<p>hi. i don't live in a winter climate.... so i am just wondering, what types of clothing are popular on St. Olaf campus? What kind of dorm supplies? Are the dorm rooms overheated in the winter? Do you really wear face masks in January?????</p>
<p>I am not able to speak to actual “fashion” - but I do suggest a warm parka/ski-coat type thing with a hood or just get a nice wool/knit cap for head and ears. When I was there I didn’t notice people wearing face masks, but the giant scarfs that could wrap around head and lower face were used a lot. I never wore boots, even in the coldest weather - I used wool socks and birkenstocks <em>year round</em>. But, some sort of boots might be in order - but see below - those can be ordered after you hit campus.</p>
<p>The reality is if you want to fit in fashion-wise, just take a few warm sensible items to survive the first week of cold weather and THEN with the magic of online shopping buy your winter-fashion after you see what the other kids wear. (Alas, at times I bought more for fashion than what would actually keep me warm.)</p>
<p>The buildings are close together, so on campus the most anyone really has to walk is about 5-10 minutes outside (if you have a long trek from one end of the campus to the other you can always cut inside a building during the way if you actually need to warm up).</p>
<p>really? you wore socks and birks even through the snow? i guess they clear the sidewalks pretty well. only 5-10 min walk between buildings sounds really good. what dorm were you in? since I am Great Con, i guess it will be one of the two…ellingson or kildahl.</p>
<p>ccwilliamss where will you be coming from? How unused to cold are you?</p>
<p>I’d put off buying the heavy winter stuff until after you get to MN just so you’ll be able to make sure that what you buy is warm enough. For September and at least part of October, a decent fall weight jacket will be enough to keep you warm.</p>
<p>As for shoes vs. boots, personally, I’d recommend getting a decent pair of <em>comfortable</em> boots that you don’t mind wearing, walking in, and getting dirty with salt, slush, and other muck—particularly if you’re not used to snow. While sidewalks and streets are cleared off pretty quickly and pretty thoroughly this far north, there will still be times when you need to walk <em>while</em> it’s snowing (or even worse) when it’s raining during fall and spring. Spring is mud season and there’s nothing worse than winding up with cold, wet feet.</p>
<p>Of course, my S (who’s also off to St. Olaf in the fall) would hardly ever wear his boots here in Buffalo during the winter, but cold, wet feet don’t seem to bother him that much. However, he’s worn his boots in Russia this year (or so he’s told me).</p>
<p>Yes, one of the nice things about St. Olaf (and many privates) is that they take particular pride in campus maintenance. Sidewalks shoveled and cleared almost by magic. Maybe the occasional middle-of-the-night storm might catch someone unawares, but during daytime hours it was pretty clear. The only time birks didn’t work for me is when it was very melty-snow/rain or if I had to go off campus.</p>
<p>Lived in Ellingson, fourth floor, facing the back. Loved the window seats that could be installed back then. Ellingson is a bit 1950s institutional (though if you are lucky maybe some upgrades have happened) but the reality is by the time I threw all my junk in the room it was just my <em>room</em> and I was thrilled THRILLED to be on campus. Also lived in Agnes Melby, and my senior year the 1-year old new dorm Manitou in a single (I think that has been renamed the new Yitterboe). </p>
<p>I didn’t do the Great Con (regret that now) - but bc I was in Ellingson, I met a lot of Great Con students. Several of them ended up being good friends of mine. Congrats!</p>
<p>And I agree that eventually buying some boots is in order. The birkenstock thing was my own quirk. I brought it up as my way of saying that Minnesota winters aren’t <em>that</em> terrible beyond a cold snap or two during the year. My favorite trick for staying warm between buildings was a giant GIANT cotton based scarf (actually a square shaped thing) that I could wrap around my head, ears and lower face to block out the wind and cold. Warm! Mine was pretty and feminine. Guys would do something similar - at the time it was a black-and-white middle-eastern “tribal cotton” cloth thing the guys would use (I think I’ve seen Arafat wearing something like that). Don’t know what is the fashionable type of scarf or hat these days at Olaf - just keep your eyes peeled and a few bucks on your credit card for those kinds of purchases :)</p>