<p>I've lived in Georgia my entire life and have never experienced outdoor temperatures below 18 degrees (and this was during a skiing trip to WV). For those of you at ND coming from warm climates, how did you handle the drastic shift from mild winters to freezing ones?</p>
<p>2nd Question
Does the weather make it difficult to have a vibrant student life? Are there plenty of activities for students during the winter months, or do students mainly hang out in their dorms to avoid the cold?</p>
<p>This Is my main concern about nd as well. I’ve lived in Houston my whole life and the other schools I’m looking at are in San Diego, Miami, and Austin. The cold weather and the length if the winter concern me. I’m also interested in knowing what you guys do to take advantage of the cold though. And what do people wear when it’s so cold outside? Jeans?</p>
<p>I can’t answer the 2nd question since I am not a ND student, but I originally lived in Indiana and now live in the Southwest (so the opposite of you two). And I guess I could ask you a similar question. How do you survive the scorching hot summer? You just get used to it over time. Your blood will thicken and you will start to love the beautiful Hoosier winters. And as with all places, the weather doesn’t just suddenly drop 50 degrees. It is a gradual decline. And yes, you can wear jeans or sweatpants. And look at it this way, when the stores start to sell winter clothes, you can actually buy them and wear them throughout the season instead of just on one or two days!</p>
<p>You make subzero temperatures sound so appealing!</p>
<p>And about the hot southern summers… I spend a lot of my summer hanging around pools, rivers, and beaches (I live on the coast of GA) where it’s easy to stay cool. Otherwise, I just drink a lot of water and accept the fact that I’m going to sweat like a pig when I’m outside. When it’s uncomfortably hot (over 100 heat index), I usually just do something indoors or stay in the shade when I’m outside.</p>
<p>Back on subject, someone out there has got to be able to answer my original question!</p>
<p>& Again, this may or may not directly apply to the university, but growing up in Indy, I would also make snowmen and snow forts and have snowball fights with friends. And if you are truly up for it, there is skiing in Michigan less than 2 hours away from the university.</p>
<p>And if growing up in Indiana is any indication of what people do during the winter, people definitely don’t stay indoors.</p>
<p>As a student I can say that the winter is absolutely terrible. Don’t let anyone sugar coat it for you, it is freezing cold and it snows routinely. You just wear a lot of warm clothes and minimize your time outdoors during the winter. </p>
<p>As to your 2nd question, it does put a slight damper on things. However, if you want to come here you shouldn’t let the winter be a deciding factor.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say it’s absolutely terrible. Is it cold? Yes. But there are a lot of places that have it much much worse. It snows a lot in South Bend because of lake-effect, but it tends to get warm enough that it melts so there is never too much snow on the ground, and highs are in the 30s in January, the coldest month. For how much people rave about it, you would think that it doesn’t get above zero for months at a time. Bottom line is people manage. There are plenty of people from warm climates who get by just fine.</p>
<p>I’m from Washington DC. As far as the highs being in the thirties, factor in the windchill and see how it feels. And the melting is really non-existent, most domers will tell you that from Dec-Mar there is going to be some snow on the ground. This is not a problem since the University works diligently to make sure all the walkways are clean and everything operates as normal. Also, sunshine is very limited during this period as well. Its not dark, just most days are cloudy or partly cloudy. Overall, the weather is bad and cold.</p>
<p>I’m from South Dakota. I know winters that are far worse. I have experienced 2.5 South Bend winters, they really aren’t that bad. And yeah, if you look at how much snow South Bend gets each year, a lot of it does in fact melt. Otherwise there would be several feet of snow on the ground in February, which is not the case.</p>
<p>I have lived an hour south of S. Bend for 31 years. S is a sr. at ND. Winter sucks. No as bad as S Dakota though! Weather.com says the average Jan high is 31; the low is
16. Average snowfall is 81.8" per year. At times, there is significant lake effect snow from Lake Michigan. ND keeps the walkways very well maintained; S does not think snow is a campus problem. WIND is a problem. At times it is bone chilling. Layers, gloves, and hat–it can be managed. Campus is compact enough there’s never that far to walk.</p>
<p>Kids from So Cal and southern US do have to make a weather adjustment, but they all manage. S doesn’t think it dampens social life, but granted, he has grown up in northern Indiana. You just don’t spend time outside when it’s nasty.</p>
It probably won’t be; however, as it’s bitterly cold for several months, I just want to make sure that I won’t be absolutely miserable for half the school year.
And just as a disclaimer…I’m actually quite enchanted by the idea of living in the snow. Building snowmen and all those other things that Periodically mentioned above sound thrilling as things I’ve missed throughout my childhood (kinda corny, I know).</p>
<p>How about some more comments on my second question? The one about student life during the winter months? What do y’all do for fun?</p>
<p>The largest thing people do for fun at ND is drink alcohol. People are going to give me crap for saying that, but it is true. There are many activities you can get involved in if you want, but drinking is ubiquitous and is the major activity on campus during weekends. During the winter we spend more time indoors and this means more drinking if you drink (which if you don’t drink, ND might not be the best fit for you). </p>
<p>And as far as being “absolutely miserable” I hate living in a dorm far more than the cold. You won’t be miserable here coming from Georgia, the people who usually secretly confess they don’t like it at ND come from very cosmopolitan areas or have lived abroad.</p>
<p>You really should think about the winter before you come here. I came from south Texas, and almost transferred my freshman year. </p>
<p>Jsmithers, I agree that drinking is a big part of the social scene here, but I have plenty of friends who have abstained from the sauce all four years and had a great time anyways. Also, I’ve lived abroad and in cosmopolitan areas, and while South Bend does royally blow, I would argue that the multifaceted education you receive here combined with the family like community and abroad opportunities trumps the fact that the coolest bar in SB is Club Fever.</p>
<p>Considering you could say that about pretty much every college campus in the country (possibly even the world – Europeans don’t have to worry about a 21+ drinking age, after all), I personally see no reason to “give you crap” for saying that. What I do give you crap for is implying that drinking is the end-all-be-all of social life at Notre Dame. </p>
<p>In reality there’s a wide spectrum of attitudes and behaviors about drinking on-campus. I’m friends with people who don’t drink, friends with people who probably drink too much and have had some trouble with both ND’s disciplinary system and the law, and friends who are very responsible about when and how much they drink.</p>
<p>Also, I’d say that student groups are as active during the winter as the rest of the school year (with the possible exception of football season, which makes it difficult for anything else to happen on Saturdays). It may be true that more of the big events happen during the spring with the nicer weather, but you’ll never be at a loss for things to do even in the cold months.</p>