<p>FYI, St. Louis is not in the “South” as almost universally defined in this country. It is hilarious though that people that are from places like NY or Wisconsin think it is somewhere on the Gulf Coast, while people from the true South think it is just below the Canadian border. That being said, for the majority of the school year it is not that warm in St. Louis like it would be in New Orleans or Houston, for example. The first month can be pretty warm, and so can the latter part of April/first part of May on occasion. Or it can also sometimes be fairly chilly. There have been times even in the last decade when it has snowed on Derby Day, the first Saturday in May. Like in most parts of the country, the weather can be quite uneven and change quickly.</p>
<p>More to your point about WUSTL vs. Cornell, the schools are very close academically. WUSTL definitely has better dorms and food, and of course St. Louis is a city while Ithaca is a college town. Beautiful, but limited in its local distractions. It all depends on what it is you like to do. If you want to attend pro baseball, football or hockey games, then St. Louis is better. If you are more into cross-country skiing and/or hiking, then Cornell is the choice. Those are random examples of course. My point is that this decision is probably less an academic one and more a quality of life one, based on your particular likes and dislikes.</p>