Choosing a College if you are a Skier

Tin · Oct 31, 2012

If you want anything teaching (high/middle school), find a cheap state school. I have several of friends who went to big name schools with close to or over 100k in debt and cannot find a job. Mean while, just about every friend I had in high school has landed a teaching position, little to no debt, and just went to cheap in state school. It's the smartest career/financial route in my opinion for teaching.

snoseek · Oct 31, 2012

I chose to go to culinary school simply so I can live wherever I want to live, whenever. I moved back from Utah to NH to do it. Looking back I'm not really sure why I didn't just stay west and get it done. Its a fun life but definitely has its drawbacks

drjeff · Nov 1, 2012

I'm a big believer that choosing a college where ACADEMICALLY you feel like you'll get the best combination of challenging one's self and also feel the most comfortable in it's surroundings (reguardless of proximity to a ski area) ends up giving one a much better chance of a lifetime of skiing/riding opportunities in the 50 or so years after one typically graduates college where physically skiing and riding will likely still be a very valid option.

If one chooses a college where the recreation activites available is a higher priority than the academic activities available, then longterm having the financial ability to pursue one's snow sliding addiction is much more likely to be a challenge.

I look at it in my life experiences the following way. I happened to go to college and professional school in areas where within a reasonable drive I had skiing options (Troy, NY for my undergraduate degree and Farmington, CT for my professional degree) so I was still able to get generally atleast 15-20 days a year, sometimes many more in during my "college" days - not as many as during my highschool days, but still a decent amount. The biggest change in the number of days that I skied in a season was the 2 years where my kids were born (One's b-day is Dec 29 and the others is Jan 9 - yup some poor "planning" on my the part of me and my wife on that

:lol: ) In those years, I skied 3 days total the season my oldest was born and 5 days total the season my youngest was born. I thought that it would be incredibly tough to not be on the hill in anywhere near the frequency that I had been used to for my entire skiing career, but in reality it wasn't that big a deal, eben with my 1st day of the season in both of those years occurring in late March instead of Nov/December like I was used to.

It's the whole big picture vs. little picture way of looking at things. And as much as sliding down the hill on snow is a BIG deal for so many of us, in the bigger picture of life as a whole, its still a small item (and unfortunately i'm guessing that there's more than a few snowsliding "addicts" in the greater CT/NY/NJ coastline area right now that are learning this lesson

)

Warp Daddy · Nov 1, 2012

Thanks Doc as a retired college exec .i have expounded on this topic in the past and you saved me the trouble with your spot on analysis. Goodness of fit on academics , social environment , economic comfort ability trumps fun . if one desires a reasonable future that include the ability to continue to AFFORD one ,s desired lifestyle

AdironRider · Nov 1, 2012

drjeff said:
I'm a big believer that choosing a college where ACADEMICALLY you feel like you'll get the best combination of challenging one's self and also feel the most comfortable in it's surroundings (reguardless of proximity to a ski area) ends up giving one a much better chance of a lifetime of skiing/riding opportunities in the 50 or so years after one typically graduates college where physically skiing and riding will likely still be a very valid option.

If one chooses a college where the recreation activites available is a higher priority than the academic activities available, then longterm having the financial ability to pursue one's snow sliding addiction is much more likely to be a challenge.

I look at it in my life experiences the following way. I happened to go to college and professional school in areas where within a reasonable drive I had skiing options (Troy, NY for my undergraduate degree and Farmington, CT for my professional degree) so I was still able to get generally atleast 15-20 days a year, sometimes many more in during my "college" days - not as many as during my highschool days, but still a decent amount. The biggest change in the number of days that I skied in a season was the 2 years where my kids were born (One's b-day is Dec 29 and the others is Jan 9 - yup some poor "planning" on my the part of me and my wife on that :lol: ) In those years, I skied 3 days total the season my oldest was born and 5 days total the season my youngest was born. I thought that it would be incredibly tough to not be on the hill in anywhere near the frequency that I had been used to for my entire skiing career, but in reality it wasn't that big a deal, eben with my 1st day of the season in both of those years occurring in late March instead of Nov/December like I was used to.

It's the whole big picture vs. little picture way of looking at things. And as much as sliding down the hill on snow is a BIG deal for so many of us, in the bigger picture of life as a whole, its still a small item (and unfortunately i'm guessing that there's more than a few snowsliding "addicts" in the greater CT/NY/NJ coastline area right now that are learning this lesson )

I can see the reasoning about this, and admittantly I've worked hard and been rewarded with generous scholarships, which I'm sure slightly affects my thinking on this.

But not everything is about tomorrow, getting the best job, making the most money, etc. They coined the phrase "live in the now" for a reason. If people only went to the best school they could academically, with no regards to social climate (who here really wants to go to BYU for example where 98% of the student body is Mormon), or quality of life (Cornell has more suicides per capita than any other school). Im sure I'll get no arguments that while still a great school (SLU), there were a couple others I got into (notably Brown) that are universally regarded as stronger academically. Do I regret not going the pure academic route? No way. Ive got a great job in accounting, in Jackson, and I met my wife there, plus discovered my love for snowboarding. Overall, my life is much better than if I just stuck my nose in a book and constantly "thought about tomorrow".

Just going to a good school does not automatically make you successful. In fact, I know most of my private high school buddies (Milton Academy) are just grinding away as first year lawyers in NYC with 100k+ student loan debt while Im out here living the dream. Are they making way more than me? Sure, but are they happier? I seriously doubt it.

So ultimately, I do think fun comes into the picture, especially given that most of us pay dearly for college. Its four years of your life and you only live once. Who's to say you arent going to drop from a heart attack at 35 still working towards financial freedom. I personally would rather die living, than working for tomorrow.

snoseek · Nov 1, 2012

AdironRider said:
I can see the reasoning about this, and admittantly I've worked hard and been rewarded with generous scholarships, which I'm sure slightly affects my thinking on this.

But not everything is about tomorrow, getting the best job, making the most money, etc. They coined the phrase "live in the now" for a reason. If people only went to the best school they could academically, with no regards to social climate (who here really wants to go to BYU for example where 98% of the student body is Mormon), or quality of life (Cornell has more suicides per capita than any other school). Im sure I'll get no arguments that while still a great school (SLU), there were a couple others I got into (notably Brown) that are universally regarded as stronger academically. Do I regret not going the pure academic route? No way. Ive got a great job in accounting, in Jackson, and I met my wife there, plus discovered my love for snowboarding. Overall, my life is much better than if I just stuck my nose in a book and constantly "thought about tomorrow".

Just going to a good school does not automatically make you successful. In fact, I know most of my private high school buddies (Milton Academy) are just grinding away as first year lawyers in NYC with 100k+ student loan debt while Im out here living the dream. Are they making way more than me? Sure, but are they happier? I seriously doubt it.

So ultimately, I do think fun comes into the picture, especially given that most of us pay dearly for college. Its four years of your life and you only live once. Who's to say you arent going to drop from a heart attack at 35 still working towards financial freedom. I personally would rather die living, than working for tomorrow.

This might be your best post, ever.

Besides, most everthing I learned about my work took place out of school. My internship and the couple jobs that followed were much much more important than my choice in schools, at this point noone even cares where I went. That probably varies wildly from industry to industry i would imagine

Riverskier · Nov 1, 2012

Great points by AR and Dr. Jeff. One thing I strive for in just about everything in life is balance. I think that applies here as well. If you choose a college based soley on social/recreational opportunities, you are selling yourself short. Likewise, if you choose a college based soley on academics without regard for other aspects of the experience, you are also selling yourself short. I think in most cases there is a college that can work as a happy medium, and can provide a fulfilling experience in all regards.

56fish · Nov 2, 2012

Lyndon State, late 70's. Went for ski area mgmt - been in the business ever since. Don't make much $$ but, the lifestyle ain't bad. Fell in love w/ the NEK. Bought a place down the road from Jay in 2000. Thought it better than Burke area as an investment and better snow. No regrets.

caddis · Nov 2, 2012

Went to school in Bozeman for the skiing and to study wildlife biology. Chose Bozeman over other schools because of the proximity to Bridger and the smaller town feel it once was.

Zand · Nov 2, 2012

Posting from one right now.

10 minutes from Burke, 40 minutes from Cannon, 55 minutes from Jay, 1.5 to the northern Greens resorts (MRG, Stowe, Smuggs, Bush). Not to mention I live on Route 114 now between East Burke and Lyndonville so I'm even closer to first tracks in the morning. If you like the outdoors, there's no place better than the NEK. If you like snow and want to learn meteorology, no better place to do it than LSC.

On a side note, I'm working with Jim Cantore in 8 days and am already nervous as hell lol.

Cannonball · Nov 2, 2012

snoseek said:
I chose to go to culinary school simply so I can live wherever I want to live, whenever.

I did the opposite. I went to school for marine ecology and essentially precluded myself from ever living in the mountains. But with that said, there are a few places in the country that have it all. The NE and the PNW are prime examples. In the NE the combination of ocean, mountains, and (for this discussion) colleges is pretty hard to beat. I agree with DRJeff and others here who say put academics first. And in New England you can go to the top school in just about any field and still be within 2 hours of both prime skiing and the ocean.

jlboyell · Nov 2, 2012

i am currently attending montana state. i graduated hs in 04, and went to university of delaware for a semester. hated it. worked full time doing construction, got tired of living paycheck to paycheck. decided i needed to go back to school, but if i did i was going to leave for awhile. i chose bozeman because its close to bridger and a hour from big sky, plus they have a decent engineering department at a decent price. east coast schools are expensive... at this point (im technically a freshman at 26) i decided i dont need a degree from the best school, just a damn degree. but yeah where it was definitely had everything to do with it.

bigbog · Nov 2, 2012

It's a terrific country with incredible choices...and MANY incredible schools and still, many incredible outdoor places of interest. Corporate America hasn't paved em' all over yet.....:grin:
If DrJeff said to put academics first = I agree wholeheartedly. Life itself is much more of an interesting ride the deeper you get into areas of study....

ERJ-145CA · Nov 4, 2012

I went to Ramapo College in NJ because of it's proximity to Campgaw. Just kidding, I wasn't skiing at the time.

Cheese · Nov 5, 2012

gregnye said:
Keep this thread rolling please! I am in high school and am at the point where I am starting to think about colleges. I know that education comes first, but there has got to be a good college that has a great science program and teaching program but is also close to the powdah!! :-D

I have two friends that graduated college in NE then took a year off to work/ski Vail for a season (not at the same time). Both felt it was probably the only point in their lives to pull such a stunt. One returned after a year and now has a good job, wife and a baby. The other is still single and will be spending his 3rd season at Vail. Just offering it as another option if your college choice doesn't turn up near a resort.

AdironRider · Nov 5, 2012

Cheese said:
I have two friends that graduated college in NE then took a year off to work/ski Vail for a season (not at the same time). Both felt it was probably the only point in their lives to pull such a stunt. One returned after a year and now has a good job, wife and a baby. The other is still single and will be spending his 3rd season at Vail. Just offering it as another option if your college choice doesn't turn up near a resort.

I ended up in Jackson permanently after such a stint.

Just making a go of it makes you realize that people in mountains need stuff too. Accountants, architects, engineers, etc.

Not as plentiful, but people just assume theyll be waiting tables when making such a move and it just isnt true. Harder maybe, but not impossible.

mattchuck2 · Nov 6, 2012

I went to Colby College in Maine. Skiing was a huge part of my decision. Not only is Colby only an hour and 10 minutes from Sugarloaf, you only have to take one class during January (= 2 days in class, 5 days on snow per week). I was also accepted to SLU, UVM, Colorado Colege, and waitlisted at Middlebury (rejected from Dartmouth - still bitter). I applied to schools that were close to skiing on purpose - it's an enormous part of my life.

Choosing a College if you are a Skier

Tin

Active member

snoseek

Well-known member

drjeff

Well-known member

Warp Daddy

Active member

AdironRider

Well-known member

snoseek

Well-known member

Riverskier

Active member

56fish

New member

caddis

New member

Zand

Well-known member

Cannonball

New member

jlboyell

New member

bigbog

Active member

ERJ-145CA

Active member

Cheese

New member

AdironRider

Well-known member

mattchuck2

New member

Similar threads

Connect with us