State...and we just had a day and a half of classes cancelled this week because of the first blizzard of the winter!!! That and some freezing rain that covered everyones vehicles with a think layer of ice made for some fun times! January will be even better, when we can go for a week in a row with the average temperature about 20 below!!!! You learn to love it!!!</p>
<p>ND does experience all 4 seasons though, so its a great choice for people who like that....I know I wouldnt have it any other way. We're a second year Division One school with an enrollment of 12,000 +, with incredibly well known engineering, agriculture, and pharmacy programs, so we're not as hickish as you think!</p>
<p>it all depends on what is considered cold for you. I live in pennsylvania and we have all four seasons, but I guess you wouldn't be here in the summer if your going to college in the northeast. I mean, yeah, it gets cold, but some people from the south (like florida, and up to virginia) think that 40 degrees is terribly cold. If you cant handle 40 degrees, and youre going north to school, good luck. Im actually doing the opposite and going NC State, so Im going to the warm weather ^_^</p>
<p>wisco is the same as nd but they NEVER cancel classes, u just have to deal w/it no matter what. its crazy. We just got a crapload of snow today and got totally drunk, as i am still, and stole lunch trays from the cafeteria and sledded down a big ass hill by the lakeshore dorms. Of course a bunch of dudes, myself included, decided it would be an excellent idea to take off our jackets and our shirts and sled down, which ended up being cold as f u c k.</p>
<p>Anyway, Its cold here, and yeah, you can go a good 2 weeks where the temp doesnt come above 0, let alone the windchill, which on a bad day can be as low or lower than -40. It sucks but also makes for a hell of a time.</p>
<p>U Buffalo obviously. </p>
<p>No one gets more snow than Western New York</p>
<p>I hate snow.</p>
<p>Northwestern University ----- Gotta love that lake-front wind chill!</p>
<p>coldest?</p>
<p>you gotta figure some unis / colleges in Alaska could give everyone a good run for your money...</p>