<p>Obviously, it gets really cold in Evanston over the winter, and i was wondering how it affects social lives. Is the social scene different due to the cold? I know that you wont be outside as much, but what else?</p>
<p>Umm, girls aren't as pretty on the street under 4 layers. And coat rooms get very full. And if you're from a warm climate, there's a chance you wont want to go out sometimes. Otherwise, no, it doesn't impact it.</p>
<p>How do kids from warm areas (i.e. California) usually fare? Am I gonna just want to sit in my room under blankets?</p>
<p>The cold never stopped me from going downtown Chicago for a nice dinner :). As long as you dress accordingly the weather shouldn't control your life here, haha. Make sure to go shopping for winter clothes before you come here.</p>
<p>Not if you bring the right clothes Kristina. My girlfriend's room-mate is from Miami, and she avoids going out, but that has a bit to do with laziness too (and that she likes wearing hot pants and tank tops). The cold is entirely manageable.</p>
<p>I'm from Southern California, and I literally go to school 5 minutes away from the beach. Do I even know what "winter clothes" are? </p>
<p>hahahaha I don't think so.</p>
<p>Obviously you'll spend less time outside, but that's nothing big. I've lived in Chicago my whole life, and yeah it can get "a bit cold" at times, but it's honestly not something that's going to impact your social life at all.</p>
<p>As for winter wear, just get a warm coat, boots, gloves, and earmuffs/a hat, and you're set.</p>
<p>Is it really recommended to buy the warm clothes before coming to college? I was thinking of shopping for a coat and stuff when I got there, thinking there'd be a better selection of down-lined apparel somewhere like Illinois than CA.</p>
<p>you can definitely get stuff here, there's a north face store in downtown evanston. i think the weather, more snow than cold, has affected my social life twice so far this year, which was supposedly the worst in the last 9 years</p>
<p>If you're from SoCal, definitely wait till you get here to buy clothes. When you arrive in late August/September, it'll still be relatively warm here (between 50s and 80s), so you don't have to worry too much. Plus, shipping's ridiculous from that far away, so it's not worth it to buy a ton of stuff at home then ship it out to NU.</p>
<p>(i'm from LA, btw--not from some other area).</p>
<p>When you get out here, either find someone who is willing to take you shopping for winter clothes, or ask a fellow warm-weather person (i.e. find a sophomore/junior/senior Californian) what he/she needed the most/didn't realize they needed.</p>
<p>A lot of shopping can be done online for getting the best prices, but a winter coat and heavy boots are big investments, so it's definitely nice to go try them on out here.</p>
<p>I would try to find a good winter coat before coming- you know you will need it and you can probably find better deals than in the north face store in Evanston.</p>
<p>Three words: Army Surplus Parka.</p>
<p>Chicago is actually relatively warm. You just need a hoodie and you'll be plenty warm during the winter.</p>
<p>Remember the cold affects really just the winter quarter; in the fall, by the time it gets cold, winter break is here and you get to go home. spring quarter is pretty nice too. Chicago is no Canada/Minnesota anyway; it's not <em>that</em> cold.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice, all. And Sam Lee, I'm pretty sure I would find Chicago VERY cold. -_-</p>
<p>Chicago's cold weather is glorified because it is the windy city, but it is far from the worst in terms of cold. I'm sure Boston and New York (where it's more windy) get equally cold. The main difference is that there is the lake effect that leads to unpredictable weather. I'm at a school right now that is in a city that has the lake effect. We have problems with people wanting to go out. My friend from Cali hates going out. I would suppose it's the same for NU. Anyplace where it's cold, you're going to get people who don't want to go out. </p>
<p>If you're from a warm weather state, I would just advise you to not be intimidated by the weather. You're going to a school for four years, you have to get used to it. If you don't, you'll just be wasting your college years.</p>
<p>actually, if anything, the weather boosts the social scene</p>
<p>people still socialize and go out in winter, but once it starts to warm up and spring comes people GO OUT - beach every day, tons of people outside and on porches, etc. The whole mood is so nice since winter is ending and the weather is starting to be amazing, and you really want to take advantage of it bc it's not like you go to school in miami where it's like that all the time and you get used to it and fall into a lull.</p>
<p>I applied to a school in California, and one benefit of attending NU is that I'll put my sweater collection to good use. :)</p>
<p>You mean people enjoy the warmth more? It sounds like it's awesome in April and May...especially Dillo day</p>
<p>Dillo Day is awesome!</p>