<p>Santa Barbara...........of course the week of finals, when students should be indoors studying, is almost always sunny and clear........leading to lawns scattered with chairs, towels and frisbees. It's the SB curse............</p>
<p>I think it should be taken into consideration more than it sometimes is. We live in what is often the coldest spot in the nation. If you like to ski, this is your place, but I hear students complain bitterly about our weather. Too much snow to bike around town much of the winter and no public transportation can make for tough traveling. Our college has a lower retention rate and some of it is due to those weeks of 39 below...</p>
<p>Maize:</p>
<p>
[quote]
Grey fits Seattle better than Madison. Madison gets more sunny days, albeit colder ones.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>It's all relative. I was comparing Madison to the DC area.</p>
<p>My D wanted nothing above the Mason-Dixon line and even that was a stretch.</p>
<p>My D in college now had dreams of going to college in FL, but after spending a week there, realized it was a nice place to visit, but she wouldn't want to live there. So, she stayed in New England and realizes she loves the changes in weather - and has already bought a lift pass for skiing about 30 minutes from her college.</p>
<p>My younger D would never even consider going to college in a place with hot weather. She hates the heat! A few months in the summer in N.E. is good enough for her! So, when she was looking at colleges, she wouldn't even consider a place that was in a "hot" area.</p>
<p>So, I would have to say that weather was a big part of choosing a college from the get-go.</p>
<p>S2 (a high school junior) is already bound and determined to consider only colleges only in the Pacific Northwest – even though he has never been there. A native Arizonan, he is – to quote – “sick and tired of dry and brown. I want wet and green!” </p>
<p>S1 (also a native Arizonan) is now attending college in New England. I tried to warn him about winter before he went, but he wouldn’t listen. By October 15 of his freshman year, he was already complaining about the cold because the daytime highs were down in the low 50’s! However, he has learned to bundle up – and to always choose the seat next to the radiator! He really loves the school – it’s the perfect fit for him and he has never thought of transferring -- but I know that when he graduates, he is definitely going to be looking for a job back here in Arizona or maybe southern California! </p>
<p>Buying a winter wardrobe for S1 was a considerable expense, which parents of children from southern climates going to northern schools should definitely factor into their budgets!</p>
<p>W_M -- there are some nice schools here in the PNW that aren't much visible on CC. If S2 isn't a typical CC Type A hoop-jumping overachiever you might want to start a thread. Incidentally, it IS really green here. I have a volunteer 2-foot Western Hemlock growing in a flowerbed with 2-inches of cedar mulch AND anti-weed landscape cloth underneath. It's like a freaking jungle. When I get over the pass to Eastern Washington my reaction is, "ahhhh - a horizon line!"</p>
<p>I wouldn't let the threat of hurricanes influence school choice. The chance of a hurricane hitting any one school is slim & the colleges do have evacuation plans so that one's life is not in danger. Of course the aftermath can be awfully darned unpleasant as New Orleans students know all too well.</p>
<p>Madison today--61 and sunny. I doubt DC is sunnier on average. But I will check.</p>
<p>Ok DC by a whisker--56% to 54% of possible sunshine</p>
<p>KRIKET - hurricanes actualy can be a problem - depending on how one deals with the situation - my kiddo - not in FLA BTW has been evac'd a couple of times - 1st time 5 days after she arrived - really knew no one - had no vehicle - and basically jumped into a car and just headed anywhere west - school shut down for several days - but she made a great friend LOL - and she survived ok - no problems - but other kids were pretty freaked out - as where there parents. The aftermath sure can be a big issue to some folks.</p>
<p>That said tho - just about every part of the country will have SOME weather issues - just gotta have a plan - or two</p>
<p>Barrons:</p>
<p>You didn't mention the 3-4 inches of snow we're expecting tomorrow. How come???</p>
<p>Isnt it funny how kids from certain climates want to try different ones?
D fell in love with the desert when doing her auditions and ASU climbed to #1 on her list.Shes from the East.She loved her 4 years there,now lives in the midwest and can't wait till she can consider looking for an academic job back in the southwest.
S loeved the idea of the warm climate after visiting her.He applied all over and was accepted,but a southern school won out. After an umcomfortable few humid filled weeks, its cooled off for him but kids last week at the football game were dressed in winter jackets and gloves..they were freezing,he laughed and said "they have no blood".
To the OP
Would a desert climate be good for your D's asthma? I know when I visited D in Arizona, my sinus's cleared out and my arthritic joints didnt hurt nearly as much.</p>
<p>deserts used to be good for allergies, until all the easterners settled in the desert for allergies, but missed the greenery from home. so they planted lots of grasses and such, the things that produce the pollen they were trying to avoid. I am not kidding.</p>
<p>My wife's asthma always kicks in as we approach Phoenix (where she used to live). It's in the desert but as newmassdad stated, it's now filled with pollen and plenty of air polution. Phoenix is in a valley and it all gets trapped there. Coastal California is much better for her allergies/asthma because even though there's plenty of greenery year-round, the prevailing winds from the west keep the air fairly clear.</p>
<p>Well it iS November. 61 is less common than a little snow. Any nice days in November are a bonus.</p>
<p>HERE HERE BARRONS LOL - will take a 60 degree day in New England any November LOL :)</p>
<p>Meanwhile I am working on my ark here in the Seattle suburbs.</p>
<p>It is a little funny to here people say they avoid the Gulf Coast and Fla because of hurricanes. yes, we had 2 very, very bad years, and we are in a cycle of increased activity, but there was not even a peep of a storm this year, and we have had the coolest, earliest fall I can remember for years.
The great thing about Gulf Coast and lower South weather for a college student is that our best weather is during the school year, you can even go to the beach for 4 of the 9 months!</p>
<p>The nice thing about the east side of Lake Washington is that flood risk is pretty obvious -- you're either on a hill or in a flood plain. If everything around you is higher than you, start building the ark.</p>
<p>Allergens are probably something to take into account when selecting a school. When we were at Caltech on Monday I noticed that the campus is heavily planted in olive trees -- just about my worst allergy. I would DIE if I were there during pollen season. (Or at least feel like dying.)</p>