<p>When my older son was looking at grad schools, he excluded all but one cold-weather school because he preferred warmer weather. He’s not the type to keep track of gloves, hats, scarves nor would he want to be bothered with all of that garb…lol. </p>
<p>So, it depends on the student. A student who is not used to very cold snowy weather, might think - “wow, snow” - the first couple of times…but then quickly change his mind to…“ugh, snow (or rain) again, where’s the sun?”</p>
<p>Another thing I noticed…those who are used to living in inclimate weather areas, are used to checking the weather forecast frequently. I grew up in Orange County, Calif and I never checked the weather…ever. It would be very hard for me to get used to having that concern on a daily basis in the fall, winter, spring. I know that my son would be the last person to be checking the weather forecast.</p>
<p>Not that big a deal. I have lived in the northeast, southeast, northern midwest, southwest, southern west coast and pac northwest. Very little about how much I enjoyed the area (or not) had to do much with the weather. You adapt pretty fast. People are made to adapt. Only the emotionally weak let it really get to them.</p>
<p>My son is only in 10th grade. No idea of college major or type of school, but he certainly knows he wants “Good weather.”</p>
<p>He hates ultra cold and long dark days. Rochester is out. Colorado - snow with sun - is in.</p>
<p>With 3,000 schools to choose from, I certainly think any factor that is important to the student should be used to whittle down the overwhelming choices.</p>
<p>It’s not weird to exclude schools because of weather. If you don’t feel like you would be happy in a cold/wet climate, then don’t apply. There are plenty of great schools with temperate weather.</p>
<p>What part of the South are you referring to? I’ve been looking into schools in Virginia and have read everywhere that the weather is pretty temperate, with mildly changing seasons and nothing too extreme.</p>
<p>Summers in Virginia are hot and very humid. That means around 90 with 80% humidity. But they have AC most places so you just deal with it. Bugs were a bigger bother than the heat to me.</p>
heat in SoCal and in DC area are nothing alike (I have lived in both) … when I was in high school (MD right outside DC) I’d flip with my sister to see who would go to the end of the driveway to the mailbox because whoever did would be sweating by the time they got back to the house (40 yard trip) … it gets VERY humid in July and August in Virginia (at least near DC) and it can be pretty miserable for some people. That said anyone going to school in these states will pretty much miss the humidity in the Sept-May/June school year.</p>
<p>^Haha, ah, I see! That sounds pretty awful. Intense heat like that is probably even worse than intense cold (in my opinion). But yeah, I probably wouldn’t stay in Virginia during the summer anyway, so I won’t worry about that quite yet. :)</p>
<p>All the South east of Austin is hot and humid all summer. Houston and NOLA are the worst but all the way to Florida it is bad. Atlanta hot and humid all summer.</p>
<p>*What part of the South are you referring to? I’ve been looking into schools in Virginia and have read everywhere that the weather is pretty temperate, with mildly changing seasons and nothing too extreme. *</p>
<p>I was referring to Florida, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana.</p>
<p>Unless your child is going to be going to summer school in Alabama, I wouldn’t worry about things like humidity and such in this state. Yes, your child might get a couple of weeks of humidity the first couple of weeks of school, but then it goes away…yay!!..and then the most gorgeous weather…sunny blue skies and fluffy white clouds… This is what it looks like most of the time… <a href=“Page Not Found | The University of Alabama”>Page Not Found | The University of Alabama;
<p>If a person can’t tolerate a couple weeks of humid weather while in A/C buildings and then have good weather for many months, then…</p>
<p>Weather is actually a pretty good reason why I don’t particulary want to go to schools in the South or West. I’ve lived in the North East all my life and I couldn’t live without snow or the cold. I also despise the heat, with a passion lol. I know this sounds pretty weird, but that’s just the way I am. Anyway, you should definitely go somewhere where you’ll feel comortable, in a social and literal sense.</p>
<p>My son was born and raised 1 block from the beach in sunny So Cal, he is just finishing up his freshman year in Philadelphia. Although we live 30 minutes from LA, it is quite rural, he loved being city center in Philly, living in a high rise and experiencing his first real winter. Is he excited about coming home, Yes… but he has had a new and interesting experiences including the concept of “winter”. Remember, college is suppose to be a (learning) experience, a little weather just makes things a bit more interesting!</p>
<p>I’ve lived in California my whole life and I have seasonal depression that worsens when there’s no sunlight. So I’m clearly staying in California…</p>
<p>To hear you all talk about the northern and eastern reaches of the country you’d think we’re all snow-bound, bearded cavemen huddled around smoldering fires hoping to survive a few more days on this desolate planet we inhabit. Yes it snows. Yes it can get cold for days, even weeks at a time. But the sun does come out, being resourceful, we’ve invented snappy products called hats, mittens and scarves which, along with a parka do a wonderful job of keeping us warm during particularly cold periods. They make it quite pleasant to go outside and ski, skate or go sledding. It can be dangerous if you’re not prepared, but I can honestly tell you that it’s been weeks since any marauding polar bears snatched our children.</p>
<p>Should weather be an important factor in your decision? No, not in my opinion. Go to the school best suited for your academic goals and learn to adapt. It’s a vital life skill. If you have two choices that offer the same academic experience and one has a more personally amenable climate, then you should use it as factor. Of course, here on CC I’m sure there are plenty of people who’d love to have you remove yourself from competing for any of those Ivy League or MIT spots because your concerned about cold tootsies. Just remember you 're also dropping places like Notre Dame, Northwestern, Chicago, Tufts and BC, to name a few.</p>
As long as it stays mild during most of the year, I’d consider it good weather!</p>