<p>My son has made his decision and will be attending Drexel in the fall. OK, this is really a dumb question but as a Mom, I need some help here. My son said that when he went to visit he felt like a real Californian, he is basically a surfer/skate boarding kid from a beach community...going to an east coast city. Mind you, we live in LA, the city is not the problem but he felt style-wise...he really stood out. He wears tight jeans, white tee's, vans and sweatshirts...seems pretty basic to me but I guess that Drexel may be more preppy.</p>
<p>So, what is the Drexel style? Most importantly, the kid has never lived in the cold weather...someone please clue me in on what he will need to fit in.</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>SockherMom - I don’t think your kid really needs to worry about this. The city is hugely diverse! I also wore skinny jeans and Vans to the Accepted Student’s weekend and I didn’t feel like I was out of place at all. There are so many people in Philadelphia that I think it is easy to find people who fit your style. It’s also easy to find friends who don’t fit your style but will be your friend anyways because the city and people seem very accepting. I don’t know what your son’s major is but I’m going to be majoring in Music Industry so skinny jeans and vans is very common, I believe, for these “types” of people. Whatever your son’s major, I’m sure he will be able to find people who fit his style here. If he has to change what he wears to try to fit in, he’ll never be happy! I say go for it! I saw lots of people in that “style” during my stay. :)</p>
<p>As for cold weather, I completely understand. I’ve lived in Florida my whole life and have never even seen snow! As long as he genuinely likes cold weather I think he should be fine. I find that winter is my favorite time of year! He should be prepared for lots of snow and cold. As long as he gets some warm clothes and a heavy duty winter jacket, he should be good. Emphasis on the HEAVY DUTY part of the winter jacket, every time I told someone in Philly I was from Florida, they’d asked if I’d bought my coat yet! xD</p>
<p>Thanks Callmehaley… I know he will be fine!! I think he was just being "overly"observant, he even felt he spoke like he was from “California”…which is kind of funny to me but at least he was paying attention!</p>
<p>Hahaha yeah he must be extremely observant! But I understand because I’m also from pretty far away. Someone from Philly said I had “Florida” lingo but I think that’s what’s so great about Drexel/Philadelphia! You get to meet people from all over! Good luck to your son.</p>
<p>Callmehaley…good luck to you, I hope you enjoy Drexel!! If you meet a kid from Los Angeles with skinny jeans…it is probably my son, tell him to call his Mom (cause I doubt he will be calling me…lol)</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry about it SockherMom… I’m from the East Coast, about 25 minutes from Drexel and the way it sounds like your son dresses, isn’t much different than a good amount of kids at my school. So, definitely no worries :)</p>
<p>Hahahah thank you! I will remind him every day!!! :)</p>
<p>Hey jerseyT…Ok, so my kid does not own a jacket…except his snowboard jacket (either do I)…what style/brand of jacket would be "dank’ as my kids would say? And what about layering of clothes, tee, sweatshirt and jacket…is that how it works? I am just thinking of letting him buy it when he gets out to Philly…hard to find any real winter jackets in CA in spring and summer!</p>
<p>He’ll fit in just fine. There is definitely a “hipster” contingent at Drexel (especially in the Media Arts & Design school) so it’s not as though he’ll look out of place.</p>
<p>As far as a winter coat goes, check H&M and Urban Outfitters (they each have several locations in Philly).</p>
<p>Being right outside of Philadelphia (very few people that aren’t college students actually live in the actual city) I would suggest that your son have a large stockpile of assorted hoodies. They are a constant must and are perfect for any weather. Also, for jackets you can never go wrong with the black North Face Denali jacket. I would also recommend a good quality rain coat. It will come in great when there are the weeks of spring rain and mild temperatures.</p>
<p>Thanks, just found a new North Face jackets on ebay for about $50, can’t beat that, I presume he will wear a hoodie under it, so I guess it should be a size larger than normal. </p>
<p>What about a rain jacket, do guys actually wear them? What style/brand would you suggest?</p>
<p>You don’t have to get a size larger, I wear a large hoody under mine and since the waist is adjustable it can still fit nicely. If you got one that wasnt the Denali then yes you may want a size larger.
As for the rain jacket, many kids at my school and close high schools wear them through like late february to like early april. During this time it is usually wet and like 40 degrees and they are very nice to have. You can get some other opinions on that as well. If you were to buy one, the Eastern Mountain Sports brand ones are quite nice (don’t get the one that is like $25-30 that is like a back packing one that is rarely worn). They are great quality, pretty cheap, and comfortable.</p>
<p>SockherMom nice buy on the northface, those are EXTREMELY popular at my school! im trying to get one for the fall. & as far as raincoats go, no one really wears them… everyone sorta toughs it out, or i use an umbrella since i dont want my hair to get wrecked (ha yeah… but thats just me) but most guys i know just wear whatever and dont really worry about getting wet. although i have noticed that most of them wear windbreakers or jackets that are made of type of repellent materials</p>
<p>BUT if your son definitely is attending drexel, hes going to want to bundle up! i went to scholar’s day there a few months ago (im not sure if you attended) & walking outside was BRUTAL. im used to the cold weather, but between the low temperature and wind, i was dying! haha</p>
<p>Well it maybe different in Jersey, but they definitely come in really handy in the strong city winds as well.</p>
<p>“BUT if your son definitely is attending drexel, hes going to want to bundle up! i went to scholar’s day there a few months ago (im not sure if you attended) & walking outside was BRUTAL. im used to the cold weather, but between the low temperature and wind, i was dying! haha”</p>
<p>So it is also really windy also? Yikes, not sounding good. Is the North Face Denali jacket and a hoodie enough, or does he need a heavier jacket also? Now I guess I need suggestions for hats, gloves and scarfs…he has a few stocking caps (for after surfing lol) but has never owned gloves or a scarf. HELP!!</p>
<p>I don’t think you should be worrying about cold weather just yet. School starts in September, which is usually pretty warm (it won’t start getting really cold until late October or November usually). You can just tell your son to go to Target or another store and grab winter clothes once he’s in Philly and can gauge better for himself what he will need. Hats, gloves, and scarves are really personal preference.</p>
<p>As for winter coats, down jackets are usually the warmest and hoods will come in handy sometimes. I also recommend grabbing some snow boots in Philly, this past winter was brutal with the snow (the most we’ve gotten since I’ve been alive).</p>
<p>I think the jacket & hoodie combo should definitely work! I mean, the weather is bearable, but sometimes it an get EXTREMELY cold or really windy. Also, I would suggest having some gloves just in case, I learned the hard way this winter by not wearing them, and my hands turned all sorts of red & purple lol</p>
<p>I would suggest visiting an outdoors store, like North Face, REI, LL Bean or something like that. Usually the people who work in those types of stores are fairly knowledgeable on the brands and what is a good buy.</p>
<p>Coat+jacket should be enough even in snow. Gloves are a must!</p>