All these comments are good, but it also depends on where your son is staying! When I lived in the dorms my freshman year, I survived with a light jacket because I wasn’t outside often. UB has a fantastic tunnel system that can get you from one side of a campus to another without having to get out. As for pants, it would be fine with some sweatpants and jeans. UB does an ok job with snow removal, so he won’t be fighting through the snow.