<p>My son just got back from Valley Forge, PA today - had a great time but mentioned that when he goes away to college he doesn't want it much colder than that.
The question is: "Can this Florida boy tough out the winters of Cornell, Dartmouth, Amherst or even Northwestern?" I keep hearing from folks that is is a whole different kind of COLD out there.</p>
<p>My Connecticut boy can't handle the cold here at home. The Cornell, Dartmouth and Amherst weather is bone chilling. He is headed down south! My D goes to school at Villanova (near Valley Forge) and the winters are mild compared to CT. The schools you mentioned are hours north of us. The winters are colder and longer.</p>
<p>I would guess that you're going to spend more time outside during your few hours of a college tour than during an average day -or even average week if you're particularly reclusive - at that college. And while it's certainly cold, we men of the frozen tundra have passed down a secret for generations: heating systems ;)</p>
<p>Chicago winters are legendary for not just the cold but the wind chill that brings it down way below zero for days and sometime a week or more at a time.</p>
<p>You can suggest that he do a little research between now and decision time and research how cold it gets in those college towns. National</a> and Local Weather Forecast, Radar, Map and Report is a good place to start.</p>
<p>Personally, I have a sort of difficult time understanding all the fear of cold and snow, having grown up in Canada. ;)</p>
<p>To answer your question: depends on how adaptable he is. I love winter, but it is worlds apart from the kind of weather he'll be used to, coming from Florida. If he likes winter, or if he's flexible and can adapt to it, he'll be fine. If not, he'll be miserable. Especially at the more northern schools, winter is extremely cold.</p>
<p>It's not just the cold, wind, snow, ice, freezing rain and slush outside. Indoor environment in poorly designed buildings can be lousy and hard to adapt to. Then there is all the cloudy or overcast days -(lack of sunshine). For some this needs to be seriously considered. For others it's just not a problem.</p>
<p>Even California is too cold and I'm dead serious. The last few months have been awful. I'm moving to Hawaii.</p>
<p>Places on the ocean (e.g. Boston, New York, etc.) tend to be milder than more inland locales. Compare, for instance, Boston in winter (snowy, but more annoying than disruptive of daily life, especially with the T) and Buffalo, NY, in winter (where even other New Englanders are afraid to go).</p>
<p>I'm not sure about Northwestern, but the first three will most definitely be cold, isolated, and, most likely, covered in snow/ice/brown slush. Inland New England is no fun place to be after the glorious couple of days of snowball fights and snow angels have passed.</p>
<p>Edit: But if your son does decide to move up here to The Frozen North, then please advise him that we natives do not appreciate it when people wear coats and say "it's freezing" when it's 50+ degrees outside. Honestly, 50 degrees is tee-shirt weather.</p>
<p>Terry, we live in equaltorial Asia and our son attended Williams. Some days the temperature difference was more than 100 degrees! He actually acclimated quite well and came to love the seasonal changes. It really helps, I think, to have an activity that gets you out in the snow, be it skiing, snowboarding, skating or tobaganning. If you're prone to hibernation, it's going to be a long, cold 4+ months.</p>
<p>Also, you must dress appropriately. What this means for college kids is less Michelin Man and more light-weight, high tech layers. If you're dressed for it, winter in rural New England can be invigorating, fun and profoundly beautiful.</p>
<p>One of my friends has desktop widgets monitoring the weather for every single college he's applying to. Checks them everyday to compare to the local temperature here in California. I think checking local weather over a period of time is a good way to get an idea. (I'll be staying here though, and like Columbia_Student, I find it to be too cold lately...)</p>
<p>The body acclimates to the weather somewhat. After living 3 years in the Phoenix area, we moved back to VT and I was FREEZING all summer! But I quickly got used to it again. It was -10 here a few days ago. It's cold, but it is beautiful.</p>
<p>Also depends on what activities he enjoys. Most schools nowadays have very nice indoor sports facilities, which helps a lot. If he's busy with clubs, intramurals, etc. chances are he'll be too busy to mind very much. That said, I always think it must be a big plus to be a skier or snowboarder if you're somewhere like Middlebury or Dartmouth.
If he dresses for the weather he'll be OK. And some of the schools in your OP are located in really beautiful areas. I wouldn't mind living near Williams or Amherst :)</p>
<p>Believe it or not there is a pretty big difference between where we live in Nj to Boston ( where my kids are and will be ) Weather doesn't seem to bother them when compared to all of the positives to going to such a great city.
But this comes from a person who chose to vacation in Iceland in November rather than a tropical alternative.
Cold isn't always so bad !</p>
<p>I live in the Chicago area and I attended Cornell as a grad student. Chicago is definitely colder. Ithaca, however, (and I do love that place!) is SO depressing in winter! All I remember is gray and slush and the interesting experience of navigating East Hill (on foot, never mind in a car) when it is icy (they don't use salt in Ithaca, as I recall, only cinders which presumably are more environmentally correct).<br>
Here in Chicago, a NEW snowfall is magical and we have some spectacular icy-cold blue-sky days with no wind when it is marvelous to be out. But most days, yeah, the wind is a *****, and layers AND a hat AND a scarf AND good boots are necessary.
Winter never used to bother me, but this one is going on forever, with ice everywhere there isn't mud or slush, and I must be getting old because I am TIRED.</p>
<p>Just to give you a perspective on Dartmouth - NH's average snowfall is around 65 inches for the entire winter, but winter snowfall for this season has been nearly 106 inches - and still expecting more! And yes, one can definitely adjust to the weather as long as one dresses accordingly, and being involved in winter sports helps.</p>
<p>If international students from Singapore can thrive in Minnesota--and I have seen it done--there shouldn't be any worry about moving to another part of the United States.</p>
<p>WOW!
I am getting quite the education on the topic of COLD. Apparently there are more variations of cold than I could have ever imagined......</p>
<p>It all depends on the person. I grew up in Upstate NY, and always hated the cold. It was so cold there that when I moved to Boston for college, I rejoiced at having moved to a warmer area! Even there, sometimes I skipped class because I didn't want to go outside in the cold!</p>
<p>I now live in a warmer place than Boston, and nothing could drag me back to a very cold area.</p>
<p>Interestingly, older S always hated hot weather, and went to Minn. for college. He complained that it was too warm!</p>
<p>Younger S considered going to college in Michigan, and visited it last Feb. Until visiting it, he thought that weather wouldn't be a factor in selecting a college. After visiting it in the winter, he decided that he wanted a warmer climate. And he's a very laid back kid who in general isn't a complainer. He even has happy memories of playing in the snow in Mich. where he lived until he was 4.</p>
<p>And -- while there are some people who happily adapt after moving from a tropical climate to a place like Minn., I've met people -- including college students -- who were miserable because they couldn't deal with the climate change that resulted from moving from south Florida to north Florida!</p>
<p>I think most kids can adjust to whatever conditions they're in, but you shouldn't ignore strong preferences for a type of climate. D1 thought about going North to college, but is really happy she stayed in FL. However, when D2 has been North in the winter, she goes around saying she feels invigorated and can think so clearly. It will be interesting to see if she chooses to go North, how well she will like that weather after a long winter.</p>
<p>I grew up in Niagara Falls and went to Northwestern. The wind off the lake is like nothing you've ever felt. I thought I knew cold, and I certainly knew snow, but my first winter in Evanston was a real eye opener. Well, not so much open since with the wind it sometimes felt like daggers hitting my eyelids. Two of my kids have been at the University of Chicago and they agree that it is a different kind of cold than what we experience here in suburban NYC.</p>