<p>So everyone keeps telling me that college is the best time of your life, and I believe them. However, I'm a bit concerned about the weather in Chicago. I mean, that's one of the things that attracted me to UT austin was the awesome weather. How can college at chicago be happy if it is covered in an overcast depressed haze. </p>
<p>can someone shed some light on this? I'm okay with the winter being cold and snowy...but is it sunny a lot in spring and summer? what about autumn? sun or clouds?</p>
<p>If you're like me (and a number of other people), the winter cold and snow and greyness will really grow on you. Sunny cold days are nice, but grey cold days can be really nice as well. The college puts up hanging lights on trees on the quad that hang all winter. If you keep your spirits up, it can be a very nice time of year. Rainy, cloudy days in the spring are torture, but it only lasts a week or two. Other than that, spring is often warm and sunny and bright.</p>
<p>But is it bone-chilling cold as you walk to class for your 8 o'clocks? Does the wind whip around the buildings and bring tears to your eyes? Do you have to wear down fabrics from November until March? Do you get blasted by weather so much in the winter that it makes you want to stay in bed rather than go out and brave real physical pain?</p>
<p>Yup. All the above. And sleet and snow, too. And don't stand still or your feet will freeze to the ground.</p>
<p>Seriously now, the past few years there were more complaints about the lack of cold and snow, both necessary ingredients for winter sports like skiing and skating and hockey outside.</p>
<p>woolen underwear makes going outside happy though. And learn to like coffee and tea and fireplaces. I actually prefer winter to summer-- winter you can bundle up and during winter quarter, I feel like going to the library and being away from the cold is a treat, while during the spring, the weather is so beautiful and distracting that I can't get myself to be productive.</p>
<p>Yes, once more it's time to acknowledge that Chicago attracts a special breed of intellectual. As one of the many funny t-shirts says --</p>
<p>The University of Chicago
Hell Does Freeze Over</p>
<p>(Actual line from a phone call with my daughter in February: "The weather was pretty nice today. It was all sunny, and my heart didn't stop when I stepped outside.")</p>
<p>Considering that people are being rescued from high water in Austin's environs, we don't have to apologize too much for Chicago's weather ... this week, anyway.</p>