<p>Hi, I am a junior and I live in lovely sunny Orange County, California but I think I want to go to college somewhere where it snows. Have I completely lost my mind? Has anyone else made the transition from a sunny home to a college where it is cold and how was it for you? What are the best and worst things? Please Please give me some feedback. Thanks!!</p>
<p>I'm in a cold place and want to be somewhere COLDER. I'd say look at places in the northeast. Primarily, Boston..NH...VT..Maine..etc. Other than Boston, it's mainly LACs who are in these colder parts. The First one that came to mind was Middlebury. There's so many though!</p>
<p>There's always the University of Alaska! =P</p>
<p>I'm from Florida and I go to school in PA, I also know plenty of other people here from Florida/Southern Cal/even Hawaii, and my friends from back home went to a variety of places even colder than here--New England, the Midwest, Canada.
No one I know has had a serious problem with it. If you're looking forward to the cold weather, then you will be able to handle it. There will be a lot to learn (about clothing, etc), but you will certainly survive. Just bundle up.</p>
<p>okay thank you for the advice! Does anyone have anything bad to say about cold weathered schools or things to consider when making a descion?</p>
<p>my parents are from chicago, so they've dealt with cold. i looked into schools in the northeast, but because of distance and weather, i got cold feet! [/end stupid puns]</p>
<p>i'm california born and bred, and for me, norcal gets plenty chilly enough. next year my family is moving to oregon... which means i think i'll be spending time mostly indoors!</p>
<p>have you also factored in other things that go along with cold weather? for instance, increased distance from home, increased travel hassles due to snowstorms, delays in flights from other airports with severe weather, walking to class and avoiding ice patches (my mom fell and twisted her ankle in college and to this day still feels it). cold weather doesn't come in isolation! </p>
<p>i can understand a desire to get out of socal. perfectly nice weather is sometimes too... surreal. and college is a good way to experience life somewhere else for a temporary few years. just make sure that your cold tolerance will last for an entire four years! ;)</p>
<p>There's also the positives: snow storms, flurries, snow angels, snow ball fights...</p>
<p>Must I continue?</p>
<p>I'm from a cold place (Boston, Philly, Chicago), but I moved from California. I'd say don't worry about it too much. Sure it could be more of a hassle living in a cold place than a warm place, but it's also more fun! You get more variety, and if you love snow/ice skating, things like that then it's pretty neat. Just buy a lot of warm coats and hats and you'll be fine.</p>
<p>consider Colorado? The weather is cold but it's almost always sunny. My son is at the University of Denver--it's sunny about 310 days/year, and the cold is not outrageous. Great skiing nearby, great city to enjoy, very nice campus, fabulous business program for him.</p>
<p>Snowball fights are only fun when the temperature is ABOVE zero. Otherwise your hand goes numb and stays numb the instant you touch snow. I don't think you understand just how cold it gets out there, my friend. I would say "it's a jungle out there", but I WISH it were a jungle. Jungles are warm.</p>
<p><em>kills self</em></p>
<p>Many schools in colder climes have built-in resources to deal with it. At Skidmore, in upstate NY, for example, all the academic buildings are connected by glassed-in walkways. At University of Rochester, all the academic buildings are connected by underground tunnels. At University of Vermont, the sidewalks are heated so that ice & snow doesn't build up or freeze too badly. Northerners know what to do with snow and ice.</p>
<p>My d is at University of Rochester - she has several friends from warmer climes; they've all adjusted well. And complaining about the weather is a great bonding experience!</p>
<p>Lauren09-- We have the opposite problem in our house. We live in the Northeast and my S is thinking of heading south for school. I love to ski but the winters can be long, ugly and boring when there's no snow. At this time of the year, anything above 50 degrees sounds great. Time to take seconds visits at my S's schools!!! :)</p>
<p>lauren09: If you're interested in a snowy campus, I suggest visiting a few schools during the winter. While you're there, try to imagine the same sort of weather lasting for months. For better or for worse, there's a big difference between a day of snow and five months of it (the same goes for people moving into very mild climates...even sunshine can get old, IMO).</p>
<p>I've lived in two extreme climates and I've truly loved aspects of each. There are so many lifestyle differences, though, that I still struggle with where I'll eventually want to settle! If you haven't experienced serious winters, then you really can't imagine them, and it's important to know that cold is not the only issue (it's always possible to add another jacket). For someone who's used to nearly constant sunshine, winter gloom could really affect your mood/temperament. It might also be a fantastic change of scene. It's really just up to the individual.</p>
<p>A few major suggestions:</p>
<p>1) When you come up with your eventual list, even if you think you want to look at schools in snowy areas, be sure to give yourself a warm-weather option. I know people who've had last-minute changes of heart, for whatever reason, and been saved by this.</p>
<p>2) Consider that this doesn't have to be an either/or issue. I went to school in LA (Claremont), but snowy Mount Baldy was just a few minutes from campus. Winter weather was warm and beautiful, but you could still get to the snow quite easily. Going skiing was relatively common throughout the winter.</p>
<p>3) Be sure to consider your decision from all angles, not weather alone. As liyana179 said: cold weather doesn't come in isolation. Distance from home may be an issue (there are close-ish options like CO and UT, but the midwest or NE will require more travel time, and often more expensive tickets...any snowy area is likely to be more of a travel hassle). For a very different climate, you'd really require some new clothing. Do you want to bring a car to college? Not necessarily advisable if you're somewhere with snow...driving in the snow is a skill (though a valuable one to have, so get someone to teach you if you do head snow-wards). None of these are reasons to avoid a snowy campus (all of them apply just as easily to other scenarios--simply wanting to head far away, or to any sort of different climate, etc)...just be sure to cover your bases. </p>
<p>4) I'll reiterate: the issue is not just temperature. For this reason, be sure to check other aspects of weather. As boysx3 suggested, sunny snowy winter is very, very different than an overcast snowy winter, even if the temperatures are comparable. Some people have no problem with gloomy weather--they can roll their eyes and move on with life. Some people really love gloomy weather! But others find that it really does a job on their happiness and motivation. Totally personal call.</p>
<p>I really do have wonderful stories about extreme snow/cold and extreme heat/sunshine (moderation hasn't really found its way into my life :p). I also have horror stories and complaints for each. Most of the issue comes down to personal taste, so just try to know what you're getting yourself into (and what you're passing up), whatever you choose :)</p>
<p>I go to Middlebury. I hadn't seen snow before. I am from TX ^_^</p>
<p>I love winter weather, thats why I chose somewhere with good ol' lake effect snow. </p>
<p>P.S. one of my good friends came here from texas and she loves it.</p>
<p>We live in the Caribbean and my son is concerned about the "briskness" of Florida come next fall! I was reared in CA and ski trips to Tahoe were more than enough snow for me. Do you think you'd be happy spending the winter months at Mammoth?</p>
<p>You could go to a SUNY school, some are REALLY far up north, near Canada.</p>
<p>Cold sucks. A lot. It really, really does. "Oh yay you get to play in the snow and have snowball fights!". Yeah, that gets old after like 3 days. Then it's just like being trapped in an icy prison where you barely get to see the sun for months at a time and can't go outside without piling on layers of clothing. NATURE DIES. You won't see any other colors outside but black and white and sometimes blue from november to april. No green. Just cold black and white. What the hell were all those Germans and Norwegians thinking when they moved here??!?</p>
<p>/minnesota</p>
<p>I'm from Boston and I go to school in Boston so I've been used to New England's ridiculous weather forever. A few of my friends are from California, though, and yesterday morning it was -15 degrees (with wind chill). I don't know, everyone gets through it. Just be prepared and buy a winter jacket, scarf, and gloves. Do NOT head to a cold place and expect to buy a jacket there when you need one -- you won't have the time, the money, won't know where to go, or whatever. You can handle it - just learn how to wear layers, like tank tops under t-shirts and whatnot.</p>
<p>oh P.S. don't turn up a college you really like just because of the weather, because regardless of how much it sucks, you will get used to it at some point.</p>
<p>I grew up in the San Fernando Valley, OP. And I went to NorCal (Humboldt State in Arcata--near the Oregon border) for college. The temperatures stay between 50 and 60 degrees during the non-summer months--occasionally dipping into the 40's, and rarely the 30's. We don't usually get snow, but it did snow 2 times while I was there, and it has snowed up there 1 time each year for the last two years.</p>
<p>How did I adjust from temps in the 80's - 110's down to the 50's-60's. Don't know. Your body just does it. When I came home for Christmas though, I was usually running my a/c.</p>
<p>I was sick of the heat and the droughts, so I love college up there. Rain and cool weather! Yipee. </p>
<p>How to keep from slipping on ice--buy YakTracks--available from gardening websites. (Ice was a problem on the walkways on very cold mornings.)</p>
<p>I don't think you're insane, but before you sign up for living in such a different clime, you might want to visit the college you're looking at during inclement weather.</p>