<p>A nice leather jacket is great too</p>
<p>Peacoats do look nice, but I'm just saying that absolutely every college undergrad student has one, so if you want go the stylish route, maybe consider something slightly different, just for the sake of diversity.</p>
<p>Layering is a great suggestion, and I would highly suggest getting a thick, warm scarf or balaclava to cover your face on those bone-chilling windy days when you have to walk somewhere, they're very helpful. Leather gloves are also nice because snow never soaks through them and they're generally pretty durable.</p>
<p>I would like to strongly disavow North Face. Just saying, EVERYONE has one. so, if you put yours down in a group pile, good luck getting it back. just saying.</p>
<p>also, they are unnecessarily expensive, you can get equal or better quality stuff for half the price. </p>
<p>If you want a coat that is warm, go to a non-chain ski shop (IE don't go to Ski Market, etc), you can find a great coat for under $150 that will last through anything winter will throw at you.</p>
<p>What's more important than a coat if you're not going to be outside for very long (ie, if this is for shuttling between classes, etc.) is making sure you have a warm hat and good gloves.</p>
<p>Two choices: synthetic or wool - if you're really going to a cold place. To the people in here saying "everyone has a peacoat", that is probably true if you are a girl, however I've yet to actually see another male with a peacoat where I go to school. </p>
<p>Like the link posted earlier, it really is all about layers. No one piece of clothing will keep you all that warm (unless you're investing in really nice synthetic jackets), you're going to need multiple layers to insulate and retain your body heat. Regardless of the outer jacket, for the inner layers you're going to want a wool or wool-cotton blend. The very base layer - the t-shirt layer - is really not all that important, however, above that, you really will want some good quality sweaters, hoodies (if you like them), shirts (buttondowns), and/or shirt-jacs. For the most bang-for-your-buck and for really trusted brands, look at Woolrich (highly recommend), Pendleton, Columbia, and, among others, Filson (highly recommend). </p>
<p>The cost is steep, however you're probably done growing and it'd be smart of you to see the purchasing of clothes as a real investment, as clothes from these companies will last until you're an old man (my father still has a dozen filson shirts from when he was 20 and now I'm wearing them). </p>
<p>As far as a coat goes, you're going to want something heavy if you're going with wool. While the majority of mall brands will sell you more expensive, cheaply-made wool coats, another option is looking around army-navy stores, especially if you're looking for a pea coat, as they have a lot of made-in-the-usa and well-made clothing. If you're going wool, look for something above 18 oz and lined (diamond-quilted will be the warmest). </p>
<p>If you're going synthetic, then look into Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, ArcTeryx, Columbia, and to a lesser extent Patagonia and North Face. </p>
<p>But you're going up there in the warm months so wait till you get up there and see what you want, which, as lame as it sounds, will probably change from your current desires to better suit campus fashion and climate needs.</p>