Best colleges for kayaking?
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Category: General
Forum Name: Whitewater Forum
Forum Discription: Open Discussion Forum. Whitewater related subjects only
URL: http://www.professorpaddle.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=11762
Printed Date: 03 Jun 2024 at 6:17am
Topic: Best colleges for kayaking?
Posted By: ENDO
Subject: Best colleges for kayaking?
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2012 at 1:38pm
I have seen this thread before but I couldn't find it.
Im looking at colleges and want one that has good boating nearby. Im looking to major in engineering, chem or poly sci.
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Replies:
Posted By: BrianP
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2012 at 5:18pm
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I can only speak for UW, but being in/near Seattle puts you within 40/60 min to the sky, MM, and green. There's obviously a lot more out there, that's just what I'm finding convenient so far. I'd think just about anywhere in the western part of the state would have its ups and downs but generally put you near some good stuff. Someone who's lived here longer than me should chime in...
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Posted By: flowtorch
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2012 at 6:58pm
If you read(search)mountainbuzz there are a few good threads that have it totally and thoroughly covered. Skip Colorado unless your considering durango and even then..
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Posted By: phil
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2012 at 7:01pm
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Take a look at CU-Boulder if you're not trying to stay in-state. Season's a little short but there's lots to keep you busy the rest of the year.
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Posted By: BIGWATER
Date Posted: 11 Mar 2012 at 8:48pm
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if you want to boat when going to school you need a place that has good winter boating .... so WA and OR are great .....i sure had a blast kayaking 3 or 4 days a week the whole school year , while getting my BS at Evergreen ... to bad more college kids in Oly dont take advantage of it ...... stick around Jake we need more boaters in Oly .... then again i duno if Evergreen would be the best for your majors .... chem for sure but i duno about the others ... and its nice to get away from home for school so i duno maby OR would be better for ya
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Posted By: warlickone
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 8:40am
East coast ideas...
UNCA asheville NC...if you want to boat the green and watauga and a whole bunch of other steep stuff. Very cool town in which to live.
East TN State...johnson city, TN...close to the watauga...
West Virginia University, Morgantown WV...if you want to boat the big sandy, upper yough, blackwater, cheat...with a really cool boating scene of really cool people, very welcoming scene easy to dive into...and the kayaking scene supports a great boating based social life here...also a drinking town with lots of good bluegrass pickin' bonfire parties
Knoxville, TN...boating is nearby
Chattanooga, TN...boating is nearby
Frostburg State, Maryland...awesome class IV river running near here, quiet but cool scene...very small town.
Mountain State University, Beckley WV...think sick playboating and steep creeking out of what is truly one of the most redneck towns possible. New River, Gauley, Manns Creek, Meadow River...etc Also world class rock climbing...new river gorge. Likely could be considered climbing and boating mecca if you can get over the local culture of coal country poverty and angst.
VA tech, Blacksburg VA...there is generally a small boating scene here at this school. This is a high end engineering school. but there isn't enough close boating to get the afternoon fix. Weekend road trips put you into a bunch of sick stuff though. One sick steep creek near this school for the afternoon flood run...bottoms creek...check it out...
Clemson University....chatooga and overflow creek...can't get any better than those two....
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Jim 828-337-4508
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Posted By: James
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 9:33am
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Don't think they are the most legit academic institution but going to Quest University in Squamish would be pretty tight.
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Posted By: BRoss
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 9:40am
I'd second Jim's suggestion of WVU. I can't speak for the quality of the eduction (although I'm sure its great), but Morgantown as a place to be a boater is off the hook.
Other ideas: Portland State has good science/engineering program and its obviously a good place to be a boater!
I know U of O has a great chem program, Eugene is pretty cool and there is tons of boating, as well as being close to Bend and the coast.
In Cali, UC Davis might be the best school to go to for kayaking. It has great science programs and it is way closer to the sierras than the bay area schools.
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"That boated a lot better than it looked." "It always does until it doesn't."
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Posted By: not-very-clever
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 10:48am
how ironic. choosing a college based on kayaking rather than academics.....
just kidding, i did the exact same thing.. i went to WWU for skiing. and soon realized it was a better school for mountain biking. and that the kayaking was even more convenient than the skiing.... WWU is great for all 3 though
I think the next thread should be, "which profession is best for kayaking?"
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Posted By: wday
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 11:53am
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boise state. good access to entire payette system and new whitewater park in town.
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Posted By: jerryclayross
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 2:10pm
I have to chime in here, and I will immediately admit that I'm biased, but University of Puget Sound has a kayak club that has more than tripled in size over the last five years (up to just over 20 boats in the fleet!) and like UW, we're close to everything--the green is 30 minutes away.
As for academics, I was a communication studies major, but I know we have some sort of special 3x2 program (math and engineering I think), our pre-med folks (that's chem right?:) have really high grad school placements, and Mike Veseth, one of our profs. all but invited the International Political Economy program.
Plus, while most folks think privates universities are way too expensive, places like Puget Sound have the ability to give out more financial aid. I've got public school teachers for parents, and had no money for college, but it was cheaper for me to go to Puget Sound than any public university in Oregon (where I'm from).
Like I said, I'm biased, and recruiting:)
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Posted By: kirbz
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 3:14pm
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I'm gonna second the recommendation for UC Davis. Awesome, year-round boating. And a good academic institution to boot! :-)
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Posted By: stefano
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 3:35pm
Quest has a weird program that is not well suited for those looking to study science or engineering. Also, most of the runs up that way are frozen over from December through April. Good paddling in the early and late school year though.
The universities in Vancouver (UBC, SFU) are decent options for year round boating. Easy access to WA and Vancouver Island, several runs in metro Vancouver. UVic on the Island has an all-winter season. Not much in the summer, but you're not in school then anyways.
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Posted By: ENDO
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 6:11pm
warlickone sorry but I would like to stay on the west side.
jerryclayross: im hoping to get up and tour ups soo. I know a couple of people going to school there. it looks sweet.
Stefano: do you know anything about tuition for canadian schools? I havn't considered going out of the country but it would be a blast. Student visa's etc might be a hassle though.
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Posted By: Kiwi
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 7:26pm
jacob, I have a friend who goes to quest if you want his contact info. He's not a boater but he could give you info on the school. A college of 300 is really small though...
I'd be wary about going to western, that place is exactly like olympia high school, I wanted to go there until I spent a weekend partying there and met 3 new people, all of them graduated from black hills. I recommend going as far away as possible, while staying away from the east coast, they're pricks over there. For purely kayaking I'd check out stuff in oregon. Are you still planning on visiting montana? I can show you around bozeman and convince you why it's the best place ever.
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Posted By: ENDO
Date Posted: 12 Mar 2012 at 7:38pm
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I think so. Yeah western is like where everyone from oly goes. I dont want to be with all the same folks again. I heard we have the most freshman at western of any school. not suprised.
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Posted By: James
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2012 at 8:28am
"while staying away from the east coast, they're pricks over there"
That's funny, and while I disagree I did laugh a bit thinking of DC.
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Posted By: NateW
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2012 at 4:15pm
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I went to western years ago when everyone from my hs was supposedly going. I didn't have too much trouble not hanging out with people from high school.
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Posted By: ENDO
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2012 at 5:53pm
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n8r78 i went up there for a band concert, walked into a cafeteria by the auditorium and only saw grads from the local highschool.
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Posted By: Jed Hawkes
Date Posted: 13 Mar 2012 at 8:53pm
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Originally posted by Kiwi
I recommend going as far away as possible, while staying away from the east coast, they're pricks over there.
If you only hangout at sports bars, college towns, or with commercial fisherman than this statement is a partial truth, but still a gross generalization. I've met some sh#tty people here too. A more true statement would be "there are pricks that live in the world and you will meet many different shades of them during the time while your heart pumps blood through your veins"
The southeast has some rad boating and a really, really big paddling scene. If it helps, I moved from MA to Olympia to go to school and paddle. Oly doesn't have a huge paddling scene but it's one of the best places to live if you want to paddle all over the state. It's 3 hours from the White Salmon, 2 hours to portland, the Ohane is pretty close, the tilton is 45 minutes, the whole OP is in striking distance, The green in as hour, and it's not that hard to come to boat the seattle area.
I'm not sure where you live, or even how old you are but if you have the opportunity to allow school to be a traveling opportunity than go for it. Heck you could even do two years on the east coast then transfer to a school on the west coast.
My short advice; you wanna paddle all the time? Stay in washington. It rains all winter, and it melts all summer. Can't go wrong with that.
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The line will become apparent
978-273-7723
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Posted By: Kiwi
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 1:14am
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haha the east coast being full of pricks comment was meant to be funny.
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Posted By: NOMADIC WORLD
Date Posted: 14 Mar 2012 at 7:55am
I went to Univ of Maryland. And they have excellent engineering and chem programs, as well as the best play boating amusement park in the country. In the Potomac. You get Great Falls, all the play below it, and a whitewater course that stays heated from power plant for winter. It's all only 20 minutes away. Plus you have all of MD, PA, and WV in your backyard for wknd trips.
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In The Business of Doing Things.
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Posted By: jzgold
Date Posted: 16 Mar 2012 at 1:44am
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ENDO, I'm glad you'll be checking out UPS. I'm biased, but the school not only has an impressive fleet of boats and gear, it's got a solid paddling community and the Kayaking club has been able to host some pretty cool events and bring some cool people to visit (Heather Herbeck, Rush, Steve Fisher and Brandt all in the last couple of years). Not to mention that pool sessions, 8-10 pm mondays and thursdays, are a great way to teach your friends to boat, work on your cartweels and meet lady-paddlers. If you are going to check out the school, stick around for a pool session for sure.
Joe
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