I work on the Student Calling Team at Lawrence, which means I call prospective students all through the application process to remind them of deadlines, let them know about special events, and answer their questions. And one of the questions I get most often is this: “Is it cold?”
Because I’m typing this in February, I can answer emphatically: yes.
As a native Minnesotan, I’m pretty used to this kind of weather—I mean the kind that chills you through your leggings, makes you wrap a scarf around half your face so you look like a burglar, and makes your glasses fog up when you go inside again. But just because I’m used to it doesn’t mean I like it. In fact, winter is my least favorite season. I complain about the cold constantly, and it kind of sucks to get up and go to bed when it’s dark out (although that could just be my own schedule). The point is, it’s around this time of year when I start to ask myself just why I decided to go to school in a place just as chilly as the place I lived for the first 18 years of my life, when I could be studying in sunny California like my best friend from high school. Why, oh why, did I choose Lawrence?
That’s actually another question I’m asked a lot by prospective students, and even though the cold air can sometimes hurt my lungs, I have to say that I’m most aware of my reasons for coming to Lawrence in the winter.
First up, the campus is beautiful. I first visited in the spring, and I knew it looked great, but even—and especially—covered in snow, we really have a great spot. The sidewalks are plowed consistently, but we still get to enjoy a nice soft, white blanket over the grass, and the trees, and the roofs… you get the idea.
Next, Lawrence makes winter fun. We just had the President’s Ball last weekend, which is a black tie (optional—wear whatever you want!) dance with a photo booth and live music. That’s part of Lawrence’s Winter Carnival, which also includes ice sculpting and a broomball tournament. And outside one of the dorms there’s a natural dip in the ground where people make their own ice hockey rink. It’s also a lot of fun to go sledding down the hill by Lawrence’s student-run gardens.
And finally, if you’re still not convinced by all of this—if you still maintain that winter is cold and dark and sad—then you’re in good company. Many people say they make their best friends in winter term, because of all the hall bonding activities and fun shows that they attend in order to spend more time indoors. And nothing says coziness like hot chocolate, tea, or coffee—all available in both of Lawrence’s dining facilities—that lets you stay warm while watching the snow fall outside the window.
So, yeah, Lawrence is in Wisconsin, and Wisconsin gets pretty cold, but not for the whole year—and for the three months that it is a tundra, Lawrentians have a lot of ways to survive, and even enjoy, the cold. I like to look to our school motto—“Light! More light!” for inspiration in what is, after all, the darkest season of the year.
