Students prepare for new 'degrees'

Norwich freshmen from warm climates are preparing for the extreme Vermont winter.

"Oh, I'm terrified," said Audra Bianco, an 18-year-old freshman political science and math dual major from Fort Meyers, Fla. "I've heard that last year it got as cold as 30 below, and I was shaking at the very thought of that."

"(The NU winters) get cold, very cold," said Luke Moeckel, an 18-year-old freshman mechanical engineering major from Bradenton, Fla., "and I am definitely not prepared for them."

Although he's lived in Florida all of his life, Moeckel is not a stranger to cold weather due to having played hockey since he was 13 and his work at a hockey rink. Plus, his family takes camping trips to Michigan. "I heard it gets down to 20 below," Moeckel said, "but I've never been in below negative 1 (degrees)."

According to The Weather Channel, the average mean temperature for the winter (beginning in December) hovers in the low 20s in Northfield compared to the mid-60s in Florida.

"Sometimes it's hard to convince the students that are from a warm area to give Vermont a try," said Sherri Gilmore, the director of admissions at Norwich, and a native Vermonter.

Of the 688 freshmen, 113 are from what Gilmore considers warmer areas such as California and Georgia.

"It's kind of interesting for (students) who have never seen snow before to experience it," Gilmore said.  

According to Gilmore, many prospective students from warm areas that she meets while traveling to promote Norwich to high school students do not believe how much snow layers Norwich.

"When I meet with students one of the first things that I ask them is, ‘What do you know about Vermont?'" Gilmore said. "And many of them say ‘It snows there.'"

As a part of her recruitment routine, Gilmore shows pictures of the knee-deep snow that blankets the campus.  However, many still do not believe her, according to Gilmore.

She advises the prospective and new students to purchase appropriate cold weather wear, such as socks, boots and thermal underwear.  

She also encourages prospective students to visit during the winter so they can experience the cold weather before coming to NU.

When choosing between NU and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., Moeckel decided that having "less distractions" would be better to foster his ability to "thrive on structure."

Moeckel is not daunted by the rumored wintery weather. "You can deal with the cold," Moeckel said. "It's not really a factor in academics."

"If I could train in this type of environment," said Daniel Colón, an 18-year-old freshman international studies major hailing from Boynton Beach, Fla., "then I could train anywhere because I would have the two extremes."

Colón, whose choice to attend Norwich was supported by his father, is anticipating the coming weather with an air of excitement.

"I'm kind of excited," Colón said, "I've actually never experienced that kind of winter before."

What are students doing to prepare?  

"Absolutely nothing," Moeckel said. "I just think that it is going to be interesting the first time, but after that I'll just move on."

He added,  "I'll probably put on every single piece of clothing I have in my closet just to stay warm."

"I'm not thinking about (the cold), honestly," said Natalia Mendez, an 18-year-old freshman psychology major from Florida. "When (the winter) comes it comes."

"I will wear leggings under (my) pants," said Shayde Schaffer, an 18-year-old civilian freshman biology and pre-medicine major originally from Gainesville, Fla.

Though she dislikes being cold, Bianco likes snow. "I like looking at the snow," Bianco said, but, "I don't like being cold."

Bianco might be interested to learn that snow helps moderate temperatures, according to Gilmore.

"Snow is actually welcomed," Gilmore said, "because when it snows (it will be) typically warmer than when there is no snow.

"The snow does provide that insulation and it feels warmer than when there is no snow," Gilmore said, who spreads this fact among prospective students. "(The weather is) just freezing rain, ice, and wind that just blows right through you."

Training with the corps of cadets in the winter is daunting for some rooks, such as Colón, who admits to being cold in the mornings when training with the Army.  

"I didn't want to go outside at all," Schaffer said, who moved from  Florida to Vermont at 13 years old.  "I was actually scared of the snow."

Five years later, and Schaffer is still preparing herself for what she knows is coming. When selecting colleges, the Florida native applied to several schools in the south and to only one in the frigid northeast: Norwich University.

Once accepted at Norwich, Shaffer decided to deal with the cold, in order to stay near her family.

Freshmen from far away are excited for new winter opportunities. Mendez said she wants to try skiing.

"You have to do something here in the winter if you are going to live here," Gilmore said, who enjoys snow-shoeing and snowmobiling.  "It's too long a period to curl up inside your house and hibernate."