I grew up in CT, went to school in the Boston area and then Ann Arbor. I didn’t find Ann Arbor much colder than the other two locations…summer starts a bit later and winter starts a bit earlier, but the differences are overdone. I can see there being a bit of shock for a person from California, but again, the difference is overdone.
The below table should provide a bit of perspective relative to some the location of some peer institutions:
Dartmouth to Equator 2974 miles 2974 65
Ithaca New York to Equator 2936 miles 2936 27
Boston to Equator 2915 miles 2915 6
Ann Arbor to Equator 2909 miles 2909 0
Evanston to Equator 2882 miles 2882 -27
Chicago to Equator 2882 Miles 2882 -27
Providence Rhode Island 2878 Miles 2878 -31
New Haven to Equator 2843 miles 2843 -66
New York to Equator 2816 miles 2816 -93
Princeton NJ to Equator 2799 miles 2799 -110
Philadelpia to Equator 2749 miles 2749 -160
San Francisco to Equator 2599 miles 2599 -310
Stanford to Equator 2572 miles 2572 -337