<p>Imagine the youth of today at Valley Forge or the Battle of the Bulge…</p>
<p>There’e a big difference between being at a cold-weather school that involves a lot of walking and waiting at bus stops (Michigan State, Indiana, Wisconsin, etc.) and one that’s quite compact and doesn’t require long treks (e.g., Bowdoin, Columbia).</p>
<p>I’m guessing some of the female students that can’t stand cold weather are the type who don’t dress for it. Nobody is happy with cold wet feet.</p>
<p>Maybe I’ll take it off my list…</p>
<p>I think that there are some of us who really have a case of the winter blues. It can be more problematic and be called seasonal affective disorder. But some of us have mild cases of SAD, and our moods really do drop with dark, cold dreary days. </p>
<p>It is more than just needing to “toughen up.” If your D really senses that she does not do well when it is cold or dark and dreary, then NE is not the place to spend 4 years studying. And it is OK to speak up and say so now. Better now than when she is not happy or not doing well in 1-2 years.</p>
<p>Clue–walking is very good for you. On very cold days in Madison you can take the bus–they run quite often and if you dress for it the weather is only really tough about 10 days out of the winter. By walking most place you can forget about needing gym time and eat as you please. You get into good shape without even trying. Most dorms are within 10-15 minutes of most classes by foot.</p>
<p>I’ve lived up north and now I live in the south. The weather had nothing to do with my move and there are things that are wonderful about both. However, with all of the adjustments that need to be made when leaving home for the first time, and also having a kid who is a new driver and has rarely seen snow and never driven in it I supported the decision to avoid colder climates. This did narrow the field and made the college search more manageable in his case. I know it is not right for everyone. I know several Texas kids who sought out colder weather when selecting their schools.</p>
<p>George Washington to his assembled troops at Valley Forge: Men, I know you’re cold and hungry, but this war will start a new chapter in world history.</p>
<p>Soldier from New Jersey: General, I can take the hunger, but my seasonal affective disorder is really flaring up, so I’d kinda appreciate it if I could get an immediate transfer to the St. Augustine Militia down in Florida.</p>
<p>It rarely snows in the north in August when most schools start. Even by the end of first semester it is rarely colder than a cold day in Austin or Atlanta so there is plenty of time to adjust.</p>
<p>Though born in Chicago, S2 has grown up in the PNW. He had a tremendous summer program experience at UChicago, just as the OP’s D appears to be experiencing at Brown. He came home saying he would apply, but was able to track the weather all last year. His brother, who attends UofC, is urging him to apply as are many of our alumni friends and others, and so he might, but I am not sure his heart is into it. Weather seems to be trumping academic experience. </p>
<p>Currently he is selecting possible schools largely based on the weather map. He is looking at CA schools (the usual suspects, including one LAC he really liked, CMC, during a visit); southern schools Rice, Tulane (loves Jazz and NO); the southeast including Duke, W&M. He may grudgingly consider some NE schools, but so far dislikes the entire Ivy League.</p>
<p>I had a friend attend the Univ of Maine in Orono where she discovered that she, too, was ultra sensitive to the cold and broke out in hives…not a pleasant way to spend a long, cold winter.</p>
<p>Try living in upstate new york. ha. it’s pretty much as cold and gloomy as you can get</p>
<p>^no, I would not willingly do that. Maine is cold and snowy enough. 
You can keep it!</p>
<p>Our D spent last summer attending Harvard’s summer session. Being a No Cal native she was not prepared for the humid heat and the rain. I made her bring an umbrella but it never made it out of her suitcase. Undeterred by weather, she applied to schools in the north east and was prepared, as she said to “suck it up”. Thank goodness weather will not be an issue. She will be attending school in the SF Bay Area. She can wear her shorts and flip flops almost year round.</p>