<p>I was born in the North, but I have spent the majority of my life in 60-degree Decembers and 100 degree Junes. Even then, I still get the sniffles in winter. </p>
<p>When looking for colleges, should I seriously consider geographic location and weather, or should I just focus on getting into the best school I can? </p>
<p>In other words, how hard is it to get acclimated to new weather conditions?</p>
<p>I would visit a school during the winter that is in a colder area, and see how you feel about it. Weather is one of my factors, but definitely not my main one! If I get into a school I love that is in a cold region, I will still go to it (I’ll just bring lots of jackets ;D)</p>
<p>Thanks! Unfortunately, I cannot visit any schools. What colleges in the South would you recommend? I’m interested in LACs especially. I have an SAT of 2300, and an UW GPA of 3.8. Rank: top 10%.</p>
<p>weather is a major factor for me. i live in texas, and the heat is unbearable. i literally cannot function in such sweltering heat, even though i was born here and lived here for 17+ years. when it is so hot outside, i can’t focus in school, i come home feeling beat up by the heat. the sun takes a major toll on my health because my skin is super sensitive to it, and i just feel nauseated. whenever it’s cold, i’m a lot more productive. that’s why i’m determined to go to a colder climate. it so happens my dream school is the University of Michigan. i definitely won’t have to worry about heat problems if i go there!</p>
<p>I hesitate a little about about U Chicago and Northwestern for my son because of weather, and we are from NJ. If he gets into, say, Columbia, then those two schools will be off the table as weather now is a tie breaker. On the other hand, if it is between Rutgers and Chicago, definitely Chicago.</p>
<p>Weather matters to some people: Others are impervious. Sounds like it matters to you. I would argue that nice weather just makes it easier to try new things. Having to bundle up and face biting cold/wind/sleet can sap the most adventurous student’s will to walk out the door. But then, some people are acclimated to the cold, love winter sports and embrace the change of seasons. (Those who like the cold say you have to embrace it as an opportunity to do winter activities rather than spend the time hiding from it.) If you aren’t sure, and you have more temperate options, why not go with those?</p>
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<p>That’s really silly. The weather in NY/NJ isn’t really appreciably different from the weather in the Chicago area. I don’t know where this mythology comes from, but it’s wrong. Indeed, the East Coast has had worse weathers than Chicago for the last few years. We certainly had a milder winter than my Boston-area daughter, that’s for sure. But no one seems to write Boston off because of weather.</p>
<p>I believe Seasonal Affective Disorder is real.</p>
<p>My son’s entire college search was driven by weather; academics second. With so many great colleges to choose from, I did not see my son’s criteria as limiting.</p>
<p>My BIL transferred out of Rochester for “better weather” in Washington state. Seems my BIL could handle gray, but not the large amounts of snow and need for tunnels.</p>
<p>We visited TX during a summer heat wave. My son found it hot, but not as draining as our humidity can get.</p>
<p>Just off the top of my head
LACs: Davidson, Washington and Lee, Rhodes, College of Charleston, maybe even Furman?
Smaller Unis: Rice, Miami, Tulane, Emory, Vanderbilt</p>
<p>If weather matter to you, then it is a factor. You want to be happy and comfortable wherever you go. If that means crossing out some schools, so be it. </p>
<p>Some ideas offhand are: Davidson, URichmond, Washington and Lee, Sewanee, Furman, Occidental & Pfitzer but do your research and I’m sure you will find even more choices.</p>
<p>The cold weather will affect different people to different degrees. Growing up in Texas, I often would get colds during the winter, much more frequently than most of the people I knew. I went to grad school in the upper Midwest, and there not only did I have frequent colds, but I caught a flu every single winter. I had always been able to do well academically while fighting colds, but the flu is another matter and it can significantly impact your academic performance.</p>
<p>On the other hand, in grad school I had friends from Mexico and northern South America who were used to tropical conditions and who maintained good health the entire time. </p>
<p>My S, who is considering applying to a couple of schools up North, rarely gets colds or “the sniffles” and generally is in very good health. Though I would be somewhat concerned if he were to move up to that region, I would not adamantly oppose it as I suspect it would affect him much less than it affected me.</p>
<p>In my post above, the last two schools are on the West Coast - warm weather options, but definitely not in the south. </p>
<p>If you are considering smaller universities, I’d look at William and Mary as well.</p>
<p>Although Florida can get to one’s head, I don’t think weather should be a dominant factor in one’s college decisions. Region, however, can be very important.</p>
<p>Oh, and Qube, did you improve your rank? Well done! :)</p>
<p>I’d say that weather should be A factor, definitely not THE factor. If you like two colleges fairly equally, but you hate the weather at one, then that can be the deciding factor, but if you don’t care about weather that much it doesn’t really matter. I love Furman, it’s my #2 college. It’s beautiful, great academics, undergraduate focus, great library, cool people, and I live in Greenville, and it’s a great city.</p>
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<p>Rice
U of Richmond (Great lac)
Trinity U
William and Mary
Wake Forest
Emory
Vanderbilt
Duke</p>
<p>It would also be helpful to know what you intend to major in.</p>
<p>Well, since most of the school year does not involve “summer weather”, the only concern about hot weather would be the first couple of weeks of school, unless you’re attending school in an area where uncomfortable hot weather lasts well into Oct and beings in the Spring.</p>
<p>In much of the South, the weather becomes quite lovely around mid Sept and lasts thru the end of the school year. There are some cold days, but not like what people experience in the NE or Midwest.</p>
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<p>[url=<a href=“Monthly Weather Forecast for Seattle, WA - weather.com”>Monthly Weather Forecast for Seattle, WA - weather.com]Average</a> Weather for New York, NY - Temperature and Precipitation<a href=“Avg%20January%20low%20=%2027%C2%B0F;%20the%20lowest%20recorded%20temperature%20was%20-15%C2%B0F%20in%201934.”>/url</a></p>
<p>[url=<a href=“Monthly Weather Forecast for Seattle, WA - weather.com”>Monthly Weather Forecast for Seattle, WA - weather.com]Average</a> Weather for Chicago, IL - Temperature and Precipitation <a href=“Avg%20January%20low%20=%2018%C2%B0F;%20the%20lowest%20recorded%20temperature%20was%20-25%C2%B0F%20in%201985.”>/url</a></p>
<p>Is that an appreciable difference? In my opinion, yes … but not quite big enough that I’d consider it a major factor.</p>
<p>Now, when my son was considering Macalester College, he paid close attention to similar data for the Twin Cities (avg January low = 7°F). For him, winter temperatures became a major factor (enough so that he decided not to even visit that April).</p>
<p>I’m going to have to disagree with your weather assessment mom2collegekids. I live in SC, and it gets into the 90’s (And very humid, may I add) even into October most years (It’s been a colder year so far, but on a regular basis…) Maybe we just have different definition of hot, which could be the case, because I hate the heat and much prefer the cold, but it’s pretty hot here until October sometimes, and it definitely gets hot again starting in March/April some years.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>You’re not disagreeing with me. I wasn’t saying all of the south was a particular way. I know that there are some places that have a longer hot/humid season. If your area of SC is like that, then there you go…that’s one of those places.</p>
<p>Weather was a factor for my daughter. She wanted no real winter, so went to Trinity in San Antonio. After having to practice her main athletic EC indoors much of the winter, she wanted to be able to practice it outdoors as it should be. It was great. She stayed there after graduation to work for a year.</p>
<p>Now she is back in the Midwest dreading winter. There have already been more cold nights than there were on 5 years down there. Mid-January, outside under a tree using the campus wifi? Forget it!</p>