They did shut down classes early once during the winter of 93-94…some employees had to sleep at work because the roads became completely impassable. As in, something like 6 inches of snow per hour, judging by how much fell when DH tried to shovel. I was in grad school at the time and had to walk partway home because the bus couldn’t make its usual route. But even then, I don’t think it was a full snow day. I think they did have a full snow day during the Blizzard of '93, which is impressive considering that the storm started on a weekend, if I’m remembering correctly!
But I haven’t heard of Cornell closing since then, so yes, expect to go to school no matter the weather. They certainly didn’t close this year and it was one of the coldest on record (though in other years they’ve had much more snow).
School is almost out for me and now I will have a lot more time to hunt around for any sales that I can find on winter clothing.
If I find any other good sales, like the one at Cabela’s when I purchased my flannel-lined jeans, I will make sure to post the information.
If anyone else finds any good sales out there for winter items, if you have an opportunity, please post it. As demand picks up, most winter items will be a lot more expensive, so I would love to stock up now.
Thank you so very much and have a wonderful summer!!!
Winter is winter. Be prepared. Hats, coats, gloves, boots. Get the in designer, or just basics. But you need to be warm.
At Cornell, if you are not really concerned with being part of the norm, an LL Bean heavy duty for cold coat, etc, would do. So would Walmart or Target’s equivalent.
Otherwise, North Face or Canada Goose are often seen.
When you are walking across campus and it is 10 degrees and blowing, you just want to be warm. You won’t care what you are wearing, at least for the moment.
The northeast winters can be long and grey. But the autumns are beautiful and summers are wonderful. I did not mention spring because it only lasts about 2-3 weeks.
I think this is the most solid advice I can offer, after 4 years on the Hill.
Coat: Invest in the Canada Goose Heatherton/whatever parka goes past your knees. You can get this one winter coat and it will last you for at least all 4 years. My CG parka is 6 years old now, and still doing just fine! A lot of my friends bought different coats year after year... CG is ~$800 but it is a worthwhile investment.
Coat #2: Get a Marmot that has a shell + insulative layer. This will be excellent for rainy days.
Rain Boots- good ones. Hunter, burberry whatever floats your boat. Just get good quality ones so you won't get a puddle in your shoe.
SNOW boots- Canada Santana boots, I had one pair for all 4 years and walked up and down the hill, never fell once because the traction on the bottom of these boots are built for the snow! Also, they have shearling lining and are waterproof so while the other students were avoiding snow/sliquid puddles, I was just going right through them.
EARMUFFS/some sort of hat and a GOOD SCARF and A GOOD UMBRELLA.
Get insulative long underwear/pants. The Marmot Power Stretch Fleece Pant. I wore this under jeans every year throughout college and I was always the most comfortable out of all my friends. Am SOOO grateful for the fleece pants!! This may be one of your MOST important purchases!
Good luck, Ithaca is crazy with the weather but, it’s going to be the best 4 years of your life!
I’m currently at Cornell for summer school (btw for me, choosing Cornell was the best decision EVER!!) and I heard about something called, “dump & run” which I thought might be helpful for other incoming freshman.
From what I understand you can get some extremely good deals on a lot of items including, but not limited to winter clothing too.
You do NOT need to spend $800 on a coat. Having lived in the north my whole life, I have somehow survived with coats $100 and less. And they have lasted more than a year! Yes, you will see lots of Canada Goose around, but that says more about the wealth of some students than it does about their common sense.
^^Yes. We’ve lived in the area our whole lives as well, and none of our family’s winter coats cost more than $100. Most were purchased for about $50 at Sam’s Club in late summer. But then, we’d rather hold onto our money than make a fashion statement .
Mine does wear his boots (as I do all winter), but I can’t imagine wearing lined jeans. I would be too hot inside! Layers! Must wear layers. Lands End winter coats are good enough and not that expensive (not all of them, anyway, especially on sale after the season ends).
Also, the line for Dump and Run is HUGE. Get there early if you want to get a big selection. We only went for a few small things freshman year and haven’t prioritized it since then (don’t need anything).
A great brand of wool socks are SmartWool. They’re warm and not too bulky. Though I normally wear fuzzy socks instead, as they’re great for around the dorm. They’re much cheaper but not as functional when doing outdoor activities.
Okay, I survived my first semester of college and now I think I’m ready for my very first true winter. I have to admit that when I looked at the temperature on my phone earlier this morning and saw that it was 5 degrees (but I think it said it felt like -6 degrees) I got a little nervous.
Over the summer I managed to get a couple of used CG coats and also one lighter weight more everyday coat as well. I have fleece lined jeans, thermals, gloves, hats, scarfs and duck boots. I hope I did not forget anything. The heater in my dorm room does not work so well so I will stop by BBB and pick up a small one when I get back.
BTW, if anyone is looking, Cabela’s (cabelas.com) has a very good sale on their fleeced lined jeans. Only $29.00 (llbean.com still has them for over $60).
Good luck to everyone and have a safe and academically prosperous semester.
Thank you! Yes, things are going very well. I had a great first semester in college. As a bio major the classes were a little bit challenging but I have loved every second. I did very well with my grades too! All of my professors have been a tremendous help as well. Although there was one class that I wished I had taken as a SU/Pass-Fail option, but at the time I did not know how that worked. However, not being able to do that simply made me focus a little more to get the job done.
I’m already anticipating the challenge of walking from north campus to central campus in the snow, but hopefully that will not be too bad. I have some wool socks that look like they are almost an inch thick, so along with my boots, they should keep my feet warm. I might make a few mistakes with my layering the first few times, but I think I will get the hang of it.
Hi y’all, I’m going to be attending Cornell this fall. What kind of gloves should I buy? I’m always up for a snowball fight so I want to invest in ones which won’t get wet easily.
This is just my opinion but this is what worked for me:
Some kind of boots/outdoor shoes that are waterproof AND hard-toe (you’ll need it trust me)
A snow jacket (With a thick outside layer that will protect against wind chill and snow, mine had 2 removable layers if I wanted to adjust things…it was perfect)
smaller coats/jackets for different situations (maybe its not snowing outside but wind chill is there or something)
Gloves (don’t want to get thin gloves but also don’t get like snowboard gloves…should have enough thickness to last both the wind and snow)
Extras (others use but not me):
Thermal underwear, Wool socks (I never really needed them but many recommend).
And for price wise…most good quality will be at a slightly higher cost than normal wear stuff. But there is no need to get like Canada Goose or some crazy high quality brand name either if its outside the range. For most people, the first winter is a little bit harsh but students usually figure out what their body requires and what they prefer.
Get the Canada Goose. It will be an investment you won’t regret. I’ve regretted my North Face these past two years. Wish I just would have spent the money on the sure thing.
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