<p>Alrighty, I'm an OOS and I'm coming from Miami, Florida and everytime I mention the school I'm going to attend, I usually get a reaction of "oh...that's cold, how are you gonna survive that?" or "it would've been easier for you to adjust to the temperature at U of FL", so that worries me a bit because I only went to Michigan during the summer so I didn't really get a feel for the cold weather. Have any of you OOS students found it hard to get used to the weather? Is the winter season as bad as many make it seem? Any input would be appreciated.</p>
<p>Winters are cold. There is no way to sugar coat it. But you’ll get used to it. I’d say it takes about five years. :-)</p>
<p>i also get the same reaction because it’s summer all yr round in where i live. How to prepare? I dont know, but i’m definitely gonna buy lots of winter clothes… lol.</p>
<p>lol @ Ren same here, I keep hearing to just wear lots of layers so I guess I’m going to have to change my whole wardrobe soon. And ouch 5 years? Oh well I’m sure the experience will be worth it.</p>
<p>After two years, my D still hates the Winters. It is not the cold that bothers her as much as the bleak grayness that can persist for weeks on end. I must say, though, that my winter visits have been pleasant and often filled with bright sunny, but cold, days. Personally, I think I would like the change; I love the seasons and the fact that every time I visit the town and campus look different.</p>
<p>You must have at least one good and thick WATERPROOF down (or, if money is not an issue, cashemere) coat, a couple of good warm sweaters, a good WATERPROOF pair of boots with thick rubber soles and a warm WATERPROOF hat that covers your ears. </p>
<p>Get those, and the weather is manageable. I never even owned golves because my coat pockets were sufficiently warm, but good gloves never hurt!</p>
<p>Also make sure to bring enough blankets. I don’t know how warm they keep the dorms, but at night it rarely reaches 30 from December-February.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about the dorms being cold. Our fans in Bursley got the most use during the winter.</p>
<p>I think it is more difficult for kids from SoCal and Florida to adjust to the cold because they pretty much live in flip flops and shorts year round. It can be deceiving when the sun is shining brightly and it is 32 degrees outside. I would recommend good thermal underwear to wear under the jeans and sweatshirts, a good wool coat (pea coats are very popular for the guys), scarf, gloves and a beanie hat (you can’t worry about the hair doo when it is freezing cold). A really good pair of waterproof boots is key when you are trudging through snow.</p>
<p>It is all a matter of preparation and acclimation. If you think it is going to be terrible, it can be. If you look at it like an adventure and enjoy what you can of it, it will be less gruelling. I have seen many kids start off at a college with cold climates and come home after 1 year. It is much easier to adjust from the cold to the warm than from the warm to the cold, so it is a big factor when choosing a school if one does not think that they can adjust.</p>
<p>If you love the school for the programs that it offers, the quality of the education, the cost factor, etc. then the weather should be a minor part of the process. If, however, one does not think that they can adjust to the drastic weather change, it may be better to choose a school with a similar climate to home.</p>
<p>I live in Minnesota which is much colder than Michigan. It’s not that bad. In Michigan you will be above freezing most of the time so it’s actually not that cold.</p>
<p>Hah…dude. You are in for such a surprise coming from Florida =)</p>
<p>When everyone’s wearing shorts/flip-flops at 60ish degrees…you’ll probably be cuddling in a sweater.</p>
<p>To most of us natives here…60-75 is pretty much the perfect weather conditions. Winters can get super cold…I think this year we had a crap load of snow as well as a few days when wind chills got below -20 degrees fahrenheit. Summers can also get super-hot like…90-100+ with humidity…</p>
<p>Ann Arbor is also located at that certain latitude where our weather pretty much varies a LOT between the seasons. </p>
<p>Be ready =D</p>
<p>Congrats getting in though =P.</p>
<p>You will love it here–guaranteed</p>
<p>Your first year you’re gonna be cold. After that, you’ll have adjusted. I moved here from Florida a few years ago and I got over it quickly.</p>
<p>True, there was one day last year where all local schools were closed because of wind chills approaching -25 degrees. When we say cold we don’t mean 40. We mean the kind of penetrating cold that makes you feel kind of dead inside. Last year, one of the worst weather days of the year was the day of the Northwestern-Michigan game. It was raining, sleeting, AND snowing along with a very, very strong wind. It was absolutely brutal, I had to leave at half time because my hair was freezing. Be prepared!</p>
<p>Ever been on a ski trip? That’s what its like, one long, long, long ski trip with walking instead of skiing, and buildings instead of mountains.</p>
<p>Just kidding. I think you will be fine so long as you dress for the weather. Get a North Face parka that covers to below the hip. Get a hat and some good gloves, and whatever boots you think you’ll actually wear. My daughter never wears boots, the sidewalks are cleared of snow, and she doesn’t like boots but if you are ever going to do anything active in the winter you’ll want to have some type of winter boot. Most of the girls wear UGGS, I never really noticed what boots the guys were wearing. Anyway, while adults tend to bundle up, you will see a lot of students who are apparently impervious to cold - outside with no jacket or hat when it is 20 degrees, maybe you 'll be one of those.</p>
<p>I do think it is funny how the warm weather people think we are talking about the 30s and 40s when we say cold … uh no, that is a winter heat wave. It is going to be in the 10s and 20s most of the winter, really cold, and the wind makes it feel colder. It will take a bit to get used to it, but it is definitely tolerable, and can even be fun if you are open to winter sports.</p>
<p>Make sure you get a electric blanket =)
You can use it anytime, when you are doing homework, reading etc
They are the best, extremely useful if your dorm seems too cold.</p>
<p>While it is indeed colder in Minnesota, it is definitely more gray in Michigan during the winter. You can go for weeks sometimes with overcast gloomy skies. That is worse in my opinion than very cold weather.</p>
<p>OK, the advice so far has been good, if a little panic inducing.</p>
<p>Look, the weather changes gradually. It’s not 80 degs. Monday afternoon followed by 2 feet on snow Tuesday morning. There’s about a 30 deg. range every month; Sept: some 80s, a lot of 60s and 70s and a few 50s late in the month, Oct, subtract 10 deg. i.e., some 70s mostly 50s and 60s, and some 40s. The temps keep going down until the last week of January when the trend reverses.</p>
<p>Initially your biggest problem will be fighting the wind and the rain. Bring a couple of sweaters/sweatshirts, some jeans and sneakers and you’ll be OK. We have stores here, so as the semester gets going, buy some gloves, a winter hat and a parka or heavy leather jacket. </p>
<p>Posters have been dead on, the worst part about winter is the lack of sunshine, but you get to go home to Miami for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Spring Break, so your problem’s solved.</p>
<p>Get up here and see how you handle it. There are plenty of students walking around in sweatshirts and hats in the dead of winter, you may choose to dress a little heavier.</p>
<p>P.S. The coldest time of year is being in The Big House in late November, 40 degs, windy, driving rain and the team’s losing. Surprising how much warmer it is when they win. It was VERY cold last season.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>June - early September: hot and humid, lots of rain
(flip flops, t-shirts, shorts)</p></li>
<li><p>late September - October: beautiful time of year when trees change color, fair weather
(hoodies/sweaters, light jackets, jeans, sneakers)</p></li>
<li><p>November - early December: starting to get a bit colder, but no snow yet
(medium jacket over hoodie/sweater, jeans, sneakers)</p></li>
<li><p>late December - February: you won’t feel your face when walking outside, snow & ice
(your thickest jacket/thermal coat, jeans or snowpants w/long underwear, uggs/tims/whatever the east-coasters wear nowadays :), scarf, hat )</p></li>
<li><p>March - early April: starts thawing outside, bits of snow mixed with rain
(see #3 for clothing)</p></li>
<li><p>Late April - May: everything is blooming; one of the best times of the year!
(see #2 for clothing)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>sometimes painful, but all part of the unique UMich experience!</p>
<p>Wow thanks to all of you for your suggestions and your advice. I think I have a better understanding of what to expect and of what to do so I guess I’ll be trading in my tanks, flip flops and shorts for some warmer wardrobe lol. As far as for my choice of school in my opinion I think UMich will be worth it because i believe it’s a better school than the ones here in Florida including UF so I’m going to Ann Arbor with the thought that it’s all part of the college experience and that despite the change in weather, I’ll get used to it and just learn to adapt. Maybe it will be for the better to actually go to a state where you can actually tell a diference between the seasons. =)</p>