<p>I've lived in florida all my life except 1 year in NY(where i was born) and 1 year in mexico(when my dad was on sabbatical or however you spell it). What do i need to know about cold weather that isnt obvious(i.e. wear a coat, gloves, hat, boots, etc. and dont lick poles)</p>
<p>umm...</p>
<ul>
<li><p>it usually gets extremely dry in the winter so be prepared with some hand lotion and some chap-stick. </p>
<ul>
<li>steel travel coffee mugs keep drinks warm for hours and hours in the coldest weather</li>
<li>long and heavy socks do a great job of keeping your toes warm on the extra-cold days</li>
<li>most importantly: remember that the cold does not last forever.</li>
</ul></li>
</ul>
<p>Yargg, you live in Fl??? I'm sure I knew that at some pt, but where in Fl? I've lived here for the last 16 years; born in Buffalo.
And my I suggest bliss body butter for moisturizing- good stuff.</p>
<p>Big change from Florida to Syracuse aka snowiest city over 100,000 in the entire US!</p>
<p>Here's advice a SU student told me last January- Don't worry about what you look like. It is better to be warm and weird looking than cold and trendy. Although eventually you will get used to being both with experience!</p>
<p>Basicly Daytona, but actually DeLand</p>
<p>omg thanks SO much for the 'its dry in the winter' and 'bring a steel coffee mug' advice. i HATE being ashy. and i loves me some hot shokalatte.</p>
<p>"Dont worry about what you look like" </p>
<p>I wish people would take this advice. But nobody does. If you dont have the latest fashions (this goes for guys, not only girls), then you will find yourself with a pretty short list of friends.</p>
<p>Anyway, my advice is, buy some thermal underwear. And dress warmer than you need to. Sure it takes a while to get dressed, but you will pay for it if you don't. Days when I got up late and was in a rush, and didn't dress properly, meant I froze my ass off for up to 18 hours in a day. Don't worry about the snow in Syracuse - the university clears that away very quickly. Instead, worry about the wind - it is treacherous, and can make a semi-cold day in the 20s feel well below zero. Goretex jacket and pants can be expensive, but they are the best - windproof and waterproof. </p>
<p>Buy a durable (not fashionable) pair of boots. Carhart and Timberland are two good manufacturers. Treated leather is very good if you go for natural materials, and among synthetic kinds, goretex is, once again, your best bet. </p>
<p>Buy a thick hat and gloves too - those cheapy things you buy at the dollar store that look all pretty won't do you a damn bit of good. If your gloves don't cost at least $20, and your hat doesn't cost at least $15, then you aren't getting a good product. Forego the deals, spend the money once, and buy yourself some quality clothing. </p>
<p>And again - buy! long! underwear! For the time you spend putting them on, on a cold day (check dailyorange.com or weather.com for the day's forecast before leaving your room), you will save yourself a lot of discomfort. Better to take clothes off if warm, than wish you had some when you are cold. </p>
<p>Other than that, cold weather is just like any other. It can be a major pain in the ass, and the wind can blow in your face (neck gaiter is good for this, as are UV-rated sunglasses that leave very little space between the lens and your eye socket), but dress properly and you won't have any trouble</p>
<p>Anarchy- While I trust your opinion and recognize that my credibility is stained by my current location, I disagree just a little bit. Long underwear is not the best idea all the time. The problem with warm underlayers is that they aren't removable...well not unless you're very very <em>cough</em> confident. See it's ice cold outside, but heated inside. When you walk into a heated building, you'll want to start removing layers...hopefully from the top down. For those horrible days when you have to be outdoors, sure, throw on some cuddl duds or hot chilis, then layer lightly (fashionable and warm). My bro's suggestion (after 4 years in Rochester he has some credibility): down jackets and t-shirts. Also, north face makes a tightly woven thin jacket that will keep you warm down to 15 degrees. </p>
<p>And while I'm at it, Anachy, being fashionable doesn't automatically turn you into a teen movie villain. Judging people for dressing well is as wrong as judging people for dressing poorly.</p>
<p>This is the mom, not the kid. Does anyone know if those little lights on strings are allowed in dorms? (The type hung at parties, with covers like little vinyl lamp shades, and plug into an outlet) My son thinks they are illegal in New York State dorms. But they don't produce heat, which I know is not allowed. Anyone know? Thanks!</p>
<p>Thanks for the warning about being a parent =P</p>
<p>Doing a quick google search, it seems that most colleges (nation-wide) allow them. Many dorm fashion sites even seem to encourage their use.</p>
<p>To speak from experience, my good friend (and soon-to-be roommate) decorated his room, along the edge of the floor and along the ceiling, with these lights, without issue. Even if they are "illegal", you would be asked to remove them before anything bad happens. You can always read the pamphlet that would have come in the mail, about the housing agreement - or just call the Housing and Meal Plan office.</p>
<p>follow anarchy's advice on buy expensive gloves and hats. They really do make a world of difference.</p>
<p>Threeskid: Dressing well is one thing. I may not have money, but when I need to be (or just plain feel like it), I dress nice. But that doesn't necessarily mean name-brand stuff (I do own some, of course, but it isn't at all the mainstay of my wardrobe). And dressing just like every single other schmuck on campus is the last thing I would consider to be well-dressed. </p>
<p>I can go on a tirade about how this social conformity is indicitive of a greater trend of schools churning out blank dolls ready to be stamped with their future occupation, political beliefs, and social class from the moment they enter elementary school until they leave college. People's creativity is limited to what teachers say is creativity, and for most people, their beliefs about society are shaped by what they hear in school. America is great, the white man loved the indians and the indians raped and murdered settlers, etc. It doesn't just relate to American history, but I use that as an example of all facets of our lives that are 'dictated' by "the system". I don't think it is a conscious conspiracy, but instead its the "pundits" and the media telling us how to best raise our kids and insisting that everything taught in school is necessary for a productive life in society. It isn't. And so (for anybody still reading), my point is that people needn't be so damned conformist to this implicit social pressure to wear the same clothes, enjoy the same pasttimes, and pursue the same endeavors. </p>
<p>Lesson here folks? Yes, even winter clothing is a display of the evils of society :-)</p>
<p>It's getting awfully fashionable to believe all that. The belief that society is making zombies of us is a trend just like skinny jeans, except rather than slipping away with time, this trend hops from generation to generation- waiting for people to outgrow it, then presenting itself to the next group of identity-obsessed teens.
I say you're born different. If you have to try at all to "break the mold", you're trying too hard. I choose to dress the way I do, and never look anything like my friends- with no effort whatsoever.</p>
<p>A fashionable belief, perhaps - but 95% of the people who subscribe to it probably cannot think of a single argument to use in favor :-)</p>
<p>Keep in mind that most people who "break the mould" end up conforming anyway - South Park showed this in the "dance off" episode when they approach the Emo kids to join their troupe, and two of them decline to join, saying its 'conformist', but the last one DOES join, saying that he isn't going to conform with their non-conformism. It may be a pretty unintelligent show, but they do portray some pretty interesting concepts from time to time. Anyway. There is no question that society as a whole has become more homogenous as communcation methods have improved. Regional variations in language and culture have virtually all but disappeared in America, and are quickly going bye-bye in the rest of the world. "Globalization" is the fashionable term for this. </p>
<p>As for myself, while I do endorse non-conformism, I generally only wear clothes that are comfortable, believe what I myself have taken time to learn about (as a political example, I wouldn't think highly of a candidate just because they had a flashy commercial, but would take the time ti learn more about them - I spend over 5 hours a day reading news and looking up interesting topics on wikipedia when I have nothing to do at work [which is most of the time]). </p>
<p>Variety is good, and yet it is something that is severely lacking in many facets of our lives. Politically, gastronomically, academically and socially, we are becoming more homogenized. People seem to be unable to think for themselves any more. You will see it this fall - when everybody arrives on campus all the freshmen will be wearing their preppiest clothes - but they will be varied. As the year progresses, they will conform more and more. I use clothing as a good example because it is readily observable, and yet highly indicative of one's social group and status and attitude. </p>
<p>Mob mentality just sucks.</p>
<p>Man, I love a good debate...
So I'll keep disagreeing with you. No just kidding, the points have been made. However, I've heard people get to be more themselves as the year progresses. Someone told me the first three weeks are ridiculous. It's all "Omg! we should totes be best friends! We have so much in common!". If that lasted the whole time, no one would go to college...right?</p>
<p>When i get to school i'm just going to throw a frisbee and whoever catches it will be my friend.</p>
<p>I hope you guys can catch.</p>
<p>Taking the "dogs are man's best friend" approach, eh? Well, at least you know your new friends will be loyal...and slobbery.</p>
<p>Yargg-Hi, I am a Mom of a soon to be college freshman and and we live approx. 45 mins west of Syracuse. My husband and I went to college in Syracuse so I can tell you to expect lots of snow in the winter. It will be very important to get good warm 'wind resistant' gloves and hat as stated above. Also include a nice scarf that you can wrap around your neck and face when the wind blows. The campus is a bit on a hill and can be very windy. They also sell flannel lined or fleece lined jeans that are very nice and can be found at a store like LLBean. Son applied and was accepted but chose elsewhere. We have visited the campus several times over the past year-I did notice alot of 'Ugg boots' on the girls in the winter. Never owned a pair but must be warm. Columbia is a good warm brand of clothing too. If you don't come with any of these rest assured there is a great mall not too far away where you can shop at and purchase what you need for the weather. Dick's Sporting Goods is a great store that sells all sorts of warm outdoor gear that is also fashionable. (It's in the area) Hope this helps.</p>
<p>anarchy what to u mean 'preppiest clothes'. how do the cuse girls dress?</p>
<p>and no offense but i think youre only talking about the white people. idk if thats harsh or not.</p>
<p>Sad, but no, it isn't just the white people. Their sickness is contagious, and their vainity spreads like a disease. I'll relate this (think whatever you want of it (and of me), I dont care :-) )</p>
<p>Two preppy white *****es eating dinner, having their conversation (about absolutely nothing), with an overweight (fat) black girl there as well, trying to be part of the conversation (they were all eating together). She had apparently bought entirely into the prep scene, and was wearing the "latest fashion" (pretty much the same thing as the white girls). And for as much as she tried to get into the conversation, the two white girls pretty much ignored her (they did seem to know each other, or were "friends" I suppose). This went on for a good 15 minutes in the dining hall.</p>
<p>Point is, these people are conceited, vain, <generally> stupid, and lack any creativity or personality. They are all alike (well, most). Don't get me wrong - there are some smart and interesting people, but they are few and far between, and are themselves a pretty boring group. I would consider myself fairly intelligent (okay, maybe "the smartest man on earth" :-) ), but I like to party my ass off too. Thing is, none of the "smart" people like to party - they generally hide in their rooms most of the day as well, until night time when they go to their various clubs. There doesn't seem to be a good mix of personalities. </generally></p>
<p>I did read up a lot about student opinions before going to SU (though not before accepting their admission offer - and I never had the opportunity to visit the campus). What I heard most was how "cliquey" it is, and how little interaction there is between race and class. I figured, "well, it can't be any worse than my high school was". Wrong. </p>
<hr>
<p>Preppy clothes = Abercrombie, Juicy, Ugg boots, North Face, Lacoste, Aviators, striped polo shirts, -any- oversized sunglasses, and whatever other brands or accoutrements they wear. You'll know em when you see em.</p>