<p>I am in a happier mood, when I’m surrounded by warm weather and sunshine. I dislike the cold weather, because staying inside sucks.</p>
<p>Although my husband and I grew up in New York, my kids grew up in N. Cal, and both seemed to think they were deprived of their share of year round rain, and annual snow. D headed southeast for school, and son who especially loves boarding, might be okay with inclement weather. With him I have especially noticed the difference between California and PNW admissions. We shall see!</p>
<p>
That’s what clothing is for…</p>
<p>My kids visited Tulane and rejected it because of the weather. It was insanely hot and humid when we visited. They really had no interest in looking at schools in always-warm climates – they like the change of seasons and a real fall / winter / spring. </p>
<p>We visited Colorado College in January – it was beautiful and clear out, warm enough that we took off our jackets – and the weather was a selling point there as well – a winter, but not a harsh one.</p>
<p>I think the difference between midwestern winters and northeast winters gets way overblown, as one who has lived both places. At a certain point, it’s cold enough outside that you don’t spend any time outside anyway, so what difference does it make if it’s 15 degrees or 0 degrees. And based on the 2 last winters, the northeast has gotten slammed by blizzards far worse than the midwest. I think it’s all six of one, half a dozen of the other in choosing between schools in New England, the Mid Atlantic and the Upper Midwest.</p>
<p>
I don’t really agree with that. At +20, you can walk in comfort with a normal jacket or work out with a lighter jacket. At +10, you can walk with a warm jacket or work out with a normal jacket. At 0, you can walk with a very warm jacket or work out with a normal jacket plus a sweatshirt. At -10, you’ll only want to walk very briefly and should work out with a warm jacket. At -20, walking should be minimized and exercise only with a parka. At -30, I do not recommend spending unnecessary time outdoors.</p>
<p>Years ago, coming from FLA, weather definitely was part of my decision. I was an engineering major. I ruled out Cornell and Purdue for weather reasons - I didn’t even own a winter coat!</p>
<p>We are from Florida and S1 knew what he was getting into when he decided on UChicago. We haven’t gotten much complaining from him and he’s been lucky that the worst weather in the last 3 years (w/airport closings, etc.) has happened during Christmas break. He moved off campus this year and he has 4 extra blocks to walk to class but that hasn’t been a problem so far (when the going gets tough there’s always the shuttle that runs right by his apartment). He’s mentioned that he would like to go to grad school in California, though.</p>
<p>
Agreed.</p>
<p>For me, it’s about a lot more than just whether I’d rather be warm or cold, see snow or sunshine. I attend boarding school in CT and winters are just…depressing. All anyone wants to do is stay inside. It’s nearly impossible to get out of bed. The entire student body gets sick and miserable. I like the cold, I like the snow, but I hate what it does to my mood after a while.</p>
<p>That being said, it’s not a non-negotiable factor for me. If I end up not getting into my top choices in the south, there’s a good chance I’ll end up at UW-Madison, braving the below-zero weather.</p>
<p>all the schools i applied to except for one in CA and my state school were in cold places but i just wanted the college community and academics…so now ill be going to college in new england! i like warm jackets and hot chocolate (: my brother keeps telling me ill get stuck up there when break comes though…</p>
<p>I know weather will end up being sort of a factor, especially if I get into Cornell. I dread the cold, and only really applied because it was an Ivy and instate, boy that cold is not welcoming lol.</p>
<p>
Maybe I’ve just lived north of the 60th parallel for too long, but I don’t really understand why people would stay inside during the winter. Okay, it’s pretty miserable below -20, but that isn’t going to happen very often unless you live in Fairbanks or something.</p>
<p>Then again, maybe you don’t get very good snow in CT?</p>
<p>Ugh… I live in Indiana, so it’s kinda’ cold, but not entirely frigid. If I can, I want to go to a college in a warmer state. I was looking at UNC-Chapel Hill (I have no clue what my chances are there, though) and UTexas-Austin, simply because they’re highly rated and located in states where it should never drop below 35 degrees. 
</p>
<p>Weather’s not really going to be a deciding factor for me, though.</p>
<p>flashpoint1230 - I grew up in Ohio and fled to Atlanta for college, so I know where you are coming from. I have lived in Texas and now live in NC and I’m afraid your expectations for both locations will not be met. Both get a lot less cold than you have in the midwest, but they both have days every year that drop below freezing. In fact it has been quite cold (for here) this winter and we had snow that did not completely melt for eight days in Charlotte. Having said that, the norm for this time of year here is to have highs in the 50s and we get a lot more sunshine than in the midwest.</p>
<p>I actually did consider it a factor, but not a huge amount - I knew I wanted four seasons, which excluded the far South. Also, I was really hoping for a beautiful fall - I live in CT so I LOVE autumn. However, I still considered UNC-Chapel Hill and UVA (I really, really liked the accepted student day I went to at UVA), although they were a little “warm” for me. </p>
<p>On the other hand, Carleton is in Minnesota, and I also visited Northwestern and Macalester when I was accepted. Cold was never exactly a deterrent…I love winter. Yeah, the past week kind of sucked - it was NEGATIVE 27 DEGREES when I was walking to my 8 Am class on Friday - but it’s beautiful, and to be honest, it really isn’t that bad. People talk about Minnesota like it’s the Arctic - it’s not, I promise. :)</p>
<p>@cltdad: Oh, I don’t mind freezing cold days…I really don’t. I’m just saying that it wouldn’t be under 35 degrees every day during the winter. And this winter has been unseasonably cold for a lot of people, especially for those in the South. </p>
<p>I’m just now starting to look around, though, and nothing will be concrete as far as possible college choices until I take the SAT and ACT (hopefully in March/April), b/c PSAT doesn’t matter too much.</p>
<p>Weather is a definate factor for me.
I applied at all Florida schools, except 3.
Two are in Texas (safety schools) and one was in DC which is completely opposite of where I want to be.</p>