<p>I am considering a few relatively equal schools across the country. I am a huge warm weather person: I dread cold weather. Still, I would feel very shallow favouring one school over another because of weather differences. Then again, my school will be my home for most of the year, and I don't want to be miserable because I'm frozen. So, how much are you letting the weather at your choices affect your decision? I'm curious to see how big a factour it is for different people.</p>
<p>NB: When I talk about different weather at different schools, I mean an average temp in the high 40s during the school year vs mid-70s during the school year.</p>
<p>Noobcake I'm not sure if you're being sarcastic, but that's seriously my type of school. I could sacrafice the city thing for a suburb and the wing thing is def. not needed.</p>
<p>Weather is hugely important to me... I hate heat and therefore, living in Florida and knowing the heat quite well, and having lived in Vermont previously and much preferred it, I applied only to northern schools.</p>
<p>I used climate as the most basic criterion to narrow down my college list: I only applied to schools with real fall and winter, and didn't give any consideration to schools in the south, California, etc.</p>
<p>But it's easier to say "no hot weather" than "hot weather only". There's a high concentration of prestigious schools in the northeast, and though there are plenty of equally strong schools in warmer areas, they're not as well-known; you have to look a little harder to find them.</p>
<p>I think that, for some students, weather can and should be an important consideration. If a student is the type who likes being outside, wearing sandals and shorts and playing sports or riding a bike or going on a hike or whatever it might be, then the local weather will be a contributing factor to how many months he/she enjoys their undergraduate outdoor environs. </p>
<p>Consider the student from the mid-Atlantic region or some warmer clime who goes to college way up in New England. When March 15 rolls around and the ground is still covered with snow and the trees are still barren, that is going to be potentially frustrating (and perhaps even worse when the 12-inch snowstorm hits on April 15). And of course, the ski bum is going to be bummed at most points south of the Mason Dixon line so you have to consider if skiing over winter break will be enough to satisfy you or if you need to be closer to the slopes. </p>
<p>Some colleges will adjust their academic calendars (start later, use quarter systems, etc.) to assist with the weather challenges, but every student should investigate this as part of their college search. In particular, please note that a great many colleges are done or nearly so by May 1, so the question you have to ask is whether you want to enjoy much springtime in your college lair.</p>
<p>it's not that bad, i go to northwestern and it's pretty cold and windy here in the winter but the rest of the year it's amazing and it's really nice to have seasons.</p>
<p>even the winter isn't THAT bad, and sometimes it's nice to be in a warm building looking out a window when it's snowing and cold outside</p>
<p>weather is not affecting my decision at all. It might affect whether i stay there during breaks and after i graduate, but not the school i actually attend.</p>
<p>My thought is this - if you're going to complain about cold winter weather, don't go to a school in a cold climate (you'll drive everyone who's used to it insane). If you're going to complain about the heat in September and May, don't go to school in a hot climate (you'll drive everyone who's used to it insane). </p>
<p>If you're the type of person who complains about weather, it should be an important factor in your decision.</p>
<p>Definitely an important factor. I hate the humid heat of Florida so I opted for cooler schools up north. I think I'd actually prefer the cold. It means there'll be snow.</p>
<p>Honestly, it was the second most important thing I considered behind proximity to a metropolitan area. I hate the cold so, so much. It was mos def a reason why I hesitated applying to Berkeley, but I eventually did so.</p>
<p>I personally love Berkeley's weather. That was one of my big considerations in applying. Better than so Cal weather, at any rate. (I'm on the High Desert, and mornings typically have ice everywhere + it snows sometimes. And the summers reach 115 degrees. Not to mention there are, invariably, blackouts during which we have no AC for hours. Funfun.)</p>