<p>Honestly, you folks need to chill a little about this…no pun intended. 
We live in Northern Nebraska. It’s cold here…sometimes colder than Minnesota. If you are just talking about walking to and from class in relative comfort, you don’t need to plan for arctic expeditions.
North Face is a good reputable company…I mean them no harm…but in the past few years they have gotten pretty trendy and their prices, though never inexpensive have gotten pretty high. If you have the disposable income and want to spend it, by all means, go right ahead. BUT, if you or your parents don’t, please don’t feel that you need to dump a bunch of your hard earned dollars there. Honestly, you can go to Target and get decently warm clothing. The other factor worth mentioning here is that Carleton is not (IMO…a parent who has visited numerous times) a fashionista school. I doubt that anyone will think any more or less of you if you are wearing North Face and Uggs than if you are wearing Target and Land’s End.
Functionality comes at a variety of price points. If you really know nothing of cold weather gear, wait till you get to campus and talk to some other students about what they like and what they use.</p>