Turning down a university because of weather

[fuzzylogician]

I am so sick of snow, but I've applied to a program in a city that has snow because it's the best program for what I want to do. And actually, this is good practice for if I actually go on the TT market; when positions become available, you just apply. There's no waiting for the great location to suddenly become available.

I chose not to apply to schools in places that I would not want to live in precisely because of the TT market -- if I can get a good education and a good stipend from a school in a place I enjoy living in, why not take advantage of that? I probably won't have that kind of choice once I graduate, so choosing grad schools may have been the last time I could afford to be picky in that way. Five years are a lot of time, so if there are schools that are a good fit in areas you prefer living in, I don't see why you should choose a location that will make you unhappy.

[sputnik]

I think weather is important, and it's not just the cold. I used to live in a very cold and sunny place in the northwest, and moved to the midwest. I can handle the cold and snow (to a certain extent); it's the lack of sunshine that gets to me here. We'll go 40 days in the winter without any sunlight. And it is as awful and depressing as it sounds. Also, and someone alluded to this, it's not the winters that are so bad, it's the spring that never gets here. It'll be cold November, December, January, February, March and into April. That's a half a year of shit. Half my life is spent in utter shit. It kills me. If I could, I would get out of here so fast.

But, here's the deal: if you're just coming to a place like this for a couple of years, then it's manageable. I've been stuck here now for about ten years and I don't see any way out. So, that's why I hate it so much.

I just wanted to point out that it's not always the cold/snow that makes life in these climates difficult. For me, the biggest problem is the lack of sunshine.

[StrangeLight]

wow.

ultimately, i think people should choose a school where they'll be happy, and if weather is that important to your happiness, then it should be part of your decision.

but a PhD isn't forever. maybe you spend 6 or 7 long years (with 4 months off every year to live wherever you want to) in the same place. but if you can secure fellowship funding once you're finished your coursework, you could be out of that miserable, cold college town in 3-4 years. i think it would be incredibly short-sighted to make a poor professional or academic choice because you can't handle three cold winters. it's really not that long.

shit. once you get through a PhD program, IF you get through a PhD program, you'll be desperate to find any job at any university, regardless of how cold or remote the location. and those gigs, if you're lucky, will be tenure-track, which means you could get locked down there for a decade or two before getting the opportunity to work at another school.

i'm not trying to dismiss everyone's concern for the weather. i chose my undergrad because i wanted to be on the temperate west coast (after moving from the northeast). then i had 5 rough years of SAD. moving back to the northeast has been cold and bitter, but there's sunlight! and if i play my cards right with a few national or university-wide fellowships, i'll be free to live anywhere i want in 18 months. well worth it.

[NadaJ]

I chose not to apply to schools in places that I would not want to live in precisely because of the TT market -- if I can get a good education and a good stipend from a school in a place I enjoy living in, why not take advantage of that? I probably won't have that kind of choice once I graduate, so choosing grad schools may have been the last time I could afford to be picky in that way. Five years are a lot of time, so if there are schools that are a good fit in areas you prefer living in, I don't see why you should choose a location that will make you unhappy.

We can agree to disagree. I refuse to spend 4-5 years of my academic life in an institution that is not preparing me to be the scholar I want to be. If weather is your biggest concern, then go for it. To-mae-toe, To-mah-toe.

[fuzzylogician]

We can agree to disagree. I refuse to spend 4-5 years of my academic life in an institution that is not preparing me to be the scholar I want to be. If weather is your biggest concern, then go for it. To-mae-toe, To-mah-toe.

You'll notice I wrote "if I can get a good education and a good stipend from a school in a place I enjoy living in, why not take advantage of that?"

That is to mean, location was not my only consideration. I applied to all of my "dream schools", and then decided to apply to an additional 3-4 other schools that were not my favorites but were still a good enough fit for me in terms of research. Among those schools, I chose not to apply to schools in locations I didn't think I would enjoy living in. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

[NadaJ]

You'll notice I wrote "if I can get a good education and a good stipend from a school in a place I enjoy living in, why not take advantage of that?"

That is to mean, location was not my only consideration. I applied to all of my "dream schools", and then decided to apply to an additional 3-4 other schools that were not my favorites but were still a good enough fit for me in terms of research. Among those schools, I chose not to apply to schools in locations I didn't think I would enjoy living in. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.

I am not starting an argument with you. You can justify your graduate school decisions any way you wish. For me, I need to get over my aversion to snow very quickly, because in my specific field and area of interest, the action is where the snow is, and its more important for me to be with the faculty and advisors that are the movers and shakers in my field, than to be somewhere without snow. Seriously, it's 4-5 years. Perhaps I have a different perspective because I am over 30 and have varied life experiences. Four to five years is a drop in the bucket for me. As your signature says, YMMV....

And just like with shopping at Target, I'm done!

[Bumblebee9]

Being in -20 degree weather right now (actual temp)--I say don't let weather stop you. If funding is more important, go with the funding factor. Yes, some places have really crappy weather, but you're not outside all the time. (I think I live in just about the worst possible spot right now for consistent crappy weather not related to national disasters). Usually, you'll live very close to campus, even within walking distance. Most universities in bad weather areas have completely enclosed walkways (above or underground) to get you from one building to another. Clothing is getting very high-tech...

Plus its always nice to get a snow day or flooding day off every once in a while

[Golden Monkey]

Funny, I grew up just hating winter, despite the fact that it was mild in Tennessee. I went to undergrad in Missouri, and found that I did hate winter. Then I moved to LA and then Florida, and everyone said, "you'll miss the change of seasons!" They were completely wrong. I ended up moving to New York 4 years ago (partially to pursue my master's,) and I'm finding that I hate winter all over again. However, I guess I feel like it was worth it. Slipping and falling down the stairs last week doesn't change my opinion of winter very much, though.

I have applied to 4 PhD programs. My first two choices are in locations with winters even worse than here. The other two are in much warmer climates. If I get into either of the first two, I'll just deal with the wretched winters. I'll complain every second of every day during the winter, and I'll probably have even more slip and fall accidents on the ice, but I'll just remind myself of my priorities.

[philosophy chic]

I hate the cold but am stubborn enough to grin and bear it for something that I want (like a PhD from a great school). It all comes down to what you can tolerate for something you want. Complaining about the University of the Virgin Islands lack of a stellar graduate program is still perfectly acceptable though.

[FingersCrossedX]

I think that its important to think about weather when you are going to live somewhere for a few years, but it shouldn't be the ultimate factor.

For undergrad I moved from a warm climate to a very cold and snowy one. I lived there for 4 years and I loved college. If I had let that one thing change my decision I would have been at a school that I probably wouldn't have liked as much.

Now to be fair. When I graduated I moved as far south as possible, for the weather. When I applied to PhD programs I thought about the weather. It wasn't a huge factor but I looked harder at schools in warm climates and the coldest i applied to was Nashville.

Is it important? Yes. A deciding factor? No.

[wtncffts]

I only applied to places to which I would want to go, including weather. I guess I'm 'lucky', like some others here, that I much prefer colder to warmer climates. Of course, I don't mind sunshine, but I couldn't bear it perpetually and with such intensity. I find heat to be much more oppressive than cold, and I love the crispness and aggressiveness of a cold winter's day, and the struggle therein. This is psychological, I suppose.

[ZeChocMoose]

I only applied to places to which I would want to go, including weather. I guess I'm 'lucky', like some others here, that I much prefer colder to warmer climates. Of course, I don't mind sunshine, but I couldn't bear it perpetually and with such intensity. I find heat to be much more oppressive than cold, and I love the crispness and aggressiveness of a cold winter's day, and the struggle therein. This is psychological, I suppose.

I concur! I find heat to be a huge issue for me. Any temperature near or over 100 F is problematic. Can I take a day here or there? Yes. Can I take weeks of this temperature? No. Thankfully, none of the schools that I applied to have climates like this.

I prefer cold over hot any day

Edited February 3, 2011 by ZeChocMoose