College and Skiing. ..er, College VS. Skiing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by gammahead 

So, I'm heading out the University of Rochester this fall for a computer science, physics, or geology major, but there are a few problems. I really happy to be going to the college, but it's lacking the Rocky Mountains. My new scheme to go to college and simultaneously ski all the time is to transfer to Westminster because of their location in Salt Lake City. Also, I won't be missing out academically because of their 3-2 program with the University of Southern California. I know this sounds like a question for a college related website, but what I'm really more concerned about is the quality of the skiing. Right next to Rochester is Bristol Mountain, but I doubt that it can compare to Utah powder. I've never been East Coast skiing, though. Is the East Coast good enough for 4 years, or should I transfer to Utah to optimize my experience?

nothing compares to utah skiing from a powder stand point and bristol mountain is not anywhere near a world class or even east coast class resort.

UVM has what your looking for(academically speaking), as does Westminter. I actually prefer northern vermont skiing due to lack of competion for what i want to ski compared to say Snowbird utah where everyone is like me and tracks up the places fast.

In hind sight I would of stayed in a finish college if I was attending UVM or U of U instead of the banana belt of skiing in Pittsburgh.

gammahead, if you are asking strictly about the skiing, then yes, you should go to a college in vermont, new hampshire, the adirondacks, or skiing areas of the western US.

It's totally your own business, but I would strongly suggest considering the quality of your education, the college, the opportunities, etc in addition to just thinking about where you can ski.  Those four years can be the ticket to a great career that can allow you to ski all over the world for the rest of your life after college. 

Just my 0.02

How close to the mountains / ski resorts does your ideal college need to be?  For example, would Boulder, CO be considered too far from the front range resorts like A-Basin / Keystone / Breck / Vail?

U of R is a great school.  What about Westminster?

UVM would be a blast and it's a pretty good school, but not in comparison to U of R.

The east coast won't last more than for years imho but to optimize the experience just do it.

Go to the best school with a football and basketball teams that you can afford but taking a loan would only mean that you have to pay it back. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoredAtBMBW 

gammahead, if you are asking strictly about the skiing, then yes, you should go to a college in vermont, new hampshire, the adirondacks, or skiing areas of the western US.

 

It's totally your own business, but I would strongly suggest considering the quality of your education, the college, the opportunities, etc in addition to just thinking about where you can ski.  Those four years can be the ticket to a great career that can allow you to ski all over the world for the rest of your life after college. 

 

Just my 0.02

If skiing is your number one thing than why would you compromise(that much) on skiing when there are so many great school near good to great skiing. I didnt start skiing till I was in College and it was the downfall and demotivating factor of me finishing college not being able to ski good terrain. I didnt know starting college I was a skier or it would have vastly changed where I went.

So many people spend 4 years of colleges away from skiing only to have further schooling, and their jobs keeping them from skiing. Spend the next 4 years in the mountains trying to figure out how to stay there instead of the next 4 years finding a way to get there that may NEVER happen.

Case in point. you are in ohio. No amount of money or free time would ever get you true quality skiing for the entire year. Plus most who have the money dont have the free time, and most with the free time dont have the money.  lastly if your come back is I can ski more when I am older......it doesnt really matter we hit our athletic prime for sports like skiing in our early 20s to 30 why waste it away from skiing?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BushwackerinPA 

If skiing is your number one thing than why would you compromise(that much) on skiing when there are so many great school near good to great skiing. I didnt start skiing till I was in College and it was the downfall and demotivating factor of me finishing college not being able to ski good terrain. I didnt know starting college I was a skier or it would have vastly changed where I went.

 

So many people spend 4 years of colleges away from skiing only to have further schooling, and their jobs keeping them from skiing. Spend the next 4 years in the mountains trying to figure out how to stay there instead of the next 4 years finding a way to get there that may NEVER happen.

 

Case in point. you are in ohio. No amount of money or free time would ever get you true quality skiing for the entire year. Plus most who have the money dont have the free time, and most with the free time dont have the money.  lastly if your come back is I can ski more when I am older......it doesnt really matter we hit our athletic prime for sports like skiing in our early 20s to 30 why waste it away from skiing?

 

 

I'm not suggesting to the OP that he shouldn't go to a college by a good ski place.... just saying there are more considerations during college than a recreational activity.  I hate Ohio and want to get out... I don't recommend anybody live here.  But looking back at college (for me, philly area), not sure I would have picked any other school.  Furthermore, I didn't have much free time (my school and major was pretty demanding).  And in college there are so many other things going on.  Even when I had my car on campus I didn't make it out to ski much.

Anyway, I noted it is the OP's business where he chooses to go, and why.  And if skiing is going to be that big of a deal, then there are probably better places than Rochester. 

Bushwacker, you are very lucky to be able to ski everyday and make that part of your job, but for 99% of people (even people who live in ski towns), they can only consistently make it out on the weekends and vacation.  If your argument is then that college is a great time to have an opportunity to ski daily for someone for whom that is very important, that is a valid point.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoredAtBMBW 

I'm not suggesting to the OP that he shouldn't go to a college by a good ski place.... just saying there are more considerations during college than a recreational activity.  I hate Ohio and want to get out... I don't recommend anybody live here.  But looking back at college (for me, philly area), not sure I would have picked any other school.  Furthermore, I didn't have much free time (my school and major was pretty demanding).  And in college there are so many other things going on.  Even when I had my car on campus I didn't make it out to ski much.

 

Anyway, I noted it is the OP's business where he chooses to go, and why.  And if skiing is going to be that big of a deal, then there are probably better places than Rochester. 

 

Bushwacker, you are very lucky to be able to ski everyday and make that part of your job, but for 99% of people (even people who live in ski towns), they can only consistently make it out on the weekends and vacation.  If your argument is then that college is a great time to have an opportunity to ski daily for someone for whom that is very important, that is a valid point.

I dont think people are skiing everyday in college but more than say going to school in rochester would allow.

I'm in college right now.  My top 2 choices were U of R and UVM.  I chose UVM because it was cheaper for me, but I'm so glad I did.  Its BY FAR the best ski school on the east coast.  Super cheap ski passes and I skied twice every weekend (free busses to all the mountains) and once in a while on weekdays if we could get a car.  For me, everything's better here than Rochester (better parties, more things to do if youre not into parties, better city) except the quality of education is probably slightly lower depending on the program.  Either way if you do well in whatever you decide to do you'll get a job fine.

You can still go to a quality school and ski. I'm familiar with the EC so: 

The Boston area schools are 2/3 hours from the better NH resorts,

Middlebury is a good school and close to MRG

Dartmouth is 1.5 hours to both Cannon and MRG

Was trying to find schools with a similiar GPA SAT range to Rochester.

Quality out west I dont know of where schools are in relation to mountains so I cant really help besides: 

http://collegesearch.collegeboard.com/search/CollegeDetail.jsp?collegeId=1300&type=qfs&skey=of%20mines

which could be right up your alley considering its in Golden and a very good engineering school.

Founds some other threads for you: 

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-search-selection/220641-best-colleges-skiing-snowboarding-4.html

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoredAtBMBW 

gammahead, if you are asking strictly about the skiing, then yes, you should go to a college in vermont, new hampshire, the adirondacks, or skiing areas of the western US.

 

It's totally your own business, but I would strongly suggest considering the quality of your education, the college, the opportunities, etc in addition to just thinking about where you can ski.  Those four years can be the ticket to a great career that can allow you to ski all over the world for the rest of your life after college. 

 

Just my 0.02

pretty much what I told my son, and he gets it. Take care of business (your education) now, while your mind is at its best. You don't have to study too close to the mountains because colleges have many carpool and bus trips up to skiing.

I'm going to put Western State College of Colorda.  Only 30 minutes south of The Butte and 45 minutes west of Monach.  Gunnison is a great town.  Great fishing hiking etc.   

Quote:

Originally Posted by gammahead 

Bushwakerin, I didn't understand this bit: "In hind sight I would of stayed in a finish college if I was attending UVM or U of U instead of the banana belt of skiing in Pittsburgh." Also, I don't just want a good ski resort to be next to like what I would find at UVM, I want to be in the middle of a bunch of mountains. Would I get that feeling at UVM? Also, UVM seems costly for out of staters.  Also, your second reply is pretty much at the heart of my reasoning, and is the cause of this premature mid-life crisis I'm going through :p  

 

Jay: I want to be close enough such that I would be able to spontaneously decide to go skiing within a day and be able to do it that day.

 

Bored: I went through that dilemma regarding educatio: nal quality when I got back from Breckenridge this year. I really wanted to skip college all together, and just live somewhere beautiful and ski. It's not just a 'fun' thing, it's an existential experience to be in the mitdst of enormous mountains all the time. It feels great. Anyway, though, I'm pretty set on making sure that I make it out to the West somewhere. That's where I want to be. Even though Westminster isn't as good as UR, I think I could pull off doing the 3-2 program with USC, which would actually turn out to be better than UR.

 

Paul Jones: Westminster is not as good as UofR, but the possibility of transferring to USC after 3 years through the 3-2 program makes transferring to Westminster academically competitive, which makes the decision even harder.

 

Cal22: Were you in-state? I got a ton of scholarships and grants from Rochester, so it's actually cheaper than my local college. If UVM dishes out aid, though, I might consider it.

 

Bielz: Boston is too far away. Read the section I made for Jay. Also, I got rejected from the Colorado School of Mines.. I have no idea how, though, considering I got into UR and considering that my friend who got in had an ACT score that was 6 points lower than mine. ..sigh..

I was going to the University of Pittsburgh and ended up leaving basically just to ski. If I was anywhere near good skiing it would have been incentive to stay there for me. The deal was I didnt start skiing till freshmen year of college and could have had no way of knowing skiing was going to be my life. I choose my college purely on academics and cost.  You already know skiing is huge part of your life, I say plan according.

Bozeman

University of Denver has a nice small physics dept.

As far as Nothern California goes, UC Davis is a good school for your fields (near Sacramento)... but it's about 1 1/2 hours from most Tahoe resorts, which sounds like it's too far for you.  There are also some schools in the Tahoe area like Sierra College, but not as highly regarded.

Those 4 years may just get you a spot in the unemployment line with a special framed piece of paper in your hand like more than 1/2 the college grads these days.

If you passionate about skiing move somewhere where it's good and do it. Seems to me it's a lot easier to decide to grow weary of skibumming and decide to pursue higher edjumacation or a career

than the other way around, specially if you're footing the bill. Unlike the uber guro Dalvari I find with age my mind becoming better and the body taking more time to recover and limiting my abilities.

While probably not a career per say the world needs skifishbum trophy husbands too

Quote:

Originally Posted by skifishbum 

Those 4 years may just get you a spot in the unemployment line with a special framed piece of paper in your hand like more than 1/2 the college grads these days.

While probably not a career per say the world needs skifishbum trophy husbands too

I kind of agree with this.   It now takes 7 years (Masters, MBA, Law, CPA, Medical, etc) to get your foot in the door ahead of the crowd.  But, the first 4 is more difficult than the last 3 with the exception of becoming a doctor.  But, the end payout for becoming a doc is HUGE!  The folks I know living the life and affording it with big families are mostly Docs and Lawyers, but docs do better on average.

Westminster is a good school.  The U of U is a good school as well. But if what you really want to do is ski, why not take a gap year and focus on skiing, rather than do a piss poor job in school?

Mike

Quote:

Originally Posted by habacomike 

Westminster is a good school.  The U of U is a good school as well. But if what you really want to do is ski, why not take a gap year and focus on skiing, rather than do a piss poor job in school?

 

Mike

+1.   Leave a little more bandwidth for all the partying to hose up your grades. 

I went to a flatland university as an undergrad.  I took several. weekend. "gotta get away" road trips to go ski where I missed class Friday and Monday too with no studying inbetween.  But, I was weening myself from skiing 100+ days a year down to about 30.  Living by a resort can work better than not if managed properly.  Go to class, go to a quiet area free of friends and distractions after class and work for a few hours, then do whatever you want to on most nights and weekends provided that you are caught up. 

I don't recommend doing anything but ADDITIONAL studying in your free time within a week of exams though.  If you want to do well you have to be dedicated to school first and all other things second.

Quote:

Originally Posted by skifishbum 

Those 4 years may just get you a spot in the unemployment line with a special framed piece of paper in your hand like more than 1/2 the college grads these days.

Not in the major he's going into.

If he's half way good in class, he'll be recruited right out of school and will be able to afford a house in the mountains a few years afterward.

How good a skier are you?  Did you grow up in the Rockies?  Never been, but I hear Bristol is a pretty good little hill by eastern standards, 1200'VD, above avg natural snowfall, 35 minutes from the university.  If you've made a tuition deposit I'd stick with U of R for the time being.  Get a feel for how you fit there academically.  If you are happy with that most important aspect, once winter approaches you may find a nice group of classmates/ski buddies for day-trips and night skiing at nearby Bristol.  From Rochester you would still be within striking distance (4-5 hrs) of some excellent larger mtns such as Whiteface and Gore for long weekends.  Both have legit black diamond terrain.  Maybe you can get family or friends to ski with you for extended Western skiing during Xmas or spring break? 

I'm from the old school that says:  get that four year degree out of the way immediately before life gets in the way, then if you still want to be a gap-year ski-bum, do it before you go on for your advanced degree or settle into a career track.

Everybody who posts in this forum totally understands "it's an existential experience to be in the mitdst of enormous mountains all the time", but there's also the old bromide, "be careful what you wish for."  Life in the mtns as a low paid member of the service industry can lose its luster over time.

On the other hand, I've met Bushwacker and if like him, you already have a deeply held conviction that skiing and big mountains are Everything to you, who am I to suggest anything else

I would not discount the existential part, just be sure that it is real. I've seen it up close -- as soon as my brother could drive, he kept escaping to the mountains. He started school at U of Montana, but returned to Colorado and eventually graduated from Boulder (although it took a few extra years, as he was constantly pulled away by opportunities ... in the mountains). Now he lives and works in the San Juans, definitely mountains, except when he works in the Grand Canyon.  In fact, on one of his GC trips, a bigwig in the Princeton grad school (maybe even the dean, can't remember) basically told him he was in if he wanted to go to grad school there. Brother just thought, "New Jersey? Really?" I don't think he thought twice about it. 

If it's real, the more important thing is not necessarily college, but what happens after college. It is NOT "get a good job so you can take lots of trips to the mountains." It is, "ensure that your job is done in the mountains, so you don't have to leave." Some people shrivel up and die when they leave. If that's not you, you have more choices. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by at_nyc 

Not in the major he's going into.

 

If he's half way good in class, he'll be recruited right out of school and will be able to afford a house in the mountains a few years afterward.

 

Well hopefully it' doesn't come at the expense of having to work on pow days.

14 years and some 4000 ski days the luster of being a menial service worker who skis everyday hasn't diminished yet, but I'm a glutton for punishment.

Love to argue more but if the spanser finds out i'm runnin smack on the webz instead fixin her house in the mountains she aint gonna be taking me on any nice vacations.

If I could do it all over again (and end up with a similar career) I'd go to UVM.

Quote:

Originally Posted by skifishbum 

Well hopefully it' doesn't come at the expense of having to work on pow days.

14 years and some 4000 ski days the luster of being a menial service worker who skis everyday hasn't diminished yet, but I'm a glutton for punishment.

Love to argue more but if the spanser finds out i'm runnin smack on the webz instead fixin her house in the mountains she aint gonna be taking me on any nice vacations.

 

 

 

Whether he gets to ski powder day wasn't the question.

He will NOT be on the unemployment line with a degree in his chosen field.

People on the outside sometimes don't know what it's about. As existential as skiing is, so is writing program and having the computer do backflips at a key stroke!

That it pays many times more than ski bumming is only a minor ;) side benefit.

Being a student at UVM I can highly recommend it for skiing.  The school has free buses to Jay, Stowe and Sugar bush which are all good east coast mountains.  That being said it sounds a lot like you are a rockies powder kind of skier.  Skiing out here is a whole different game that some prefer and some do not.  I would suggest putting in that Utah transfer if you do not like the skiing out here but if you're going to stay east coast try to end up in Vermont.

Go to school and graduate.

If you major in Computer Science... well, i have

met more than one code head who lives in a ski town and

works remotely.  Take the gap year after the degree.

You know what they call a geologist in Houston....?

"Waiter"!