During my time as a grad student at Cornell, one of the annual highlights was prospective student visit week.
The campus would be abuzz with eager families marveling at how gorgeous the gorges are.
However, the real entertainment came from the hosting faculty, who worked a bit too hard behind the scenes to ensure a seamless experience.
Visit week was carefully scheduled to coincide with one of the few good weather patches during the transition from freezing cold to sweltering hot, but if timing wasn't perfect,
professors could be seen dashing around with armfuls of umbrellas, assuring visitors that Cornell was still the place to be.
While there are many reasons to choose Cornell, including its academic excellence,
let's take a look at what the data shows about that weather outside of visit week...
-June
Chat-GPT Hot Take
Don't overlook the significance of weather when selecting your college – it's more than just a backdrop.
Weather profoundly impacts daily life, from mood and motivation to outdoor activities.
Choosing a climate that aligns with your preferences enhances your college experience, whether you thrive in sunshine or crave snowy landscapes.
Consider how weather influences mental health and academic performance – selecting the right climate can set you up for success both personally and academically.
-ChatGPT3.5
Overview of Good Weather Varying By Min/Max Temperature Preferences
There are 245 days in the school year, which bias towards more winter days and less summer days than in a full year.
For students planning on moving during the summer for internships or cheaper housing, this shifts what their college experience could be.
For students trying to avoid heat, staying only during the school year opens up more colleges in deserts and further south.
For students seeking hotter temperatures, mountainous and schools more north may pose a very big surprise.
The below gif shows how much personal definition of Good Weather influences where students would enjoy going to school.
Weather at Ivy League Universities
How cheeky was it for Cornell to try and pretend it had good weather? Pretty cheeky.
In fact depending on your preferences, the weather at Cornell would have been one of the worst weather experiences of the Ivy League Colleges.
I suppose that's a piece of Cornell's reputations, including, being a great school to be highly motivated to focus and complete your degree.
Update min/max temps to personalize the Ivies for yourself.
College
City, State
Good Weather Days
Good Weather %
Days Below Freezing
Days Above 95°F
Rainy Days
Humid Days
Weather at US News Top 20 Universities
Update min/max temps to personalize the Top 20 Universities for yourself.
