Yes, including time on ground and transports, delays (common these days) it might be more than 10. Worth it for some, I know! I’m a Wes alum and neither of my kids did/will apply. Although D24 is was quite interested in Mount Holyoke, that seems to be fading. We shall see if she ends up applying to anywhere back east, still too early to say. But travel time does weigh into the decision for sure.
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I’ll vouch for the weather in Davidson as a major selling point. My '20 chose to apply early to Davidson over some NESCAC options in no small part due to the milder climate. There have been several sunny days in the mid 70s this month with tomorrow expected near 80. Not many northern schools can have outdoor concerts/parties in February. Plus the students have access to Davidson’s Lake Campus on Lake Norman. I understand a large group is planning to go to the Lake Campus beach tomorrow afternoon.
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To be fair, the super warm weather in Feb is not something you can count on but I’m sure Swarthmore gets much more snow. I have seen it be 7 degrees and 70 degrees in winter in NC. You just never know what you’re going to get. My Facebook memories were recently showing me photos of a big snow storm of about 6 inches we had about 5 or 6 years ago but there are plenty of winters (like this one so far) where we don’t get any snow. We may yet get something. We have had big snows in March in the past but it sure looks like Spring around here now with all the daffodils and jonquils in bloom, sunshine, and flip-flops. When I was in college in NC back eons ago I remember seeing kids sunbathing in their swim suits on sunny warm February days.
If it does snow here in NC (aside from the mountains) that’s cause for a big celebration and party. Public elementary schools and many businesses and places of employment will close. Colleges may call off classes too depending on how residential the campus is. Not sure how Davidson rolls on that. It’s like a big surprise party when it snows here.
Hope your son has fun at the lake!
My friends in Los Angeles are shopping for parkas.
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More unusual there. I lived in LA briefly.
In NC in winter you can get anything, but sunny and 70s is not uncommon at all. Snow is more uncommon. Most common is 40s and rainy or 50s and sunny. It’s 9:34am right now and 69 currently. Supposed to get up to 79 today according to my weather app. Wouldn’t be surprised if it gets warmer. This is pretty typical March weather actually, rather than February. Some Marches we’ll hit the 90s once. But then again we can have severe thunderstorms and tornados in Spring. And then there is the Great Pollening. If your student has bad allergies, the South may not be the place for them. https://www.reddit.com/r/NorthCarolina/comments/baz8bf/no_trickery_here_this_is_the_pollening_over/
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I will take the sunny winter days in NC over the gray winter skies in the northeast any day, whether the temps are 40 or 79! Even my VA college kid is loving the warmer temps. It’s a weird winter!
Headed to LA next week - hoping not to have to pack my parka!
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Yeah, my family is from the Piedmont area. It’s still the sort of place where everything shuts down if there’s even an inch of snow on the highways. Easter get-togethers were always festive. Christmas visits were few and far between.
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My son is a freshman in Philly, and I sent him back after Christmas with a giant parka. Instead, he’s been wearing shorts to class!
Well, you never know about the weather. In the hills around Portland this morning we have 18 inches of snow, the city got 11. It’s pretty much the apocalypse here.
Because Newark has double or triple the amount of non-stop flights from the major west coast airports than Philly: you can argue that Drew University in Madison, twenty minutes from Newark, is the most convenient LAC for west coast kids to get to and back.
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About 30% of SMU students are from the west coast. Maybe SMU will be joining the PAC-12 in the near future. A friend’s son roomed with an engineering major from a Portland Jesuit school. Another friend’s kid attended a Portland Jesuit and wanted BC and enrolled in SCU. Anecdotes fitting the narrative.
Emory is another university with a high percentage of west coast students. Maybe one of the highest on the east coast.
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Yep, very cold and windy here. Lots of rain and snow expected in the next couple of days. It is a good thing, because we need it. 
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The M60 is $2.75, stops right at their campus, and takes you to La Guardia (LGA). My daughter took it whenever she had to go places.
Sure, New Yorkers have their choice of two more airports (JFK & EWR), but in a Metropolis you generally try picking flights at the airport that is closest. Crossing the entire city of New York can be quite a journey!
So yes, if you’re journeying overseas, or are booking a long vacation and don’t mind travelling an hour from Manhattan (less if you’re saving enough to justify a cab/car) for a better fare or more convenient schedule (e.g., direct flight), then you always do have the other two options.
True - you weigh connecting local transportation vs. connecting flights and pick whichever is the best choice. NYC does have Uber.
As a student, my daughter was/is on a budget, but usually has somewhat flexible travel times - so she doesn’t mind connecting for a better fare.
On the plus side (and I’ve been there many times) - at crunch times Barnard can actually be easier to get to than most other places in the country - because even if airline X cancels your flight from Y and you absolutely DO have to get there, you’ll have your choice of rebooking on many different airlines serving the three major airports through their various hubs, with better odds of actually snagging a seat on one.
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Agree on the ease of Philly-area schools from CA. My D21 at BMC and I have found the travel to/from SF to PHL to be pretty easy. She either takes the train to/from airport or Uber or has a friend who drives a shuttle for students. Pretty good priced and well-timed direct flights. Philly has good priced hotels compared to NYC. I’ve enjoyed getting to know Philly.
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Honestly… I don’t care…but is there a real difference between 7 choices and 15? Price? 2 redeyes vs. one? You can only fly on 1 plane at a time.
As for Drew…c’mon…seriously? Nobody from the West Coast is applying to Drew and Swarthmore. Hell, nobody in New Jersey is applying to Drew and Swat.
Like I said earlier…I posted it as a data point, not a deciding factor.
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I lived in NYC and preferred the M60. What a deal and a good view of the city.
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My BFF lives on the Upper West Side. I have flown into LaGuardia a number of times and always take the M60 to visit her. Can’t be beat for price!
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Haverford, BMC and Swarthmore are all easy from PHL - Airport train to 30th Street, then Regional Rail and you are within a block of campus.
My kids crossed two of those schools off the list due to the “no schools within walking distance of home”.
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I don’t know anything about Drew, but we definitely know CA kids that applied to Swarthmore. Seems like a popular choice for a certain type of academically ambitious kid in our area.
I believe the point was no one is applying to BOTH Drew and Swarthmore… 
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