Let’s be real: Binghamton is where good weather comes to die. But at the same time, going to a school where cold, dreary weather reigns supreme does have its benefits. We may not be going to the beach, tanning in the winter or even considering going out without gloves, but in some ways, we have an upper hand to those schools down south and out west that have sunshine and warm days all year around.
1. Fashion — Winter fashion clearly trumps summer fashion. Sure, the warm schools get shorts, skirts, polos, sundresses and tank tops, but we get boots, scarves, hats, fuzzy socks, dark jeans and, most importantly, sweaters.
2. They get sweaty, we get cozy — We get the privilege of looking terrible if we want to. The sweatshirt/sweatpants combo is a beautiful thing, perhaps the comfiest of all outfits. With all of our extra layers, we feel less pressure to keep our bodies bikini-ready and can focus our attention on more important things, like school and food.
3. The drinks — Imagine a world without pumpkin spice lattes, peppermint hot chocolate or a warm cup of chamomile tea. Now of course these things exist in hot weather schools, but could they ever taste as good as they do in the cold?
4. The scenery — When the skies aren’t gray, snow can be the most beautiful thing in the world. The way the snowflakes fall gently from the sky, the way they form on the tops of trees, the broken food trays at the end of a hill. All so beautiful — from the view of your room, of course. Walking in the snow will never cease to be the worst thing ever.
5. Snow sports — Sure, students at warm schools can play outside without getting frostbite, but we get sledding, tubing, skiing, snowboarding, snowball fights and snowmen. No matter how cold it is, playing in the snow will never stop being fun and will always make you feel like a little kid.
6. We can get closer — With the weather outside being frightful and all, you’ll be much more inclined to spend time inside. This means getting in a whole lot more bonding time with your suitemates and love interests. Think of all the movie nights, board game nights, hot chocolate, baking, cuddling, arts and crafts, heart-to-hearts and other inside fun that you wouldn’t be able to have if you were outside enjoying the weather. Cuddling and hot weather just doesn’t work.
7. We appreciate when it’s nice out — During the combined three weeks in Binghamton when the weather is actually nice, students are grateful and appreciative. If we went to a southern or western school, we’d take for granted the beautiful days and forget just how lucky we are. Whenever it’s nice, campus is full of people tanning, playing sports, drinking iced beverages, lounging around with friends, Instagramming and acting like quintessential college students. See? We need all those months of misery to enjoy the splendor of weather above 30 degrees.
So you can have your bonfires on the beach, your T-shirts in January and your yearlong happy-go-lucky attitude, students from the south and west. I’ll take the face-numbing cold any day.