One thing I will say about 4 years at a college with rough winters, there was a comradery and a unique closeness among the students (possibly because we spent 6 long, cold months hanging out in bars ahem I mean in the library ) Also, the occasional need to grab the arm of a random (cute) classmate in order not to be blown away by the wind, provided a great opportunity to meet people! Large groups of us are still very close and get together several times a year - not sure if the winter weather had anything to do with that but it always gave us a conversation starter when meeting fellow classmates (“Hey, did you see that guy almost get blown into the lake today?”)
Cold, upstate NY alum here. We always complained about the weather/winters, but every Friday and Saturday we trudged out in our flannels and no jackets and by 11pm weren’t that cold.
I do think environment is a large part of the weather convo. I hear some UM alums talk about not loving the weather, yet they loved the school. Very, very rarely have I ever heard a UM person say that the weather negatively impacted their experience. More of a nuisance, no different than difficulty registering for classes, etc.
For me in NY (and as I mentioned upthread re:UM), it was merely the gloomy winter days. Fall semesters are awesome, but you have about two months in the winter where it’s just the same every day. I don’t know that I’d go to an upper Midwest school that didn’t connect to a major college town or city.
Not only to you learn to dress for the weather, the campuses are designed for the weather too. Some have tunnels. Bus stops are real shelters. Many of the doorways have a double entry to keep the cold out (sure, that works). Many more indoor spaces to hang out in when the weather is just too brutal.
They also keep the interior of buildings colder as they know you’ll be dressed in layers. We used to joke in high school that there ‘must be something going on’ if the heat was on, as they only turned it on/up if parents were going to be in the school. Otherwise it was freezing, as they knew we’d have turtlenecks, sweaters and long johns on during the day. We knew to dress lighter on Fridays as there was probably a basketball game that night.
Kids still go to the basketball games when it’s really cold out. She will regret not going to Michigan and being in Ann Arbor if you can afford it. She will be fine. Many people from warm states that come to Michigan. They constantly come every year. There must be a reason for that. Go Blue
I am not from the south, but I was also worried about Michigan winters. One of the very first things I thought about when I was accepted was how I would deal with the winters, since they are much more extreme than where I am from. However, I will say that everyone gets used to it pretty fast. I have found both of my two winters here very manageable. I will say, the only annoying aspect of Michigan weather is how it continues to snow for so long, spanning from October all the way into March. However, the weather itself is not that horrible, its just annoying how long the cold weather lasts.
I’ll agree with @westchesterdad22. It wasn’t the cold that was hard for me at UofM. It was the lack of sunshine in the winter months, the clouds more than the latitude.
The Great Lakes overwhelm and impact the upper Midwest’s climate. The moisture off of the lake in the winter creates an almost constant grey overcast.
I’m always fascinated looking at the worldwide geographical locations and comparing climates. Topography, surrounding elements, etc. make for completely different situations.
I am from California but I graduated from Umich in 2018 in EMBA and I would say the college town feeling makes up for the weather.
True the weather on some days is bad but get good winter wear and you should be fine. If you go to any school in NE or Midwest you need to be prepared.
From school learning perspective I had amazing faculty and a great cohort both in LA chapter and michigan.
I’ve lived through north of 50 upper midwest winters. All of them have not been the same in terms of severity. Some are “worse” than others. And that is in the eyes of the beholder. I like to ski, sled, hike, etc. so to me, the more snow the better. Typically you don’t get much snow on sunny days. For other people, cold/snowy winters are bad ones. And they typically vast majority of time inside for 3-4 months every year. Those are the people I hear most complaining about dark/dreary/gray winters. The people who are active outside in the winter and who like snow typically do not say anything about that. Different strokes for different folks as they say.
honestly? As a Californian who has also been spoiled most of my life with beautiful weather, Michigan winters have been pretty bearable. Just make sure you get a very solid down jacket
Hey Everyone. Always interesting to hear what American’s think about the weather in Michigan. I’m from the UK and due to attend the University of Michigan this autumn. It’s interesting to hear how you always talk about how cold the place is but looking at the climate in the summer, it seems that Ann Arbor has a similar air temperature to that of northern Italy, a place northern Europeans go to experience heat. It will be 28°C this week in Ann Arbor, which is defined as a heatwave in the UK, which we may experience for a few weeks in the peak of summer So, weirdly, I’m looking forward to moving to Michigan for its proper summers haha. I know this question was related to winters, but I am genuinely excited for a real summer! I understand the concern fo someone moving from the south though - good luck deciding!
Well summers can be anything from beautiful to stifling and everything in between. The school year starts in the fall but usually the first two weeks might be hot then it cools down and is nice.
I spent some time in England (primarily York & Winchester) in February and some time in Michigan near the end of March about one year apart. The temperatures might not have been dissimilar (I don’t recall…they were both winter), but it was the wind in Ann Arbor that was really bone-chilling. If the wind isn’t blowing though, then it’s not too bad. I have visited southern Michigan several times since then (my spouse’s family is from there), and the summers I have visited are absolutely lovely.
Hope you enjoy your time at Michigan. Make sure you get to an American football game!
Summertime in Michigan is fantastic. I hope you’re able to explore the state a bit — the Lake Michigan shoreline and beaches, the Upper Peninsula, Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, Traverse City, etc. Enjoy it!
Nice! I had family in York but have not visited since I was a child - looks like a nice place for that old town feel. That seems believable; looking at climate reports I noticed that Michigan (south) catches up with the UK (south) temperature by around April, before overtaking it. The extreme change of season looks fantastic - I imagine it wil be like mid-Scandavia (with more wind by the sounds of it) in winter but North Italy/South France in summer.
Typically I don’t watch football (soccer) in the UK, maybe rugby sometimes. However, looking at the size of that stadium in Ann Arbor and how much football seems to mean to people, I get the impression it will have to be a compulsory experience
) Also, the occasional need to grab the arm of a random (cute) classmate in order not to be blown away by the wind, provided a great opportunity to meet people! Large groups of us are still very close and get together several times a year - not sure if the winter weather had anything to do with that but it always gave us a conversation starter when meeting fellow classmates (“Hey, did you see that guy almost get blown into the lake today?”)
So, weirdly, I’m looking forward to moving to Michigan for its proper summers haha. I know this question was related to winters, but I am genuinely excited for a real summer! I understand the concern fo someone moving from the south though - good luck deciding!