rainynightstarz

So I lived in California for the last 6 years.
It normally doesn't go below 40 degrees. Although I've wore only t-shirt and shirts in 40s degree weather for PE in the winter... I probably won't want to do that for the rest of my life.
So... what are some essentials?
a puffy down coat?
a pea coat for more of the formal stuff and a bit less severe weather?

what shoes/boots to get?
and
what do you wear when one layer of jeans is just not warm enough?

feel free to include lots and lots of link to other threads or to picture of items or website of store to buy the items.

I just want to be prepared when it gets freezing cold.

Also side note, I saw from blogs and friend's facebook, occasionally there are some semi formal-ish dinners and events like that. How do we bring the least that would work for the most occasions?

molliebatmit

Haha, I don't think I've ever had a day when I thought one pair of jeans wasn't warm enough -- you can get a nice long coat for that. I suppose you could also wear a pair of long underwear, but I imagine you would get really warm in class in long underwear and jeans.

I have a puffy ski jacket which I wear basically all winter, and a lined duffle coat for November/March-type weather. I currently have one pair of snow boots, but they're not heavy-duty -- just from Target.

You can also take the Tech Shuttle when it's cold if you live on west campus. (If you live on east campus, you don't need to take any shuttles. )

You can absolutely get away with having one or two semi-formal dresses (i.e. not prom dresses, but nice dinner dresses). More than that would probably be overkill.

rainynightstarz

oh awesome! my mom just got me a really long puffy down jacket from Ross for $30! marked down from $170
So I'll just have to find myself some snow boots and some warm socks haha.

I am pretty sure I want to live on west campus, maybe BC or MacG (they actually have kitchens! and I like how their set up are suites). Doesn't the Tech Shuttles go around the whole campus before stopping at near 77 Mass Ave? Do you ever find it a waste of time? or is it faster than walking anyways? or do you read books on the shuttle?

Did you ever take the Northwest Shuttle to get to Star MIT for grocery shopping? It seems to save a lot on walking.

LauraN

Boots are amazing. Get yourself a pair of waterproof, traction-soled boots. This is something you will absolutely not regret spending money on. Dry socks can make the biggest difference in the world. =)

molliebatmit

Yeah, it's usually faster to walk. But when it's really, really cold, a substantial number of people make the choice to wait for the shuttle. It goes around the west side of campus (where the grad dorms are), then stops at the corner of Mass Ave and Vassar.

I never took the shuttle to Star to go shopping -- sometimes they're snotty about letting people on the shuttles/Saferide with grocery bags. I bought a little cart with some of my friends for $30, and we would walk to Star across the field and next to Simmons. It shortens the walk a little.

I loved MacGregor, so you won't hear any objections from me. It was great having a suite of five other people who were my close friends, and the entries are set up well for socializing with the big lounge on the main floor. I loved having a kitchen, too.

jessiehl

You probably want a warm hat as well.

over30

My son wore shorts and t-shirts all winter, usually with athletic shoes and a fleece jacket. He's in EC, so doesn't have to do a lot of walking, but even when he went out to dinner, to a movie or whatever, he wore shorts. He doesn't own (or want) a heavy coat. He does have waterproof shoes/boots for playing football, soccer or frisbee in the snow, a hat and a pair of gloves.

PiperXP

So I'm 100% Californian, just coming out of my first winter here. It's not as drastic as you think it'll be - yes, it'll be cold, so get a good jacket and stuff, but you won't be trekking through miles of 5ft snow =D.

I recommend getting any winter supplies out here or at an outdoors-y store, because stuff from California doesn't really work. Other than that, trust me, you'll be fine ^.^

LauraN

Yeah, you'll have time once you're here before it starts getting too cold to go out and buy stuff from local stores- so you don't have to figure out how to transport a ski jacket when you're only taking a couple of pieces of luggage anyway.

neforrester

I've lived about 60 miles south of Cambridge my whole life. Here's a rundown of my heaviest winter gear:

- Heavy Parka that extends down to my upper thighs (mine doesn't have a hood, but it would be nice).
- Ski Gloves.
- Snow boots.
- Polar fleece headband.
- Polar fleece face warmer (I'm planning to replace the headband and face warmer with a nice Ski mask at some point).
- Snow pants (I only use these when I'm skiing or otherwise expect to be falling in the snow a lot, which isn't often).

I don't have heavy woll socks, an ankle length coat, or long underwear. I do have a light polar fleece coat for less chilly conditions.

Ocikat

This is too trivial compare to its courseloads lol, you should be thinking how to survive MIT.
Can you even get into MIT? Worry about the weather after you get in lmao.

molliebatmit

Um, this is the MIT 2012 forum. The people asking questions here have been admitted to MIT, and have decided to attend.

PiperXP

...

Owned.

molliebatmit

Ahh, the last week of April makes me so grouchy around this joint.

rainynightstarz

@Ocikat: I personally believe that keeping my body warm is crucial for my brain to function! Thank you for your concern. ^_^

Maybe it's time to change my location to MIT 2012 XP

@everyone else:
Thank you for your inputs! They are very helpful!