Does anyone want to comment on their experiences with a southern, or warm weather, student going north for college?
Our rising senior has lived in southern Florida since he was 4 years old. He is STEM oriented, and looking at RPI and a couple of other schools up north. He doesn’t have a “dream” school yet though (other than Stanford and that’s a major reach which would be a shock if he got in).
For some reason I do not see him thriving in upstate NY winters, or Boston winters, or really anywhere north of the Maryland line. He is a Florida kid even though he wasn’t born down here. He doesn’t seem to like schools in huge cities, either. My husband and I are both “city” people so this surprises us a bit.
Perhaps he will end up loving something up north. Just wondering if anyone here has seen that happen. We are starting college visit season next week.
@NASA2014 - it’s funny you mention that. We just got back from a trip to the Seattle area, and before that trip we were thinking a little more about the western schools. After the trip we all somewhat mutually agreed that it is a LONG way to go unless it’s for a school that is the perfect fit for him. We all loved it out there though. It’s dramatically different from everything we are used to.
ETA: My son went on a tour of the Boeing plant while we were out there - talked about it for days afterward.
I lived in California, Utah, Indiana, and ohio. I’m two hours away from RPI, and let me tell you. The weather in central NY is crazy. It can be hot and sunny then all the sudden it’s raining.
It won’t be the weather, rather the environment and what activities are available in the area.
RPI is an an area that is classic rural-urban depression. The school is also 70% male. Troy is grey, bleak with no natural beauty or activities to showcase the winter season.
Contrast that with Cornell and Ithaca and Finger Lakes seasonal activities, and the winter is much different.
There’s no such thing as warm weather during the winter season in NY. The only place where it’s warmer and temperatures aren’t that low is NYC. @BatesParents2019
72 RPI freshmen came from the states of Florida, Texas and California (combined) in 2010 and RPI has a freshman retention rate of 93%. From a data standpoint, decisions similar to the one your son would be making appear to have worked out well.
(The Chronicle of Higher Education, “Where Does Your Freshman Class Come From?”)
Thank you for that data @merc81 ! (duh, I should have thought of that).
It is nice to hear anecdotal stories too.
For some reason I’m just not seeing him in NY. ??? I guess we really need to go and see for ourselves. I don’t want my own feelings to sway him one way or the other.
@NASA2014 Yes no kidding. I live in the NYC area. My point is how one experiences the winter has a lot to do with the local area and what seasonal activities exist. In some places the winter is joyous with many things to do inside and outside. In other places, not so much and Troy would qualify for not so much as would Binghamton.
@BatesParents2019 I’ve never been to Troy, NY all I know is close to Albany. Which is a good thing.
OP, I recommend looking at other colleges that is near a city, that way he can feel like home. I don’t know he’ll like Troy. NY because it’s small and it’s in the middle of nowhere.
I am making a move this year from a subtropical overseas location (coldest it gets is 49 F) to western Mass. I spent most of my birthday/Christmas/graduation gift money on winter clothing. Also I have a daylight bulb for my desk lamp for the shorter winter days. My parents are both from Maine, and they say the adjustment should be fine. Remember that college students do spend a lot of time indoors, usually in well lit and heated buildings.
So the short answer is that such adjustments are not uncommon and an even mildly adaptable students are fine with it.
Troy is in New York’s capital district. This not necessarily good or bad, depending on what one is seeking, but Troy is not in the middle of nowhere. State Street in Albany, for example, has a decidedly urban feel. And the nearby Adirondacks, while wild, and, yes, which could be described as “the middle of nowhere” to those who use that term, constitute an incredible and contrasting attraction for others.
Both my kids grew up in sunny California, went to college in Boston and Philadeldia, and now work in NYC. I never heard they said anything about the weather. My son used to wear a jacket with a hood daily in California, winter or summer.
I grew up in Abu Dhabi (hotter than any city in the US) and studied in Michigan. The transition was not that difficult. All you need are good waterproof boots with rubber soles, a good waterproof coat and a good waterproof hat that covers your ears.
My kid went from the desert southwest to Chicago for school. We visited this college (and one other cold weather school) in February with lots of snow on the ground and I think that gave her a taste of what she was getting into. I don’t know that she would say she loved her first Chicago winter, but she did fine. Getting appropriate clothing is important, and she made several mistakes in dressing appropriately for the weather, but her native-to-Chicago friends were pretty good about making sure she didn’t get frostbite. She also enjoyed experiencing fall and spring in the Midwest.
She seems to really like living in the big city, and having access to public transportation and all that Chicago has to offer. We also have family in Chicago, an hour from her college, which helped her transition.
My husband and I moved from Southern California to the Midwest for grad school right after we were married. We really didn’t like winter, or the buggy, humid summers, but you can stick it out for four years if you’re committed to what you’re doing. We moved west again the moment he was done but don’t regret the experience at all.
Is your son an “outdoor” kid? When my daughter’s boyfriend, (born and raised in the Orlando area), came to visit us in CT over winter break, he was shocked to find, “everything’s dead”. After graduation, he took a job for 2 years in Boston. He loved Boston but hated the winter. He is now in grad school in NC and likes the more gentle change of seasons. Appropriate clothing as mentioned in previous posts is a must and guys tend not to realize how much more comfortable they will be.The Northeast experiences a very long winter with leaves off the trees by the end of Oct., a very dreary, damp and cold Nov. and usually an early snowfall in the Troy area in early Dec., and many times a late spring, (May). He will be busy with studies and campus activities, Sept. and Oct. are usually beautiful.
He is a Florida kid even though he wasn’t born down here. He doesn’t seem to like schools in huge cities, either. My husband and I are both “city” people so this surprises us a bit.
We moved west again the moment he was done but don’t regret the experience at all.