<p>Ok, so my worry for the day (I always have to have one) is that Zoosergirl will end up going to college in Vermont (which we both loved by the way), get lost in the wilderness in the snow and freeze to death. So, those of you in the know, how tough would it be for a NYC girl to adjust to life in the Rutland, VT (Castleton) area? Would it be unrealistic if she ends up there to ask for info and education about braving the wilds (I’m only half kidding)? This is a sweet, gentle girl who is a total flake. Our family has been in NYC since the 1600s so we really don’t know about weather, wilderness or wild animals. Is the cold also really miserable and unbearable? Feel free to roll your eyes at me, LOL. What I’m really asking is could a NYC girl leave her Coach bag and French manicure at home and adjust to life in Vermont (is there a sitcom in there?)</p>
<p>Yes, she could. (I don’t live in VT, but we’re up there all the time.) The cold and snow aren’t terrible; Vermonters know what to do with it. It doesn’t close the world down. The new hi-tech winter clothes are wonderful and keep you nice and toasty without adding a lot of bulk - most of it is quite fashionable too. </p>
<p>Rutland is a small city - there isn’t all that much “wilderness” around. If she keeps an open mind (unlike Eva Gabor in “Green Acres”), she should do fine.</p>
<p>Oh, and at the Diamond Run Mall in Rutland, she can even get her French manicure! (She’s even allowed to bring her Coach bag across the border.)</p>
<p>:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:</p>
<p>Enough eye-rolling?</p>
<p>I really think she’ll be fine. She’ll get some nice warm clothes including good boots and will be set. In good years the cold weather is great - crisp and bracing. Not nearly as much as the soggy stuff you get in the city. We have a cabin on 300 acres and I can’t tell you the last time I’ve seen anything bigger than a mouse. There used to be porcupines at least.</p>
<p>How will she feel about being away from life in the big city?</p>
<p>There’s certainly a LOT more going on in NYC than in Vermont.</p>
<p>In a metropolitan area, there’s always the possibility of socializing, part-time work, entertainment, etc. off campus – in Rutland, what her college offers will pretty much be the only game in town.</p>
<p>:D 
:D!!!</p>
<p>Feb of her senior year, after D had been accepted to Dartmouth, one of her classmates brought her a photo clipped from the weather page of our local newspaper - it was a picture taken on I-93? showing the exit sign to Dartmouth College/Hanover, with the snow piled up to with about 3 inches of the bottom of the exit sign. He told her she would have to get one of those little flags on a long pole that people put on the backs of their bikes so that she could be found before the thaw - she’s very petite.
We live in the Ddddeeeppp South - Zoosergirl may come back a different person!</p>
<p>You guys are awesome, you know that? Thank you all for the tips and good humor. Zoosergirl is a cross-country runner and really aspires to cross-country ski, which seemed nice about Vermont. When we were there, we all loved the area, the people and the school. It may not be prestigious but the people were kind and welcoming, which would suit Zoosergirl’s personality very well. I’m just afraid of the weather because, well, I’m really afraid of Zoosergirl going off on her own where I won’t know every day if she’s ok. She calls herself “bubble girl” because I’m so over-protective and when she was looking at colleges, considered Tampa so she could call me from the beach and say “Mom, I’m on the beach with no sunblock and you can’t do anything about it!”</p>
<p>
OK, if this sounds familiar, it is. Have you ever seen “The Shining”? Yes, this is what happens in most small, remote New England colleges once the snows have set in and cut you off from the rest of humanity! The aimless Big Wheel rides around the corridors…the scary twin girls saying “play with us.” I advise you to watch this promotional film from a very well known northern NE college before your daughter wakes up to “Here’s Johnny” on some gray, icy snowed-in morning: <a href=“http://www.angryalien.com/0504/shiningbunnies.html[/url]”>http://www.angryalien.com/0504/shiningbunnies.html</a></p>
<p>It will actually be an incredibly fun experience for her, and is one of the reasons so many native New Yorkers love to have their own cabin in the woods once they can afford it.</p>
<p>If she likes being outdoors, then Vermont is a beautiful place to be.</p>
<p>Also, she’ll have a chance to enjoy the snow without worrying about shovelling it! Or finding a place on the street to park her car!</p>
<p>I took my daughters dogsledding in Vermont one winter some years ago, and it was great. I must say that the Vermonters did not let a little fresh snowfall stop them from driving as usual.</p>
<p>Driver that was priceless! The Shining happens to be my all time favorite movie, too. thank you for the laugh and the humorous reality check. She got an email with a nice little note from the college congratulating her on her accomplishments and letting her know that she has a strong background for admission and possibly scholarship consideration. She’s now hoping that that was a little bit meaningful.</p>
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</p>
<p>There WAS a sitcom! Remember Stephanie Van Der Kellen in “Newhart”?</p>
<p>"There WAS a sitcom! Remember Stephanie Van Der Kellen in “Newhart”? "</p>
<p>Yes!!! That was hilarious. My daughter is an actual nice person, though! </p>
<p>I love the bit about not having to shovel, and I’m sure daughter will too.</p>
<p>Zoosermom, you may enjoy the listings available at this store:</p>
<p><a href=“http://hitthetrailnewnanga.stores.yahoo.net/suuntos6.html[/url]”>http://hitthetrailnewnanga.stores.yahoo.net/suuntos6.html</a></p>
<p>The Suunto S6 provides you with information enabling safe and responsible decisions on- and off-piste, as well as tools for analyzing your downhill skiing or snowboarding performance.</p>
<p>You may also check the various GPS tools that are available. If all fails, how about this little nifty device:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Global-Finder-Tracking-Device-Pets/dp/B000CEN0YC[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Global-Finder-Tracking-Device-Pets/dp/B000CEN0YC</a></p>
<p>For some reason, I think that more than one parent would not mind implanting a GPS in the arm of the DD and DS … permanently.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Xiggi! I’m printing that out to show Zoosergirl. I am howling with laughter here.</p>
<p>In the middle of winter, Rutland is somewhat economically depressed. They have serious gang problems related to heroin dealing. The gang members come out of NYC and Springfield Mass. When I say serious, I mean terrorizing neighbors, shootings, etc. None of this would affect students at Castleton, unless they were to go into Rutland on weekend evenings for some nightlife.</p>
<p>Your D may love Castleton, and it is a beautiful place, but if she wants an urban break, Rutland is the only place to go within a reasonable distance. Aside from the gang problems, Rutland can be a depressing, gray place in the non-summer months.</p>
<p>If your D is at all interested in UVM, that would be a better spot. There are stores and restaurants, and so many young people and much to do. No place is immune to crime however as we all know too well from the recent murder of a UVM student.</p>
<p>Another poster mentioned the largest animal as a squirrel. We have black bears IN OUR YARD, plenty of deer, and the occassional moose here in Montpelier.</p>
<p>You really wouldn’t need to worry about your D getting lost in the wilds though. A good parka, gloves, and boots and a little wilderness training should she venture out and she’d be fine. Most schools have hiking programs with trained leaders as guides, so she could learn how to take care of herself.</p>
<p>Feel free to ask more questions!</p>
<p>Baseballmom, thanks so much for your response. The gang thing gives me great pause. How serious of a problem do you think that is, and is there anywhere I could get some more information? She’s not interested in UVM because it’s just a little farther than she wants to go. Rutland is her outer limit in terms of distance. It’s sort of ironic that the gang problems there would be coming from NYC. We have a bit of that, too.</p>
<p>I have family that live in Rutland proper, and they have never had a problem with gangs. I have to assume that, like any other city, Rutland has “good” and “bad” areas - yes, parts of it are economically depressed.</p>
<p>I disagree, though, about Rutland being depressing in the winter. We love it there, as does the family members living there. They’re very happy!</p>
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<p>I’ve seen more deer in Westchester county than I have lately in VT. Actually I think deer like suburban vegetation better than they do the woods. Our little cabin isn’t that far away from you in Montpelier about half an hour southwest of you on the Long Trail.</p>
<p>Zoosermom,</p>
<p>Every year our HS ski team turns at least a dozen cross country runners into new cross country skiers. IMO, its alot more fun than running in the winter. I don’t run, but I do get out and ski each winter.</p>
<p>I second Burlington as a great location. Has your D looked at UNH? It’s kind of rural but close to Boston. They have OOS scholarships based on class rank/test scores.</p>
<p>Ah, we all have our concerns, don’t we? I discouraged my very fair, red-headed, light blue-eyed child from applying to schools in really sunny places! He can not be in the sun for more than an hour even with #40 sunblock on without getting a beastly sun burn.</p>
<p>golfmom, Do you know if there is an amtrak train from the UNH campus into Boston? If not, is there an easy way to access Boston?</p>