Is WEATHER a factor??

[asu03]

---

Members don't see this ad.

Is anyone moving to the opposite extreme of what they wanted, weather-wise, and how important was the comfort level factor for you in the whole decision making process?

I'm weighing U. Arizona and U. Rochester. I suppose it shouldn't be that big of a deal, but when you come from a place where you wear tank tops 300 days of the year, it's hard to ignore the weather.

Regardless, AZ is far cheaper and close to home (which is what I want), but Rochester was so much more attractive as a school... any advice?

 

[Street Philosopher]

LA --> Michigan. I feel you dude. I don't mind the cold too much, just the precipitation. I think I'll be ok. But you have cheaper tuition at your state school... do you want to go to Rochester that badly?

 

[xaelia]

Everything about quality of life outside of medical school is a factor in my decision...Cleveland vs. Portland? Columbus vs. Atlanta? You do have to spend four years in this city, and it generally has some effect on the location of your residency years as well....

 

[dancer7]

go to rochester😀 😀

 

[Desdemona]

I didn't apply to U Mich or Mayo because there is no way I would be happy in that kind of weather.

 

[dynx]

I moved from California to D.C. and I must say that knowing what I know now, i would never spend four years here for med school. The weather has an influence on everything you do. Torrential rain and months of snow and not being able to do things out doors gets me kinda glum and it's hard to stay motivated. So for me, weather is a HUGE factor. Be sure to consider it.

 

[banannie]

i'm going from Boston to North Carolina and I'm so psyched! for me, weather was a factor, and is one of the reasons why i'm not too sad that i won't be in Chicago next year, even though i loved Northwestern.

 

[IrishOarsman]

chitown boy here. let me just say- variable weather just makes things interesting! so much more fun to whine about the weather than medicare falling behind anyways...

i've been in a monoclimate place all year - dublin (ave temp in the 50s all year)- and i find it unbelievably boring! where are my spring storms? frozen roads? humid bake-in-your-car-with-broken-AC days? so much fun living somewhere more interesting...

😎

 

[VienneseWaltz]

Originally posted by Desdemona
I didn't apply to U Mich or Mayo because there is no way I would be happy in that kind of weather.

Amen. I didn't apply to those two schools for exactly the same reason.

I did consider Case Western, though ...

 

[GoodMonkey]

ahhh y'all big WIMPS! 😛 (haha just kidding) SP still thinks he's gonna melt in the snow/rain 😉

i didn't want to go to school in the south, partially because of the weather (i like my 4 distinct seasons and i actually like snow), so i can understand the location/weather concern. there were a LOT of schools i did not apply to sheerly out of location preferences.

 

[VienneseWaltz]

Originally posted by GoodMonkey

i didn't want to go to school in the south, partially because of the weather (i like my 4 distinct seasons and i actually like snow), so i can understand the location/weather concern. there were a LOT of schools i did not apply to sheerly out of location preferences.

(1) We get snow in the South, just not as much as you are used to. We also tend not to function very well when we get it (not so surprising in coastal SC, where snow happens once every 4-5 years, but quite inexcusable in central NC, where it snows several times per winter)

(2) Maybe you've never visited, but we do have distinct seasons, although in fall and spring, you're likely to get all 4 in the space of a fortnight. 🙂

My biggest reason for wanting to get out of the South for a while is the humidity in summer ... I know the whole Eastern seaboard is muggy, but it gets better the more northward you get (as long as there's air conditioning) ... Also, I like snow, but I think I would like snow better living someplace where a few inches doesn't shut everything down.

 

[MidwestDental]

Yes i believe it will affect you, especially for med school. Just think about it. In your second and thrid years, after a series of exams or rotations and super high stress levels, won't you appreciate the sunny skies and warm weather? Otherwise you will just stare at the gloomy skies and relegate yourself to a weekend of drinking (altogether too common in Northern states.)

Living in Cleveland or Seattle is like living in a black and white movie for 8 months out of the year. However, on the flip side, some people find it easier to get work done/ work harder in colder climates.

But yeah, i don't knwo about those hot summers down South though. It gets ridiculously hot in AZ, TX and FL and it is ridiculously humid in NC, SC, LA and the Gulf Coast.

 

[Enkindu]

I think it's important to be honest with yourself about how important "environmental" issues are when you choose schools. Some people can probably thrive anywhere they go, and others might have serious performance issues if they're really unhappy with factors related to a school's location.

I'm definitely in the second group- if I get too far away from the coast I get a little loco. Salt air keeps me happy. 🙂

 

[GoodMonkey]

Originally posted by VienneseWaltz
(1) We get snow in the South, just not as much as you are used to. We also tend not to function very well when we get it (not so surprising in coastal SC, where snow happens once every 4-5 years, but quite inexcusable in central NC, where it snows several times per winter)

(2) Maybe you've never visited, but we do have distinct seasons, although in fall and spring, you're likely to get all 4 in the space of a fortnight. 🙂

My biggest reason for wanting to get out of the South for a while is the humidity in summer ... I know the whole Eastern seaboard is muggy, but it gets better the more northward you get (as long as there's air conditioning) ... Also, I like snow, but I think I would like snow better living someplace where a few inches doesn't shut everything down.

i have visited. several occasions, during several different times of year and to many different locations south of, say, ohio or kentucky or maryland. you do get "seasons" but they're nowhere near what i like in my northern seasons. when you fluctuate temps between zero F + snow and ice and 90F + humidity in between your two extreme seasons, then we can talk seasons. 😉 the 4" of snow on two occasions per winter in the mid-southern states don't count. i like to ski. i like snow on the ground pretty much all winter long. a few inches never shuts us down. 😉 just my weather preference...

ps and i don't think i would want to choose to spend my summers anywhere around, say georgia or florida! 😱 humidity! bugs! heat! i would turn to a pile of ash!

 

[lil pook]

Oh my god. DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT go to rochester. It is cloudy and rainy and snowy 80% of the year and if you do not believe me do an internet check.The temp goes down to like the teens and there are snow storms for days, as well as very dangerous ice storms where you get black ice on the roads. I was raised there and it is so damn depressing I cant believe I made it out alive. It is a horrible, God aweful place and why anybody lives there out of choice is beyond me. Even if that is the only med school that accepted me ( not that I would ever apply) I would still not go. You will wilt like a flower deprived of all sunlight and nourishment if you choose to subject yourself to such torture. So does that get my point across?

 

[MichiMO]

I have a little authority to speak on this subject, given I was born and raised in AZ, and have spent the last four years living in Montreal, Canada.
Bad weather definitly does effect your life...how could it not. But, for someone coming from AZ where there are just two types of weather HOT and HELL, it really was exciting coming to a place with four seasons....seeing leaves change, seeing snow, experiencing the undescribable thrill and happiness of the first days of spring where everyone is out with far too little clothes on. I don't know that I would want to spend the rest of my days in a place where it is absolutly frigid 5 months of the year and I am happy to get back to the sun. But it was nice for a few years and I will miss the seasons.
So, unless you are someone who is completely miserable if it gets below 50 degrees, if you liked Rochester better, don't let the weather get in the way...though you probably already made your choice.

(Also, you must take my words with a grain of salt given I am currently on the UofA waitlist😀 )

Good Luck!

 

[SunnyS81]

The south's humidity isn't that bad. On a few days it is horrible, but for the most part you get used to it. I think SC is worse than GA because they are closer to the coast. We definitely have four seasons, except spring and fall are short. We have a winter which I think even northerners will consider chilly (when the highs are below freezing). We usually have some snow every year or two. Not enough to cause chaos or even stick, but you see it. If you're a fan of skiing, definitely stick to the north. Then again, we don't have problems caused by corrosive salt (roads and on cars). It's nice to be able to run road races year around too. But then running implies that people are fit, and even GoodMonkey has mentioned on another thread that people in michigan are a bit larger.

I definitely considered weather when applying and deciding on schools. I only applied to really great (top 10) schools in the north and every other school was in the southeast.

One of my biomedical engineering professors is from California (B.S. and Ph.D. at Caltech), and decided to try out medical school at UVA for two years to learn more human biology. He told me, "You know what I found to be the hardest part of medical school? Getting up the d*mn stairs in the winter. When it started snowing and icing over, I couldn't get up the staircase in Charlottesville, and it would take me 1/2 hour each morning just to make my way up on my way to class." All I could imagine in a really happy and chubby guy flopping around on the ice in desperation trying to get up the ice. From his experience, I've trained on how to walk on ice.......I climbed a glacier in March. You're not going to see me flopping around!

 

[TroutBum]

Originally posted by VienneseWaltz
Amen. I didn't apply to those two schools for exactly the same reason.

I did consider Case Western, though ...

What a minute, aren't you going to Pitt? I can't see Pittsburgh having much better weather than Cleveland. 😛

I have some good experience in this subject too, because for undergrad I went to school in Western Massachussetts. Coming from Denver, which has the best weather in the country, IMHO (4 definite seasons, very warm but dry and therefore non-muggy summers and mild winters but with enough snow to make things interesting), I found living in Western Mass hell because of the weather. I was definitely depressed a lot because of it. But, I'm still going to school in Cleveland, because at least I know I can handle it.

However, I turned down Rochester because I knew I wouldn't be able to take anything worse.

I guess it all depends on what your limits are. The weather will suck in Cleveland, yes, but not enough to make me give up the school. For Rochester, yes, the weather was enough to make me give it up. And yes, I'm also hoping that the poor weather will make me study more. If it's sunny all the time like it is here, even when I have to be inside I'm just looking out the window daydreaming. . .