<p>Ok, so how bad is the weather really? I see that it snows ALOT! It is very cold as well. How does everyone deal with this long, cold, snowy winter? Anyone else nervous about this?</p>
<p>Cold and snowy weather? Let’s put things in perspective…</p>
<p>The Fall and Spring are beautiful with the colors and scents of the trees, gardens and groves that make Colgate’s campus one of the most beautiful in the country in its setting of charming Hamilton, NY.</p>
<p>But in winter let’s be frank… This is close to the geographic center of NY state and it receives lake-effect snow from the Great Lakes. In the past generations have coped and for the lucky few who attend or work at Colgate, well, it is just something that you do.</p>
<p>Colgate has one of the top college libraries in the country so it’s a great place to study what’s taught by an award winning faculty delivered at better than a 10:1 student-faculty ratio. It has a magnificent new fitness center of 15,000 square feet which is terrific for a university of 2800 students and a vigorous outdoor education program that makes best use of its rugged, rural location. All of Colgate’s 25 varsity sports are at the Division 1 level- including ice hockey- so there is lots to get exercised and excited about. And with one of nation’s most comprehensive and attractive programs for study away from campus- in the US or abroad- Colgate offers options that the majority of students take up for one of their 8 semesters.</p>
<p>Arguably the region generally and Colgate in particular is really for the self-selecting. When you visit and take its pulse you will be able to decide what is right for you. I trust that you will find that the accommodations of campus suit your needs and/or that you can visualize how Colgate’s facilities and programs deliver the stimulation- intellectual, spiritual and physical- that the community seeks. </p>
<p>Good luck with your college search!</p>
<p>its a very good question…
i’m from Israel, and the coldest it gets here is 55 degrees.
i’ve been accepted to Colgate’s class of 2015 and it’s going to be a huge change for me… i don’t even own warm clothes 
however, i trust that like everyone else, i’ll survive - its the academics, the scenery and the people that make Colgate, not the weather!
were you accepted ed?</p>
<p>No, still waiting for RD.</p>
<p>Yes, it’s cold at Colgate! But it’s not unbearable and if you have the right clothes, it’s actually fun to be in the snow. We are from Southern California and my son goes to Colgate and LOVES it. The snow does not bother him; in fact, he really likes it. He loves the town of Hamilton as well – he says it’s a great “college” town. He said the fall was the most amazing time of year with the colors, the winter has been cold but fun, and he’s looking forward to spring. He also says his professors are the most amazing people he has ever met, and he has not had a bad one yet.</p>
<p>Giaviv -</p>
<p>We are from the NYC area and my DD is upstate, where there’s more snow. She had winter clothing, of course, but found she didn’t have a warm enough coat. She found a thrift shop in town and bought herself a ton of warm sweaters and a giant parka to put over a bunch of them. Her feeling was that if she bought in town the clothes would better reflect the weather. Fortunately, she’s a practical girl and $1 a sweater and $10 for a Lands End coat suited her budget and her personality.</p>
<p>They actually took 2 snow days this year. The funny thing is that we really didn’t think she would survive her first winter upstate (H used to drive her 4 blocks to HS when there was snow!) but she’s now a tour guide touting the beauty of the weather!</p>
<p>I know that this thread is about the weather but that leads to the question of opportunities for recreation and fulfillment in the Colgate community.</p>
<p>One big boost arrives on 1 April, 2011. It’s the reopening of the Colgate Inn in “the heart of downtown Hamilton” which has been closed for a few months now. Picture the quintessential country classic that you associate with the region. Its 40 guestrooms have been completely renovated. The tap room has been moved to its original location with that great fireplace (the last renovation was in the 70s), the dining rooms have been shifted, linked expanded inside and outside onto a patio, and beautiful meeting rooms have been added. The Rathskeller is unchanged and has a new interior entrance. </p>
<p>I plan to be there at its opening. So if you’re in town and I would enjoy seeing you at the Inn!</p>
<p>A related question, since we’re talking about inns–where do parents stay when families arrive for move-in, -out or graduation? I can’t imagine there are enough hotel rooms in Hamilton. Do you have to stay in Syracuse? The logistics seem a bit daunting.</p>
<p>This is a very important question and I would suggest that the colgate.edu website gives the most comprehensive answer. Go to [Colgate</a> University : Lodging](<a href=“http://colgate.edu/about/hamiltonarea/lodging]Colgate”>http://colgate.edu/about/hamiltonarea/lodging)</p>
<p>Off the top of my head, the Wendt University Inn just a mile away from the Inn is your best bet for clean and reasonably priced accommodation as a larger property. Last autumn I remember that they were granted building permission for an extension and I imagine that will be built this spring and summer. On Lake Moraine just a couple of miles away is the White Eagle with many upmarket cabins for rent. Then there are the beautiful inns of Cazenovia which is 20 miles away. Towards Syracuse is Turning Stone and towards Utica, Norwich and Oneida are several chain properties. Colgate families also rent rooms at local B&Bs and even whole houses for graduations and reunions.</p>
<p>It’s always best to plan and get things sorted- as early as one year in advance of big events!</p>
<p>Joan52–the only snow my son had ever seen was when we went skiing and then we were wearing ski clothes–he had never lived in it and he loves it as well.</p>
<p>Snow? Colgate is cold? :O</p>
<p>Honestly, it’s just being ON the Hill that makes Colgate seem a lot colder than it really is. When you’re walking on Broad St/downtown, it’s quite comparably warm and not as windy. So freshmen shouldn’t be afraid to go out for the night if it seems too nasty because the downtown will greet them warmly… a little too warmly…:)</p>
<p>LLBean, Lands End, Northface, Columbia, etc are your best friends. Zappos has free shipping (and free returns) so a lot of Colgate students will order clothes and boots online. I remember seeing awfully a lot of big packages around October… </p>
<p>Aviv, Colgate IS very cold compared to Israel. I was certainly happy to miss out one winter but I didn’t like all the rain and cold (wet cold) in Jerusalem. So… you’ll get much “nicer” winter weather at Colgate. :)</p>
<p>@ticklemepink - I’m from Tel-Aviv, and it isn’t as rainy or cold in the winter here.
the average temperature is around 60 and i think it rained 7 times since last summer…
i’m gonna miss it!! (not the summer heat and humidity though)</p>
<p>Autumn is beautiful! Spring is wonderful! The winters, though, are long and cold with lots of snow. Is that beautiful, too? It depends on whether or not you like snow and cold. If you are a hothouse flower, you will wilt in the cold winters. But why should you? There are four seasons and you might as well live some of your life experiencing all of them. I grew up in the Northeast, so I loved snow and skiing and was used to snow. But, students from California, for example, are always worried they will not survive cold winters. Yes, they can get tiring and you do need warm clothes, but it’s kind of fun in a way. And you’re going to be studying and doing research a lot of the time, so why worry if it’s snowing or cold outside? If you need a warm climate, though, I’d avoid any college or university from Maine to the Midwest. But that would eliminate 2/3 of the good colleges in America, so why do that?</p>
<p>winter is horrible when we have some storms and autumn is the most beautiful season around the year. you would have winter break to aviod the worst storms at most of the time</p>
<p>One doesn’t have to go to Syracuse to find a place to stay, there are places all up and down Rt 12. I used to stay quite a lot in Norwich, maybe 15 -20 minutes away south on Rt 12. Inexpensive and convenient</p>
<p>My daughter has graduated from Colgate, but there is a nice thrift store there:</p>
<p>[Worn</a> Again Thrift Shop](<a href=“Google Maps”>Google Maps)</p>
<p>If you don’t own winter clothes, you can purchase them here for a much lower price than retail.</p>
<p>There is a very nice motel in town for family to stay in.</p>
<p>[Wendt</a> University Inn](<a href=“http://www.wendtinn.com/]Wendt”>http://www.wendtinn.com/)</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip susgeek. My ds will be Colgate '15</p>
<p>Congrats MoneyP</p>
<p>It seems like this year, other then the snow, there was very little sunshine this winter/spring. I am not sure if that is normal, but my daughter, who is '14, missed sunshine</p>