<p>Haha…What DCHurricane said about wearing jeans, a t-shirt, a hoodie and a puffy vest in 30 degree weather is so true! This is what you see on most college campuses on the east coast. I have a very low tolerance for cold, but I went to school in an area that’s quite a bit colder than where I’m from despite only being about 60 miles north…and even though it was in the lower 40s, I was still wearing hoodies and occasionally a super light “jacket.” Before going to school, if it was in the 40s, you could bet that I was wearing boots and a real winter jacket! I didn’t start wearing a real jacket til about 2 weeks ago when it dropped to the 20s.</p>
<p>@umcp11</p>
<p>I think this all depends on the OP. For example, I have a group of fiends who are all reliving (at least in the social aspect) high school, they are rooming with each other, and when I see their photos on FB I don’t see anyone I don’t know in the photo, and when I talk to them</p>
<p>This is nothing wrong with the school itself (aka I am not some private school OOS snob who is knocking all state schools, I was planning on going to my flagship state school for several months until I was accepted to my current school and I was happy with that). It is something that was wrong with me and my group of friends. Looking back, I am glad that I went out of state since it forced me to make new friends who I actually like more than my high school friends.</p>
<p>Of course you are able to make new friends at your state schools, that is assumed, it is college people are always looking to make new friends. But if I went to my flagship state school, I would have probably been asked to room with someone I knew and being the nice (and sometimes stupid) person that I am, I would have said yes. I wouldn’t realize that it would lead to me reliving high school. Again, this is nothing wrong with state schools, it is something that is wrong with me. I am just sharing my experience with the OP so that he might be able to learn from it. If it potentially applies to him/her, then he/she can take it into account. If not, then ignore it.</p>
<p>About your post about the weather, I laughed so hard, I know so many people who have your attitude about dressing for cold weather. Also, ski jackets do not have to be ridiculous, or maybe it is just that I am used to seeing winter jackets so I don’t think that they are ridiculous.</p>
<p>Thank you for pointing out that I did not adequately explain my earlier post. It was not my intent to provide a misleading view of going to an in-state school.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for being so polite! (That’s a first for CC ;))</p>
<p>I mean, I still think there’s exaggeration going on, but it might just be me reacting to the experience at my HS (where kids would choose some mediocre private w/ a similar atmosphere for 50K/yr over their equally and/or higher ranked flagship because “I need a change, I need to branch out, blahblah”). It’s like, once it has come to your attention, and if you have such strong feelings that it’s actually influencing your decision, then chances are it’ll be easy to avoid. </p>
<p>But then I guess, in some cases, if you are in a situation with bad friendships that you just can’t seem to shake (like an ex you can’t get rid of lol), even if you know mentally that you need to branch out, it can be hard to resist. It’s true in some circumstances people can really benefit from a fresh slate to reform their approach to making friends and whatnot, without the distraction of the ones still clinging.</p>
<p>I would say that’s a minority though…but I see your point, it does indeed depend on the OP’s personality and the nature of his/her friendships. And I am heavily biased…the atmosphere at my public HS in terms of hating on the flagship was absolutely horrible haha.</p>
<p>^^ Hahaha, I don’t think I have been on CC long enough to be corrupted by it. I found it while procrastinating on studying for midterms and I never used it to get into college, thank god for that. People make it seem like it is impossible to get into certain schools.</p>
<p>I need to watch how much I read on this website. Before you know it I am going to be looking down on anyone who does not go to HYPSM. (I like how they are mentioned enough to warrant an acronym).</p>
<p>Thanks for replies</p>
<p>Actually at my high school the students ( including myself) have great thought of the state flagships ( I’m a resident of Michigan): UMich, MSU, WMU, CMU, GVSU etc… me personally I could only consider UMich. MSU is only 10 minutes from my house, and yes many classmates do plan to attend there one way or another ( transferring from a cc etc…). UMich is only about a hour away from my home, the rest of the schools I’m considering are 5 hours away or more. I do feel like the further I’am from home the more I feel influence to be more active, independent, the more I’ll have the feeling of college experience etc…</p>
<p>Well I’m a student trying so hard to get out of Chicago.
And I want to go to the northeast, so I’ve got almost no temp. change whatsoever.</p>
<p>People wear jackets at 30?
I think I was still in my fall jacket when it hit 25. Kids are in shorts all the time here.
Once our wind chill gets below 0 is when the coats come out.</p>
<p>So I’m thinking I’ll be ok in the northeast.</p>
<p>I went from Seattle to Alabama and the distance doesn’t faze me. Cell phones really make it seem like I’m just on the other side of town, not several states away. I’m planning on traveling a lot during my career and view it as practice for that. Except for some regional food brands, accents, and scenery, most places in the US are pretty similar to each other.</p>
<p>Concerning clothes, I wear shorts 365 days a year and start needing a coat at about 30-40 degrees. If I owned a big coat, it would be for playing in the snow. I first toured my current school in shorts and a light coat in 15 degree weather, the cold doesn’t bother me like it does some people.</p>
<p>I did the opposite of you firehose, going from NorCal to Wisconsin. We share the same opinion on shoes and socks haha. I wore flip flops everyday until the first snow and still wear them from time to time. I get crazy looks all the time, but I can’t bring myself to wear shoes unless I must.</p>
<p>As far as going out of state, I love it! It’s so cool to finally live in all four seasons and the culture is very different here. (In a good way) I think going OOS is a great way to expand one’s horizons and really grow up. Mommy and Daddy won’t always be there to help you out and it’s helped me grow. Highly recommended.</p>
<p>Very short suggestion:</p>
<p>Two years of community college, two years of 4-year school.</p>
<p>You won’t have to adjust to everything at the same time. Get used to the studying first.<br>
You can get used to living away from home later.</p>
<p>Living away from home takes some adjustment. As you will no longer have anyone to wake you up, cook your food, do your laundry and make sure your homework is done. I also highly recommend residence to anyone considering university’s outside of their hometown. In residence, you will meet so many new people, many of them in the same situation as you, first time away from home and you will form new bonds with people. Residence is a wonderful way to get the real deal university experience. I’m currently in my 4th year of university living in residence for the 4th year and I LOVE it! It does get easier to not see your parents every weekend as you’ll likely very much grow to enjoy the freedom of coming and going as you wish. Plus there are always buses and carpools too, so if you want to get home its easy!
When I moved away to school, I go home about once a month, my mom and dad set up a SKYPE account and we SKYPE quite a bit, so when I am homesick I can see my parents face to face, see my dog and my house!</p>
<p>Just have to say, I am a huge fan of flip flops and hate socks as well. I hate socks so much, everytime I visit my chicago relatives when I’m in transit from school (Michigan) to home (Alaska) my aunt berates me about it constantly (and even bought me socks as part of my birthday present) but I still refuse to wear them, in whatever weather it is. What’s funny is I didn’t even own a pair of flip flops until I got to college…i guess flip flops aren’t the most practical footwear in Alaska anyways <em>shrug</em></p>