<p>So I'm from southern california, and I've never been in snow for more than a couple days, and the coldest it gets here is like 40 F at night...
Would I die at Northwestern, or with proper clothing and stuff would I be okay?</p>
<p>You’ll be fine with proper clothing.</p>
<p>DD attends NU. She loves the seasons!..albeit she does enjoy coming home during spring break and laying out by the pool…:)</p>
<p>Last winter was absolutely freezing - often below zero! This winter, not so bad temperature wise almost always in the teens or higher but lots of snow. Will it be colder and more snowy than Southern California, yes, how cold and snowy, who knows?</p>
<p>I am from the Chicago area…if you ask me, the weather is part of what makes this area unique. Being near Lake Michigan is really cool…but that alos makes the weather a little colder around campus, especially the wind in the winter. But over all, if you layer properly, you will be fine…it is a great location to come to school</p>
<p>I moved from So Cal to Chicago and I live about 5 miles from Northwestern. Northwestern is in the prettiest part of Chicago (the north shore), but, at the same time, has good public transportation downtown.</p>
<p>To deal with the winter, just make sure you have the right clothes. I posted a long note on this yesterday on the “Class of 2014” thread in the University of Chicago forum. Go over there and look at it. It’s slanted toward women (because I’m a woman), but, in the winter, the clothes the men and women wear aren’t that different (at least when it comes to parkas, snow boots, etc.) Northwestern and the U of C are both right on the lake, just that U of C is about 20-25 miles south.</p>
<p>My family in CA still doesn’t “get” that I think winter is no big deal. But, your body really does adjust, and over time, I’ve decided I actually like the winter–it energizes me.</p>
<p>As I say in my note, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale all have snow, and I yet I never hear anyone say they might not go there because of the weather.</p>
<p>There are tons of NU students from SoCal. THey all seem to adjust fine. You’ll love it. Promise.</p>
<p>We lived in Chicago for 4 winters back in the '90s. I don’t recall any NU students dying because of the weather, of course more than a few were taken down by marauding polar bears who swept through campus once Lake Michigan had frozen solid. Proper clothing will solve the weather issue; as for the polar bears, just make sure and walk around campus with someone you can out run, bears always go for the slow ones first. ;)</p>
<p>It’s kind of funny cause I’m like the opposite of you. I grew up on Chicago’s north shore near Evanston and now I go to school in SoCal, but I’m kinda thinking about transferring back cause I really miss it. Anyway, if you’re anything like my roommates who’ve lived in SoCal their entire lives and think 40 degrees is freezing, then you will be cold! However, I think you get used to it fairly quickly and eventually you’ll begin to think 30 degrees is quite warm lol! I always found that even with the proper clothes it was still cold, but that’s just me. I think that as long as you get a good winter coat and a warm fleece jacket ( North Faces are very popular) then you will be fine. A lot of girls wear uggs, which I understand since they are warm, but they snow and slush makes them get dirty and wet and then they are pretty much ruined. You’re better off getting real snow boots. Scarves, gloves, and earmuffs or a hat are probably also a good idea.</p>
<p>After a couple of weeks of winter, 40 will seem like 70. In January, 30 will seem like 70.</p>
<p>As a SoCal Northwestern student, I applied to schools knowing the weather was going to be substantially worse because I wanted to be in a new environment. Really, as long as you have a winter coat, gloves, and a beanie, you’ll be fine. You dont spend much time outside, and the shuttles run consistently enough that it doesnt screw with when you want to go longer distances. Sure, it limits the months where you can throw a football around but it’s really not a super big deal. </p>
<p>The one thing that IS annoying is not the weather itself, but the fact that the only small talk you make with people is “Oh yeah, definitely cold today…”</p>