<p>My daughter loves everything about Ithaca, except the fact that she's heard it's very cold there. We are from CT., can anyone tell me how the weather differs from that in southern CT? Is it really a lot colder? When does it start snowing? I looked at the Ithaca weather site, and it was informative, but I was hoping to hear the what it's really like from an Ithaca student/parent.
Thanks!</p>
<p>its not as cold as people say it is. when it is really cold, it is mostly because of the wind. it snows probably every other day during the winter but it hasn't accumulated much this season. it started snowing around thanksgiving this year i think. i'm from the philadelphia area and i don't think its that bad usually. if you're from CT i doubt you'll have a problem.</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply, ek2007!</p>
<p>I walked around the campus for a tour in mid-Thanksgiving 2 years ago. It was already quite cold and really windy. There was a small amount of snow/ice rain drizzle that day. I found that the cold wind really hurt my face. I think that weather is really something to think about. I don't think that it would have bothered my son who tolerates the cold better than I do.</p>
<p>We visited last spring break - early April. The temp never got above 29 degrees and it snowed the two days we were there. DS said if IC were a food it would be ice cream - vanilla ice cream because it seemed diversity was lacking.</p>
<p>Funny, I was tired, when I wrote mid Thanksgiving, I hope that you all realize that I meant mid-November in post #4!</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. I know my daughter is nervous about the weather. Sounds like the wind adds to the cold for sure!</p>
<p>My feeling is that there is hardly a college/university in the Northeast where it's not cold and windy in the winter! Kids are tough and get used to it quickly! A warm parka, good hat, gloves, boots and a positive attitude will get them through! There is strength in adversity, and surviving the bad weather leads to bonding and having great stories to tell. My daughter is looking at Ithaca and Syracuse- there are so many positive things about both places-don't focus on the "negative". I know you have some bad weather in CT too!</p>
<p>Yes, musmom2, you're right about focusing on the positive. But unfortunately my daughter does not want to be anywhere colder than home! We'll see ... there are so many great things about Ithaca.</p>
<p>nerbsmom -- I can relate. My daughter also drew the line at going to school anywhere where it is colder than home. As it turned out the only school she applied to north of New York City is in Connecticut (Wesleyan). She did the research and Middletown is several degrees warmer on average than this part of the Hudson Valley.</p>
<p>My daughter also grew to abhor Gothic architecture during her college visits. Weather and architecture were the only quirky criteria she applied to her search -- at least that's all that comes to mind at the moment.</p>
<p>didn't mean to sound preachy above! Actually my D has also said she doesn't want to go any further north for school. Since we are in (way)upstate NY, that rules out SUNY Potsdam and ST. Lawrence. Since she has already lived it, I don't blame her! For us, Syracuse and Ithaca are both actually south!</p>
<p>We are from CT too and my son didn't want to apply to Ithaca or any college in northern NY that we were looking at because of the cold. He really does hate it, so why torment himself, but they did have some good deals at schools that were more distant and cold. He ended up in NJ and he sometimes tells me how they are 10 degrees warmer than we are. I just roll my eyes and smile. : )</p>
<p>I personally love the cold and am so excited when my brother has hockey pratice because it means I get to go to the ice rink. But in the winter I hardly think all the students will be spending inordinate amounts of time outside. They will have classes and studying and life. Just get them a warm jacket and tell them to suck it up :) winter in New England and New York is wonderful.</p>
<p>the most time you'll spend outside is walking to parties on friday and saturday nights - alot of them are a good distance away so you do get pretty cold</p>