<p>Im not sure where this thread belongs- but in thinking about colleges for older D- we had rural/urban- size of school , size of town, transportation/distance issues, etc. all as criteria but we didn't have weather.</p>
<p>But it does affect your experience re: where you live.
yes, I know that some people are very flexible and they adjust or otherwise roll with it. Frankly, since it take my family extra energy & to deal with life, let alone unanticipated stresses- I want to take the things I can roughly predict into consideration.
Note I didnt' say * make everything as smooth as possible*
But at least be aware -of for instance, schools in towns, that are ill equipped to deal with winter weather, or areas where travel is strictly limited depending on the weather.</p>
<p>I know some students are eager to experience weather that is a change from their childhood. Seasons in New England, or wearing a light jacket in March- could be a very pleasant and novel experience for many :)</p>
<p>My oldest had to deal with impact of weather- just attending school in Portland. Snow impacted train travel & one Thanksgiving/winter break- she was supposed to be home by night, but wasn't even able to board the train until the next day.
This was pretty easy to deal with I admit- she was able to tell us what was going on- she had someplace safe to stay & she wasn't in danger.</p>
<p>But hurricanes- tornados- ice storms as well as things like smog alerts ( she has asthma) are something that I am thinking- I want to be more aware of- and was wondering if others take those into consideration as well.</p>
<p>Because I don't have the feeling that the schools are going to volunteer much information in that line- being that even schools in the midwest where you don't see the ground for 6 months- have brochures making it look like the campus is actually mild enough for seminars to be held underneath blooming fruit trees year round!</p>
<p>Coastal SoCal has very little smog during the school year. It's a well-kept secret. Easterners come out to visit Venice Beach and Disneyland in August and return complaining of heat and smog. The secret to SoCal is winters -- mild and clear. Also, the closer to the coast, the better. Even in summer the smog gets blown inland by the reliable seabreeze. The magic line is usually 5-10 miles inland, depending on various microclimatic changes.</p>
<p>As for smog, according to the LA Times, 2006: "The South Coast air basin has had no Stage 1 smog alerts since 2003, no Stage 2's since 1988, no Stage 3's since 1974." I lived in Orange County for 40 years and the air quality is consistently much better now than when I was a kid. The smog is still there, and if your daughter has asthma I wouldn't recommend Caltech, the Claremont colleges, or UCR, but that still leaves UCLA, USC, UCI, UCSD, USD, Pepperdine, and some others I'm forgetting. </p>
<p>The one thing that SoCal gets that we don't often have in Western Washington is haze -- the non-smog aerial moisture that blocks views. It's a lot like the Sound area during winter inversions -- you know, when Mt. Rainier goes away when it isn't even overcast. It looks like smog, but it isn't really. (OK, OK, even the Sound area gets visible smog in the winter sometimes, but it's more often hazy than London smoggy. Of course, since they banned coal, London isn't even that smoggy any more, but I think you get it.)</p>
<p>I think weather should be in the equation! My great niece the other day, when I suggested schools in the MidWest gave me this look and said she was never leaving California. Period. My sister was horrified that my son chose a school in the snow belt over California schools. He says he is warmer there than when he lived on an island in the Mediterranean! Well, he is right. His dorm has insulation. Has to. Actually, according to my son if you live and study on a campus, they take care of the snow and stuff for you so he likes the silence and beauty of the winter. Go figure. Different strokes and it is not as it seems. So far, he has not missed a flight to anywhere due to weather, but it has only been a year and a half. :)</p>
<p>Well, we've had the weather thing in spades with Katrina in New Orleans. I still wouldn't hesitate to send a kid there, but that's just me.</p>
<p>If you're going to rule out even things like "towns not equipped to deal with winter" along with smog, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes blah and blah and blah, I think that just leaves Az, New Mexico (and only parts of that state).</p>
<p>Be aware that heavy snow states like New England barely blink when the heavy snow comes, whereas Washington, DC/ the Carolinas etc. are stymied.</p>
<p>Doesn't leave you many places. So, for me, I might factor in weather preferences, health needs. But every little weather eventuality that might be a bit of inconvenience? Way too restrictive for me.</p>
<p>Having lived in a variety of climates, from Santa Barbara to TX to MN and New England, and having had many a discussion with others regarding weather/climate (the better term is climate, BTW), I can tell you this:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>if climate matters, then by all means consider it.</p></li>
<li><p>most people find climate is a small issue. </p></li>
<li><p>colllege is only one small step toward much bigger decisions, like what do I do with my life, where do I want to be etc. It can be a good chance to experience some other lifestyles, such differences including climate.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Probaby the saddest thing I saw was in SB, where I ran into quite a few people who drastically, negatively, limited their grad school and career options by not wanting to leave CA. </p>
<p>Regarding school brochures, maybe you're not looking hard enough. I've seen many a picture of a campus in snow, for example. Besides, what west coast school will show pictures of the campus during a pacific storm like you had this past week?</p>
<p>Generally speaking, each winter we have no more than three or four days (max) where the weather is so bad that flights are delayed and cancelled.</p>
<p>Consider also that the local weather does not have to be bad in order for flight plans to go askew. For example, say you fly home from Texas through stormswept Denver.</p>
<p>Or even if you do not have connecting flights, bad weather can delay your incoming aircraft, causing havoc to your travel plans.</p>
<p>In short, I would not consider weather as it impacts travel home (just too hit or miss), only in terms of day-to-day living (ie, can you tolerate it being dark by 4pm in the depths of the season).</p>
<p>I wasn't really looking for suggestions- but just wondered if others used it as a criteria. I don't think there is a perfect weather system. Even Hawaii has a lot of rain, and with warm weather usually comes other sorts of interesting entomological specimens ;)</p>
<p>However- even though she is looking at schools with fairly strong marine bio programs and Alaska has been recommended- she doesn't think she could adjust to the either the extremely short/long days.</p>
<p>Someone else might enjoy the novelty- I think it also goes along with how much time you plan on spending outside.
My oldest for example- hoped that she would have been able to ride( horses) going to school in Portland. However, since she doesn't have a car & had limited time, I don't think she managed to more than once or twice.
( and I don't know if she ever got to their ski cabin- which was one of the things I thought was really cool)</p>
<p>She isn't as athletic as her sister however. She is active & she walks and rides her bike a lot- but she would also be happy using the gym and the pool for her exercise for weeks on end. </p>
<p>Someone who is planning on spending lots of time in libraries and in the labs- may not really care what the weather is doing outside- I realize.</p>
<p>But I have noticed that as students with learning issues seems to be increasing in the college population and they are finding research based evidence that exercise helps brain function- as well as ancedotal evidence from students we know who need activity to keep them sane :D-
Weather depending on their sport- may be something that families are going to be thinking about.
I think this D will be flexible on sports- if she is someplace snowy she will snowboard- or go telemarking, warmer she will play soccer or swim.</p>
<p>In fact althought the soccer season will be finished mid December- she is anticipating joining the rugby team- which starts * up* in December!</p>
<p>I guess I need a bigger umbrella?</p>
<p>( I will restate again- I wasn't looking for "perfect weather"- just wondered if others used it as something they even thought about- just as there isn't a "utopian" city or town- because it depends what you are looking for.)</p>
<p>Consider heat as well as cold- outdoors on a crisp day is far more pleasant than too much heat, regardless of the humidity. Most, if not all, campuses in the cold/snow belt clear the streets and sidewalks fast; I'm waiting to see if son gets a pair of winter boots- he runs year round outdoors (hat, gloves, insulated clothes and running shoes) and none of the middle or high school kids around here who walk on unshoveled sidewalks will wear boots ever. A bitter cold winter day with sunshine can be less depressing than overcast cool rainy days- especially from indoors! Health concerns such as asthma (or arthritis for us boomers) definitely count- smog and cold triggered problems can outlast the weather trigger. Know what affects the asthma- different people are immune/suspectible to different triggers. Places that get a type of weather handle it well, also remember Seattle's airport is more often fogged out than others are snowed out. The far north gets snow which can be plowed when points further south get ice which is treacherous even for walking. I am always amazed at Tornado Alley homes without basements since everyone around here has one. And don't forget about earthquakes... I loved visiting the Seattle area one dry summer and understand why my nephew went to school there and has stayed.</p>
<p>What makes you think weather affects how much time one spends outdoors? I agree rain stops many folks, but not all. My own D has played ultimate on days of heavy rain, for example. And, many cold climate schools have extensive indoor exercize programs from soccer to swimming (OK, from archery to volleyball. Can't find any sports beyond "v").</p>
<p>FWIW, I saw more outdoor activity in the winter in Minneapolis than I did in Boston. In Minneapolis, the summer baseball diamonds become winter hockey rinks. They plow the jogging route around the lakes before the road. And so forth.</p>
<p>Personally, I think couch potatos use weather as an excuse. They still wouldn't go out in perfect weather.</p>
<p>My daughter definitely thought about it...she is photosensitive, and a school in the deep South would have been a miserable experience for her. She did apply to some mid-Atlantic schools but even viewed that as a risk. </p>
<p>On the other hand, some of her college friends from the tornado-free areas apparently freaked out a bit when there were tornado warnings several days in a row. My daughter is no fan of tornadoes but viewed hastening to the basement of her dorm as just an annoyance. </p>
<p>Ultimately, I think weather/climate is just one more variable to throw into the mix when the final decisions are being made.</p>
<p>Weather is not one of the variables that is important to my daughter. Which is fine, since she has others that are.</p>
<p>However, early on in the college-search process when she was reading about one school that was a good fit, she told us she didn't want to consider that school. When we asked why, she said because the book said it was so cold. I reminded her that she lives in Vermont, where it is certainly no colder or snowier than this place, and the book was written with Californians and Texans in mind. We had a good laugh, she looked at the school and is applying there. </p>
<p>Another comment about winter weather -- another variable is how long winter lasts. Sometimes it snows more in Boston than it does here. January and February can be miserable everywhere. But while most of the country is enjoying spring-like weather in March, it can be cold and miserable and even snowy in Vermont through April. And November is just gray.</p>
<p>"Coastal SoCal has very little smog during the school year. "</p>
<p>I suppose. I lived in Pasadena for three years, but had been there for the three previous summers which probably colored my views. I never minded the smog and hot dry heat, but the mountains sure did disappear without a trace in the summers. I also spent more than a few miserable rainy spring breaks there. That said, I loved the weather there.</p>
<p>I agree with others that New England (and I assume upstate NY) handle their snow much better than points further south. And snow is such fun.</p>
<p>"I wasn't really looking for suggestions- but just wondered if others used it as a criteria."</p>
<p>My son says he doesn't like hot weather. I made him apply to a few California colleges anyway. (Besides I don't think it gets that hot in Palo Alto.) However it did contribute to ruling out Rice and some colleges in the south where the humidity, I think, makes the heat feel worse than it does in CA.</p>
<p>I know this is mean-spirited, but I think of Pasadena as well outside the coastal area. I was thinking more like the San Diego Freeway than the Foothill.</p>
<p>Apparently some of you understand my comments and others don't.
Anyway
this isn't a contest between those who are Ironman material and those who aren't :)
Weather does affect enjoyment
I was camping this summer in eastern washington where the temps were 116F
Yes, some of you probably think that is just a balmy day-
However, if you are Celtic coloring- and not acclimated- it could be pretty miserable. I certainly would have enjoyed myself much more if it had only been under 100F</p>
<p>D is actually pretty heat sensitive- she gets heat exhaustion easily, despite taking all the precautions. So while I am getting more comfortable with her going on a short trip through the Australian outback in their winter- I would be more concerned about a stay in harsher weather.</p>
<p>Weather should be a consideration, tho obviously not the most important. Many So Cal kids don't even consider going to school anywhere else because they have never had to think about weather as a fact in daily life and functioning. I imagine it to be a much bigger issue for warm-weathered kids considering schools where there are weather issues, be they blizzard, hurricane, tornando...</p>
<p>Weather was a big discussion point during D's senior year in high school. We live in coastal so cal where, indeed, smog is a non-issue, the weather hovers around 68 degrees on average year round and when it is "cold" kids wear a scarf around the neck while wearing flip-flops on their feet. Our kids do not even own winter coats since they are not skiiers. They layer sweatshirts over long sleeves when it is "cold." </p>
<p>D was determined to go to school in the NE no matter what. She only applied to California schools to humor us. We kept reminding her that weather would be a fact of life for her and she would have to learn to deal. At one point we were told "don't mention the weather again, please!" </p>
<p>As of now, she has not admitted that it is getting cold. I don't think she will ever admit that she doesn't like the weather in Boston. However, when we visited for parent weekend, she was more than eager to take a trip to the Northface store and let us buy her the $300 super-duper ultra winter coat and gloves. She now owns a warm fleece robe, lots of thick socks and thermal type bed linens. We neglected to add these to college-cost estimates!!</p>