From the Temperate to land of snow

[finidinwa]

All my life i have lived in the temperate with temperatures 28'C to 40'C i am considering Msc Biochemistry next fall at either Uvictoria BC or Mcmaster Hamilton. The tought of temperature below 10'C to -10'C really scare the hell out of me. Please i want to know how easily to adjust to this extreme temperature.

Also what is the postgraduate employment scenario for some one with research base Msc Biochemistry from Uvic or Mcmaster.

Finally is it possible to graduate from a province and get job in another province.

Thanks for your anticipated reply

[ktel]

Victoria is NOT cold. It's coastal and barely has a winter (from my standards, I'm from Edmonton, AB). I was there last February and was outside in a T-shirt. That should be easier for you to adjust to.

Hamilton on the other hand can get quite cold. I'm currently living in Toronto but haven't spent a winter here, but I know the winters are milder than Edmonton. But you will still be looking at some days of -20 and that feels very cold because it's humid. In contrast Edmonton can get to -40 but it's dry so while it is still f-ing cold, you can at least bundle up. A "wet cold" is more difficult to handle, but if you buy appropriate clothing (warm jacket, boots, gloves, hat, scarf, longjohns, etc.) you can survive. There are a ton of people who move here from warmer climates.

Employment scenario I have no idea about, but it is extremely easy to work in any province in Canada regardless of what province you graduated from.

[finidinwa]

Victoria is NOT cold. It's coastal and barely has a winter (from my standards, I'm from Edmonton, AB). I was there last February and was outside in a T-shirt. That should be easier for you to adjust to.

Hamilton on the other hand can get quite cold. I'm currently living in Toronto but haven't spent a winter here, but I know the winters are milder than Edmonton. But you will still be looking at some days of -20 and that feels very cold because it's humid. In contrast Edmonton can get to -40 but it's dry so while it is still f-ing cold, you can at least bundle up. A "wet cold" is more difficult to handle, but if you buy appropriate clothing (warm jacket, boots, gloves, hat, scarf, longjohns, etc.) you can survive. There are a ton of people who move here from warmer climates.

Employment scenario I have no idea about, but it is extremely easy to work in any province in Canada regardless of what province you graduated from.

thanks for your insightfull response.

More contributions from veterans in house.

Edited September 28, 2011 by finidinwa

[johndiligent]

My suggestion would be not to skimp at all on excellent fall and winter clothing. It's tempting to try to avoid the expense, but spending money on an excellent winter coat with thermal, adjustable layers will make your experience so much more pleasant. I'm Canadian, I've lived in Canada all my life, and the winter cold is far from the misery you might expect, but it's still important to know how to dress for cold days: layer well.

[UnlikelyGrad]

it's still important to know how to dress for cold days: layer well.

It's not quite the same as your situation, but I moved from very temperate coastal California (after growing up on the edge of the desert) to Colorado. I have to admit that I was a wee bit freaked out about the whole winter thing, though I thought it would be fun to have seasons.

Layering is really the best way to handle things. Get good thermals (NOT cotton--some of my wealthier friends recommend silk, but I've settled for microfiber). Get good socks (again, NOT cotton). Get lined leather gloves. And definitely get a nice warm hat. I'm not usually a hat person--I detest hats, actually--but when it gets cold (or worse, cold and windy--boy, does it get windy here!), a hat is an absolute must. In fact, on really cold days I usually have both my hat AND my (insulated) jacket hood on.

Winters aren't as bad as I was expecting them to be--in fact, I really enjoy them now.

[Behavioral]

Don't you even dare talk about 'windy'!

-A transplanted Californian in Chicago

[UnlikelyGrad]

Don't you even dare talk about 'windy'!

-A transplanted Californian in Chicago

Aww, why not? Before I moved away from campus, I regularly got 20-30 mph winds at my place--and at least once every week or two, gusts would hit 50-60 mph. Of course, I lived right at the edge of open space where there was nothing to stop the wind: no trees, no buildings, etc. between me and the mountains. Nowadays I live in the middle of a tree-full neighborhood and things are a bit better, but I still get a reasonable amount of wind out there. And, of course, campus is close enough to the mountains to be hit with serious gustiness.

I know it's the wrong state, but sometimes I just want to sing, "OOOOOOOOOklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain!" It gets mighty windy here, too, Behavioral!

[Behavioral]

Aww, why not? Before I moved away from campus, I regularly got 20-30 mph winds at my place--and at least once every week or two, gusts would hit 50-60 mph. Of course, I lived right at the edge of open space where there was nothing to stop the wind: no trees, no buildings, etc. between me and the mountains. Nowadays I live in the middle of a tree-full neighborhood and things are a bit better, but I still get a reasonable amount of wind out there. And, of course, campus is close enough to the mountains to be hit with serious gustiness.

I know it's the wrong state, but sometimes I just want to sing, "OOOOOOOOOklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain!" It gets mighty windy here, too, Behavioral!

I think I'm experiencing an availability bias (Tversky & Kahneman, 1973). I totally wish I were in CO--when the professor said they got 300 days of sunshine and extremely mild weather (while still experiencing seasons in Boulder, compared to California), I got really giddy haha

This was from today:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-high-wind-lakeshore-flood-warnings-issued-20111019,0,98419.story

Wind gusts at the Harrison Water crib, about 3 miles east of the lakefront near Armitage Avenue, were clocked at 59 mph at 4 p.m. and again at 7 p.m., with sustained winds of about 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

[UnlikelyGrad]

I think I'm experiencing an availability bias (Tversky & Kahneman, 1973). I totally wish I were in CO--when the professor said they got 300 days of sunshine and extremely mild weather (while still experiencing seasons in Boulder, compared to California), I got really giddy haha

This was from today:

http://www.chicagotr...9,0,98419.story

I wouldn't call the weather "mild" after living in coastal California, but the part about the sunshine is true. On several occasions I have literally seen sunshine in the morning and a blizzard in the afternoon. The blizzard generally runs overnight--dumping a foot or two of snow--and into the morning of the following day. Then, the next afternoon, it is sunny again.

I LOVE IT HERE.

And yeah, walking along Lakeshore Drive is a good way to freeze your butt off. (My sister used to live a few blocks from the lake.)

[Behavioral]

I wouldn't call the weather "mild" after living in coastal California, but the part about the sunshine is true. On several occasions I have literally seen sunshine in the morning and a blizzard in the afternoon. The blizzard generally runs overnight--dumping a foot or two of snow--and into the morning of the following day. Then, the next afternoon, it is sunny again.

I LOVE IT HERE.

And yeah, walking along Lakeshore Drive is a good way to freeze your butt off. (My sister used to live a few blocks from the lake.)

I'm from Southern California (LA/San Diego), so yeah -- CO isn't as mild as what I'm used to, but all things considered with how bad it could be in the rest of the US, I think it's pretty mild.

And yup! Something with the climate, proximity to some of the best ski/snowboard resorts in the US (and legalization of certain substances) really seems to make me feel as though CO residents are among the happiest people I've run into as a whole. It seemed as though everyone was 'on something' during my weekend in Boulder since (coming from LA) everyone was so unusually nice!

And ack. I live about .5 miles from the lake shore in Evanston. Even with some protection from the buildings on Northwestern's campus I get pretty bad gusts hitting my apartment.

[UnlikelyGrad]

It seemed as though everyone was 'on something' during my weekend in Boulder since (coming from LA) everyone was so unusually nice!

Ummm. It's Boulder. They probably were 'on something'. Seriously, MJ is legal for "medical reasons" in CO, and there are plenty of doctors who will write prescriptions for quasi-legal "medical reasons"...

But people in CO do tend to be unusually nice. Living here has been good for my mental health; don't know if it's nice people or lots of sunshine or both.

[Behavioral]

Ummm. It's Boulder. They probably were 'on something'. Seriously, MJ is legal for "medical reasons" in CO, and there are plenty of doctors who will write prescriptions for quasi-legal "medical reasons"...

But people in CO do tend to be unusually nice. Living here has been good for my mental health; don't know if it's nice people or lots of sunshine or both.

California doctors (ahem, doctors who still had valid medical licenses, but were pretty much retired already) prescribe mj to just about anyone without a criminal record.

CU-Boulder's definitely up in my list for top choices once I hit the job market. They have a strong research faculty there now, I enjoy the city, and most importantly I'm a huge snowboard enthusiast and Breckenridge is so close!

[UnlikelyGrad]

CU-Boulder's definitely up in my list for top choices once I hit the job market. They have a strong research faculty there now, I enjoy the city, and most importantly I'm a huge snowboard enthusiast and Breckenridge is so close!

You enjoy snowboarding and you went to Chicago?!!

As for me...it's a good thing I like CO, because I'm now in a joint-custody situation with my ex and moving would probably equal losing the kids.

[Behavioral]

You enjoy snowboarding and you went to Chicago?!!

As for me...it's a good thing I like CO, because I'm now in a joint-custody situation with my ex and moving would probably equal losing the kids.

Very sorry to hear about your situation -- I really hope the best for you!

And yeah -- it's weird how I study behavioral economics and 'rational decision making' yet I go ahead and do that!

[long_time_lurker]

Damn those intransitivities!