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Colleges Out West

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Murphology
Posts: 151 - Karma: 65
I'm a Junior in high school in Cincinnati, Ohio and I am wondering what some of the best/ most fun colleges are out west,
My dad and I are going to visit at least University of Utah and possibly more this Winter,
I was just wondering which ones I should visit, which ones are not worth it etc.
Aug 29 2012 4:59PM
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Bodhisattva_
Posts: 5749 - Karma: 2,009
MSU
WWU If you like to smoke weed.
WSU if you like to drink cheap vodka and Busch.
CU
U of Portland
There's basically the ones I am deciding from so they are really he only ones I know a fair bit about. But I'm not in college so I can't be of too much help.
Aug 29 2012 5:02PM
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Logey.
Posts: 2996 - Karma: 457
If your actually going out to colorado to do cool stuff then i would recommend these. Not that expensive and really nice colleges. And you can rent shit for basically free
Mesa university, Grand junction (Not my favorite location)
Fort Lewis, Durango
Western state (now a university), Gunnison
If your in it just so you can be in colorado i would pick these. A little more expensive but alot better universities.
DU
CSU, Fort collins

In my opinion CU boulder sucks ass and its retarded expensive.
Aug 29 2012 5:29PM
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alexat955
Posts: 2732 - Karma: 112
What do you mean by best? Like what are your grades and test scores so far?
Aug 29 2012 5:31PM
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KyleTShreddin
Posts: 60 - Karma: 15
I'm a junior this year too, and I'm beginning to look at schools... I've been to the U of U and CU Boulder, neither of which I honestly have much interest in... One school that I've never been to but have interest in is the University of Washington in Seattle... It seems to be rated higher and have a better academic reputation than CU or UofU... Also, it seems that the skiing is pretty sick in the Cascades (Mt. Baker, Stevens Pass, Crystal, etc....) Yes, I know it rains, but the copious amounts of snow otherwise and the seemingly better academics outweigh that to me... Am I missing any obvious detractors of the place? My dad is thinking of taking me there in February in conjuction w/ a trip to interior BC so you have to make it sound good so I can sell it.. (Jk, give me an honest answer)
Aug 29 2012 7:25PM
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Bodhisattva_
Posts: 5749 - Karma: 2,009
Asians hipsters and en niño are all obvious detractors.
Aug 29 2012 7:46PM
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[hamnuts]
Posts: 2356 - Karma: 439
I'm from Ontario and am definitely gonna apply to UBC
Aug 29 2012 7:47PM
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FerrisBueller
Posts: 8280 - Karma: 5,173
Please elaborate...
Aug 29 2012 7:48PM
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Fun_dip
Posts: 2623 - Karma: 913
Not so much for Skiing and they're getting expensive and ridiculously competitive, but The UC's(UCLA, UCSC, etc.), USC even though people always rip on it. Some Cal States are pretty good too. Obviously as people have previously mentioned there's U of Oregon/Washington. U of Portland(where I am hopefully going to attend next year)
Aug 29 2012 7:53PM
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Bodhisattva_
Posts: 5749 - Karma: 2,009
Unless you're into Asians, love Apple and hate the government, and like to ski in the rain. Then by all means come on down.
Aug 29 2012 7:53PM
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ThaLorax
Posts: 21083 - Karma: 8,455
Search bar x1000
Aug 29 2012 7:57PM
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Bodhisattva_
Posts: 5749 - Karma: 2,009
I'm actually really looking in to U of Portland. I didn't at allat first but I got some generic college E-mail from them and checked it and it looks pretty dope.
Aug 29 2012 8:01PM
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KyleTShreddin
Posts: 60 - Karma: 15
I went to UCSD last year and it was pretty dope on the beach in La Jolla and such... Obviously no skiing but that's only one factor in my decision
Aug 29 2012 8:08PM
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
see you in van
Aug 29 2012 8:11PM
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
whistler blackcomb/local mtns/everything else in vancouver, doesnt get much better
Aug 29 2012 8:13PM
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AcidKneeDrop
Posts: 890 - Karma: 279
does any nser go to Caltech?
Aug 29 2012 8:14PM
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skiminnesota
Posts: 9093 - Karma: 429
if youre in utah take the time to check out Westminster as well.

totally different than the U but worth your time to check out IMO
Aug 29 2012 8:33PM
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Murphology
Posts: 151 - Karma: 65
i only have like an 85-86 average but i also attend the hardest school academically in the City
Aug 29 2012 8:52PM
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DripDrop
Posts: 128 - Karma: 29
Northern Arizona University.

End Thread.
Aug 29 2012 8:53PM
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momentz
Posts: 875 - Karma: 285
Lol I'm from Ohio and I plan on applying to go their! :)
Aug 29 2012 9:07PM
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Bodhisattva_
Posts: 5749 - Karma: 2,009
What's the deal financial wise for applying in Canada? Do you get federal financial aid or anything??
Aug 29 2012 9:09PM
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alexat955
Posts: 2732 - Karma: 112
im assuming you mean NYC. id check out some of the colorado schools, you probably shouldnt have much trouble getting into them if you have extracurriculars and stuff. maybe USC if you really want to live in LA and have to commute a shit ton to ski. the PNW has been mentioned, but im getting the sense that you want to be in Utah/CO or potentially CA, correct me if im wrong
Aug 29 2012 9:17PM
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Logey.
Posts: 2996 - Karma: 457
I toured boulder with very high hopes and expected to be like what it's built up to be. 45 thousand dollars for out of state tuition is absolutely rediculouse for a state school, the campus really wasn't that amazing except for the stadium. The degrees you can get aren't really special at all and the dorms were awful. It's way to hyped up. Although I love the town of boulder, I just hated the school
Aug 29 2012 10:18PM
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fupaface
Posts: 810 - Karma: 449
Im at CSU and its pretty dope, CU is overrated there are a lot of douche bags there, but thats just my opinion.

Aug 29 2012 10:23PM
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ThaLorax
Posts: 21083 - Karma: 8,455
What year are you? I just graduated from CSU and still livin here.
Aug 29 2012 10:25PM
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fupaface
Posts: 810 - Karma: 449
Im a sophomore this year. What was your major?
Aug 29 2012 10:29PM
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yourthemannowdog
Posts: 4541 - Karma: 313
CU and CSU are both about the same size and price. If you like a big university I would go for CSU or CU.

Of the schools I visited last summer my favs were Western state and Fort Lewis. I'm going to Fort Lewis the Januaray and I am beyond stoked. The kids are super chill. Purgatory sucks, but Wolf Creek and Telluride are close by (I would stay away from Telluride mid winter. The roads are dangerous).

I would say, skip Adam's state in Alamosa. Alamosa is boring as hell, you need to be motivated and very outdoor oriented.

The whole CSU vs CU can be quite amusing. You don't need to go to either school to party there. I don't like to drink, so I don't get in the middle of it.
Aug 29 2012 10:39PM
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easiestEC
Posts: 2471 - Karma: 489
Sierra Nevada College is pretty rad. right in Lake Tahoe
Aug 29 2012 10:45PM
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muFFn
Posts: 1040 - Karma: 74
You could throw the University of Denver in there. It ended up cheaper for me to go to DU than CSU or CU, even as an in state student. That and it is an overall "better" school in quite a few fields.
Aug 29 2012 10:46PM
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roddy116
Posts: 10627 - Karma: 7,423
my top 2 right now are u of portland and montana state, and if all doesnt go as a plan ill just go to u of reno or whatever that place is called for a year and transfer out.
Aug 29 2012 10:48PM
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eheath
Posts: 61603 - Karma: 123,082
it really all depends on what you want to do. When I went to college (u of utah) i had no idea what I wanted to major in, so picking a school based on what I wanted to study was low on my list. I visited the U the summer before my freshman and came the winter before to ski and I was completely sold. Yeah, I may have chose a school because of the skiing, but it ended up working very well for me. You really need to decide if you want to go to school for skiing or if you're set on your education. A year or two getting general credits, trying to decide what you want to your major to be and skiing 90-100 days in a season isnt a bad way to start college :)
Aug 29 2012 10:52PM
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EmperorKuzco
Posts: 6660 - Karma: 254
Here are the colleges I'm looking at to apply to:
1. CU Boulder
2: Colorado College
3. Denver U
4. UVM
5. Saint Michaels
6 MSU
7. Univeristy of Utah
8. and maybe Westminster but probably not
Aug 29 2012 10:58PM
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Funnel
Posts: 7815 - Karma: 1,531
I won't argue with you there. Monarch was new to me since I'm from California. I'd recommend WSU though for sure. You can possibly get an out of state scholarship as I did and it's a blast here. Pullman is the epitome of a college town and everyone is into it here. If you want... check it out.
Aug 29 2012 11:03PM
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alexat955
Posts: 2732 - Karma: 112
lol he meant the weather, not mexicans
Aug 29 2012 11:07PM
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[hamnuts]
Posts: 2356 - Karma: 439
for sure, if I don't go to the UK then I definitely am looking into UBC Vancouver
Aug 29 2012 11:21PM
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SamtheEagle
Posts: 1658 - Karma: 713
Im from seattle and go to school in colorado. I highly prefer skiing in WA over CO. WA gets way more snow more regularly so you can almost always ski pow while in CO i only get a few good pow days a year.
Aug 29 2012 11:25PM
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Logey.
Posts: 2996 - Karma: 457
You go to DU? That is probably my favorite school in Colorado that I've visited. What's its like there? Did you get any mad scholarships or grants? I'd like to know more about it. And to the guy that said cu and csu are the same price your about 15000 dollars off.
Aug 29 2012 11:25PM
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muFFn
Posts: 1040 - Karma: 74
I will be there as of this weekend. I got a lot of financial aid, but no scholarships. Part of it is that I did a community college for 2 years instead of regular high school. In return, I got a degree and enough college credits to transfer to qualify as academic junior at DU. Because of that, my GPA was not weighted like my fellow hsers, even though I had a solid 3.97 at the college. Because of that, I did not get any merits. But what's nice about DU is that they are private, so they have oodles of money to give away. I ended up with about $25,000 dollars of free money in financial aid and increased loan caps.

Although I haven't "gone" there yet, I can say that it's a really good school. It's a top 100 school (based on US Weekly), located in a good part of Denver, and has a quarter system that includes a 6 week winter break. I've also have had a great experience with admissions and the financial department.

CU and CSU are close in price if you live in state. But, I received very little in financial aid from them. Ironically, I'd have to pay about $15,000-$20,000 more than DU to go to either one.
Aug 29 2012 11:45PM
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Big5hifty
Posts: 3243 - Karma: 1,253
I'm a Sophmore at U of U and I'm actually from Cincinnati. Take the jump man, all my friends said I was crazy moving out here, but it has been by far the best decision in my life. PM me if you want more info on the U. Also, what high school do you go to out of curiosity?
Aug 29 2012 11:59PM
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KyleTShreddin
Posts: 60 - Karma: 15
What would you say the school's reputation is in the PNW? Is it like "The School" to go to if your a good student? Or is it more of a "Yeah, good school, but not that impressive"... The reason I ask that is that here in Massachusetts, there are so many private schools that are nationally ranked that Umass doesn't get much respect, even though it's a good school. It still has the reputation of being "Zoomass" even though it's just as hard to get into as a school with a better reputation, like Boston University or Northeastern.
Aug 30 2012 12:08AM
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SamtheEagle
Posts: 1658 - Karma: 713
It is still highly respected but nothing super special. It was kindof the go to school for good students at my high school but my high school was also super competitive and 98% of students go to 4 year colleges so its kindof an outlier. Within the seattle community it is really well respected though and there are tons of alumni in the area which could help with getting a job if your looking to stay in seattle after school
Aug 30 2012 12:20AM
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KyleTShreddin
Posts: 60 - Karma: 15
Thanks for the feedback... +K to you... One last thing, do you know what the ski culture is like there? Is there a good core of skiers there? Is there any type of Club Race team? I race for my high school but I'm not good enough to ski for any of the NCAA schools, but I'd love to race for a competitive club... I'm not talking about a social ski club that sets up NASTAR gates once in a while, but like a serious club team that competes against other schools and has a coach etc...
Aug 30 2012 12:25AM
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SamtheEagle
Posts: 1658 - Karma: 713
I do not personally know since i don't go there but I'm pretty sure i heard they have a race team that is pretty serious and then a ski club just to like help people find ski buddies and rides to the mountain. Not 100% sure on that stuff so you might want to check to confirm that stuff so I'm not misleading you
Aug 30 2012 12:37AM
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KyleTShreddin
Posts: 60 - Karma: 15
For anyone that was wondering about the question I asked, I did a bit of research and found this http://depts.washington.edu/ima/pdf/club/AlpineSki.pdf ... Sounds like what I am looking for... I was looking at a lot of the academic programs and it seems to have a lot of good classes and interesting opportunities... I'm definitely going to check this place out..
Aug 30 2012 12:43AM
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db21
Posts: 597 - Karma: 61
yeah i'll be apllying there come later in the year. maybe ubc okanagan also. depends what i go into also i suppose
Aug 30 2012 1:54AM
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Piste.Off
Posts: 11586 - Karma: 1,860
Come to CSU, you won't be disappointed.
Aug 30 2012 1:59AM
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volvotom
Posts: 2045 - Karma: 712
the UC/CU CSU/CSU confusion is really getting to me

Any of the University of California schools are great and not too expensive. If you can get into a good Cal State (the REAL CSU) like either of the Cal Polys you aren't too far from an easy day trip or a medium distance weekend trip to Tahoe or Mammoth depending on the poly.

I cannot stress the importance of visiting and finding somewhere that you will enjoy for 5 (since it's the average now) years

Aug 30 2012 4:57AM
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momentz
Posts: 875 - Karma: 285
To be quite honest I'm not sure but even though we would be studying abroad, I was told it would still be cheaper the going to boulder or something like that!
Aug 30 2012 7:13AM
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FerrisBueller
Posts: 8280 - Karma: 5,173
DU is twice as expensive for all students, in and out of state
Aug 31 2012 1:09PM
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ThaLorax
Posts: 21083 - Karma: 8,455
If you can afford it, it's a great school though. I went there for 2 years before I transferred to CSU because I couldn't afford it though. Graduated from CSU, but both places are great schools with great people. DU is much closer to skiing (resort skiing at least), and has much smaller classes. CSU is a much larger school and some programs are better than others.
Aug 31 2012 4:04PM
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muFFn
Posts: 1040 - Karma: 74
As I said, it depends on if you get scholarships and/or financial aid. I would be paying double if I chose to go to CSU or CU instead of DU.
Aug 31 2012 5:36PM
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