Berkeley Kid Wants to Go to College in the Frigid Northeast

I did this (without visiting the northeast first), coming from an even more tropical location (Hawaii). I picked my college without ever having visited, but having talked to lots of folks who went there. I was positive it was the right cultural fit and I was right. I really loved my experience and would do it again in a heartbeat.  At school I found friends from CA and we all went winter clothes shopping together. The east coast folks took us under their wings and taught us to walk on ice and how to survive winter.  It was an adventure! 
 I eventually moved back to the west coast to be closer to family and for the climate (which I appreciated much more after having left it). I think its important to find a place where your child is excited and they will fit in. If they are excited, embrace that with them. If it doesnt work out, they may have to transfer. I think, perhaps the most important thing they understand is the cost differences.  Out of state schools can be much more expensive that state and I didnt have a great understanding of what student loans meant after college. Especially with all the changes at the federal level, I think engaging them in a conversation about keeping many options open as things are changing pretty dynamically may be a good idea.
Good luck! I can only imagine how hard it must be to let them go for college. 

My kids are still young, but I went to college in Ohio from Los Angeles, and did so badly in that weather that I transferred to a SoCal school half way through. In hindsight, I think I was just bad at taking care of myself , and I don't know what could have changed besides more maturity. 

I wore jeans and a light jacket in freezing weather and then wondered why I was so uncomfortable... I kept getting sick from these bad habits... but my friends from the midwest had floor-length puffer jackets and did fine. I was also depressed from being inside for so much of the winter. 

But this was just me! I don't know what I'd do with my own kid except warn them about my experience and send them off with more appropriate winter clothes.

My Berkeley-born-and-raised older daughter went to college in Massachusetts and has stayed there for the three years since she graduated. We did visit for a long weekend in February before she applied, and she did have an issue with Vitamin D deficiency her first winter in college there. (There are vitamins for that!) The weather did/does not faze her.

My child is currently at a Vermont college and loves it! It's been eye-opening for him to be exposed to a different climate, people with different backgrounds, etc. In addition, it's helped him realize what he loves about the Bay Area and I suspect he'll migrate back here after he graduates. As one of the other responders noted, having the right clothes is critically important, as is a willingness to get outside in cold/snowy/wet weather. Before he accepted admission to the college, I dragged him out there in the middle of February to experience the worst of the weather. (He applied EA, not ED.) It was really cold (!!!), but did not dampen his enthusiasm. Good luck with this process!

I moved from south Florida to go to college in upstate New York. It was cold and miserable and every year I managed to catch a nasty flu, but they were four of the best years of my life. 

Let them go! My sons have both gone back east for school and the LOVE it. I also went to college back east. Just as long as they are prepared with the appropriate clothing and foot ware they will be fine. Buildings are warm and plenty of indoor places to hang out. College is about the experience, learning to navigate, etc. I encourage you to help them prepare and be positive. P.S. be sure to visit the school in the winter before accepting any offers so they know exactly what it would be like. P.P.S. the distance is a struggle and at the same time they get to live in a new region which has so much to offer, and you get to visit!

Join Grown & Flown on Facebook & post your questions / concerns; you’ll get a massive number of responses from people in the same situation.  (PS, he’ll live, and may come to enjoy it very much!)

This turned out to be a total nonissue for my CA kid who went to school in WI - doesn’t get much colder than that in the winter. In fact, he chose to stay in the Midwest for his first postgrad job. When I ask him how he tolerates the freezing winters and muggy summers, he just shrugs and says he likes all 4 seasons.  You may as well give it a try- they may end up loving the winter, or at least not caring much about it, and living in another part of the country for a while is a very good experience (imho).

Both of my kids went back East (MA, PA) for college and did fine.  One has remained there post-college and doesn't love the weather, but it's not a hugely significant factor.  

In terms of a good fit for your child, I would think other factors might be more important.  Urban vs. suburban vs. rural location--this affects the opportunities for activities/cultural events/etc outside the college.   Another factor is % of students who come from outside the NE--I have definitely heard of CA students who felt like outsiders at NE schools where the predominant student body is from the NE, especially ones where many of the students come from private schools and are all part of the same upper-class demographic.  Distance from home might be a valid concern, if your child seems likely to get homesick.   The flight across country is no joke.  Size of the student body---my son definitely wanted a small liberal arts college, but in the end I think found it a bit limiting.  A mid-size school would have been better.

I also moved from California to NE for grad school, so I wasn't 18 when i did it, but I actually loved being exposed to the NE climate.  It was so beautiful in the fall and winter with the changing colors and the snow.  Spring seemed to barely exist, and I hated the hot and humid summer weather, but that might not be an issue for an undergrad who would presumably not be at school during that time.

I think maybe you're making this into a bigger factor than it is?  If your child will wear the appropriate clothing for winter, they should be fine.  Now, whether they should commit via applying ED, or just apply normally, that's a whole different question.  A tough one to answer in these days of crazy low college admission rates.

My kids ultimately opted to stay in CA for college, but one was considering Chicago and we had a long talk about the coat, shoes, etc. they'd need to get through winter there - my very California kids don't own any proper winter gear other than snowboarding pants. That said, I'm a big believer in "there's no bad weather, only bad clothing" - with the proper gear, many people all over the world do just fine with cold, wet weather (and without the proper gear, it's miserable).  Several of their peers ended up on the East Coast and have been perfectly happy there. One smaller school even had a "how to dress for/deal with winter" session as part of their PE class, to help the kids coming from non-snowy climates!

I grew up in California, but had lots of family on the East Coast, and always knew I wanted to get out of here and go to school somewhere else. Most people I know stayed in California for college, either for financial reasons, climate, proximity to family, quality of our schools, etc. I went to school in Boston and absolutely loved it. The seasons were a revelation to me - the beauty of the fall leaves, the first snow fall, the first day of spring when everyone comes out of their cocoons and the campus comes back to life. The winters can be long, but there is something so lovely about the cycle of the seasons, and I was happy to have that experience when I was a single, young adult with only myself to worry about. Now that I'm back in California as a mom with kids, I can't imagine trying to navigate snow and ice along with everything else! Now, my oldest is headed to college in a cold climate and I've been surprised by how many people feel the need to warn her about the weather, despite the school being an amazing fit. Yes, we are fortunate to live in this climate, blessed with near-perfect weather everyday. But lots of people don't live in places like this and they do just fine. I definitely had friends in college who didn't like the cold weather, but no place is perfect for everyone. And I am so grateful I didn't let fear of a few cold winters keep me from an amazing college experience.

Mine was born and grew up in Berkeley.  He ended up going to Dartmouth and loved it.  First trip home, he had a hard time trundling his bag to the airport bus stop through the snow that had fallen overnight.  A professor and her husband pulled over to help him.  He dealt with four winters just fine.  Went to grad school in Berkeley, spent six years Greece finishing his dissertation, and is now a professor at McGill University in Montreal.  He and his wife have no complaints.  

My kids grew up in Berkeley and wanted to go somewhere with different weather for college. My older one went somewhere where it rained a lot; my younger one went to Vermont. Both of them thoroughly enjoyed experiencing different weather. (They did end up moving back to CA after graduating, but not because they hated the weather in those other places.) Just make sure your kid has good snow boots (I recommend Columbia) and a warm winter coat (such as LLBean) and they'll be fine! Yes, the plane flights were a bit annoying (no nonstop flights to VT), but in the scheme of things it wasn't a big deal.

I grew up in and never left CA and my son had a choice between SoCal and Mass and chose Boston. I was sure he would come home at winter break complaining about the weather but no, totally loved it and thinks maybe will settle on East Coast long-term. Humid, hot summers, snow and stormy weather — no big deal!  Every kid is different. 

I did this--and it was excellent for me to get out of the California bubble and meet a much wider variety of kids from across the country.

Sure weather is quite different, but IMHO a minor issue.  If your kid is excited about that particular college, reasonably capable of doing academic work at the level required for that college, and able to be independent of parents (or able to learn to be independent..) I would strongly say--let your kid go for it!

The commenter who mentioned costs is correct of course.  However, y'all need to consider financial aid packages before dismissing a private/out of state school 

.Good wishes for your child--and you--it's a huge transition, but an important one.

Both my kids were eager to attend college “elsewhere” after growing up in the East Bay- which they love.  They wanted to experience something new, and I was all for it!  I felt the same way after growing up in (wonderful) Berkeley! 
 My son attended a LAC in Connecticut and had a fantastic experience.  He then entered a grad program in New England, spending a total of eleven years back east.  He never complained about the weather (he found it exciting), and loved living where there are four seasons.  
My daughter went to school in Vancouver BC, where it wasn’t so cold but definitely was wet!  She didn’t love the long rainy season, but really loved having four seasons. At the time she was applying for college, she had a few friends who ruled out any school with “different” weather, and referred to them as “weather wimps.”  She chose to stay an extra year in Vancouver after graduating. 
Both my kids have moved back to the Bay Area, for now.  My son and his wife like it here, but liked Boston at least as much. 
My kids were applying to college over a decade ago and things are a bit different now, but I’ll add that thanks to financial aid and the lower (at that time) tuition for foreign students at Canadian universities, the costs were very much in line with what UC tuition would have cost. 

I think it’s all about the clothes. I went to college in the far northeast, and what I witnessed was that a lot of California kids thought they had brought winter clothes but had not, in fact. If you’re properly outfitted, it’s not a big deal (and can even be pleasant!). A long, well-insulated coat (with a hood), warm boots, and gloves can make a miserable winter very okay. Most of the Californians I knew there adjusted just fine. 

I grew up in a liberal leftist bubble in Los Angeles and went to college, at 17, in Pittsburgh. I knew it would be cold but I wasn’t prepared for how long winter would last, and was completely uninformed about how to dress properly. But I figured it out and survived four winters, and had an absolutely amazing college experience. I will say now that I am back living in California and have no desire to go back to long winters. But lots of people love seasons. Millions of people across the world live through harsh winters every single year. Are you concerned for his physical safety? Like he might get frostbite? I think living in a different climate in a different part of the world and figuring out how to make it work is a really wonderful and important part of being a young person. If he is miserable and hates it, he can transfer to a California school, after his first year right? I’d say why deprive him of his dream school, let him decide for himself how he feels about the cold.

Almost every kid I know who chose to go east has LOVED IT! I am talking about Maine, Wisconsin, michigan. Let your child go where they want! 
it’s a learning experience to “ weather” new experiences and that’s what the college experience is all about. 

My California-born-and-raised daughter graduated this past May from a university in upstate NY, known for frigid winters. She had ups and real downs like most college students do. But no regrets, for her or me.
Your child won’t be inside all the time and in fact  might go sledding or to a mid-winter party wearing shorts and a t shirt. But they learn…. quickly, from the experience and from east coast friends. 
I flew out 1x per year in fall to visit. And facetimed when the time was right. She flew home the first 2 years for winter and summer breaks.  I flew out one additional time when she had some major health issues. 
Every child is different. But it IS very realistic and manageable.
By the time your child graduates, the plane flights and time zones may be a fond memory, that’s how it was for me.
One other comment—  dropping out or transferring can happen even when your child is a 1-hour drive away in the sunny Bay Area.