Video Transcript:
Hannah Beam: One day it feels like winter. The next feels like spring. People in Syracuse say those quick shifts are changing how they spend their time outside.
Tommy Lee-Adler: It’s super great to be out here right now. There’s not too much time where we can be outside here, so these days are sometimes a little rare. It’s nice to see everyone actually outside and doing stuff.
Beam: After weeks of cold temperatures, many students say even a few sunny days can make a noticeable difference in how they feel day to day.
Mary Gibson: I used to think it didn’t affect me. And then the sun came out, and I got so much happier. So I think the sunny days, I’m really happy. The snow makes me kind of angry at this point.
Beam: People say the hardest part isn’t just the cold, it’s not knowing what comes next. Last week alone, Syracuse saw snow, sunshine, and spring temperatures all within a few days, which honestly felt a little like an April Fool’s joke from the weather itself.
Mary Gibson: There’s definitely less motivation to want to get work done when it’s a day like this because we’d rather be outside.
Beam: Others say the biggest difference isn’t just productivity…it’s how campus feels when more people spend time outdoors together.
Elsa Block: There’s definitely more of a community when it’s nice outside because right now there’s so many people outside with their friends or studying. But when it’s cold, everyone stays inside.
Beam: For some students, this winter was especially difficult, as they adjusted to Central New York weather for the first time.
Skye Robinson: It was kind of hard in the winter when not many people were outside. I’m from the West Coast too, so this was like my first real winter.
Beam: Students say even short stretches of sunshine help bring campus back to life. For NCC News, I’m Hannah Beam.
SYRACUSE, NY (NCC News) — Spring in Syracuse has never been predictable, but this week’s swings between near-freezing lows and 70-degree highs have students navigating more than just what to wear. For many on campus, the weather is not just a backdrop. It is actively shaping how they feel, how much they get done and how connected they feel to each other.
Thursday brought partly cloudy skies and a high around 70 degrees, with rain and wind expected to follow on Friday. It is a pattern Syracuse students know well, and one that takes a measurable toll.
“It’s been in a bit of a slump the past few days,” said Tommy Lee-Adler, a Syracuse University student who was outside juggling on the quad when the sun finally broke through. “Days like this, it’s just like, everything’s gonna be okay.”
That reaction has a biological basis. According to the Mayo Clinic, reduced sunlight can disrupt the body by lowering serotonin production and energy levels, altering melatonin levels, and affecting sleep patterns. For college students already managing end-of-semester pressure, those effects compound quickly.
According to HonorSociety.org, Seasonal Affective Disorder, a form of depression that follows seasonal patterns, is particularly common among students in regions with long, dark winters. Even on days that do not reach that clinical level, dreary weather can cause lethargy, low motivation, and difficulty focusing on academic tasks.
Mary Gibson, a software engineering student at Syracuse University, said the effect on her was hard to deny once the sun came out. “I used to think it didn’t affect me,” she said. “And then the sun came out, and I got so much happier.”
The impact extends beyond individual mood. Students described noticing a shift in campus energy as a whole, with more people outside, more conversation, and a stronger sense of community. Elsa Block, a sophomore at Syracuse University, said it simply: when it is cold, everyone stays inside, and the campus feels emptier for it.
That observation tracks with what researchers have found about how weather shapes social behavior. According to a multilevel study on weather and daily mood, weather conditions can indirectly affect well-being by influencing physiological state, emotional mood and patterns of social interaction.
The motivation question is more complicated. Some students said nice weather makes them want to work outside; others said it makes them want to abandon work entirely. Gibson said they would rather be outside, knowing the gray days will return soon enough to catch up on work then. That instinct is common. According to a Her Campus survey of university students, nearly 90% of respondents said colder months impact their motivation to study or socialize.
For Skye Robinson, a first-year student who came to Syracuse University from the West Coast, the winter hit differently than she expected. “It was kind of sad not to see a bunch of people out and not have the community that we usually have,” she said. Now that the sun is back, she and her friends walk to class instead of taking the bus and eat lunch on the quad when they can.
Syracuse typically sees a mix of rain and leftover snow through April, so students should not expect the swings to stop anytime soon. But if the past week is any indication, every warm day counts, and students are making the most of them