Best College for climbing

Choose your college for education, not for climbing. 

Ian G. wrote: CU Boulder...everyone knows that one... UTEP (El Paso) -> Hueco Tanks Baybee!! UC Merced -> an hour to the Valley! U of Oregon -> 90 mins. to Smith! UN Las Vegas -> 40 mins. to Red Rocks! However, if you want easy access to climbing (well, bouldering...) and proximity to the best stone on the planet check out UC Berkeley or Stanford...good luck getting in.

Oregon is 2.5 hours to Smith and that’s making good time. Google maps says 2:40...

Anyone go to Southern Utah?

Better question: Is there a great gym near the university?

That's reality my friend because you have all summer to climb (which means anywhere your bliss takes you) but you need a gym for those 2-3 hr sesh's between studying in winter.

If you are from MN....then also check into non-resident tuition. Unless you are a trust-funder it makes zero sense to leave your state for school or until you take the time to establish residency in another state <<<and that also can be wherever your bliss takes you.

Isabella Nicklason wrote:

Competitive academics, integral climbing community, and great access -- Colorado College babeeeeee

Access to pulling plastic in the ritt or city maybe 

Quest in Squamish!

I currently go to App State in Boone N.C. and I have gotten so spoiled by the sheer amount of rock climbing and how accessible it is! I am looking at graduate schools and I want to go somewhere that has strong academics but also has a lot of boulders as well as an accessible outdoor rec scene! Any suggestions?

You gotta do what works for you.

I'm 41 and have massive student loan debt.

If I did not have the debt, I would be able to climb substantially more than I do now.  

I know several people with grad degrees in similar positions.

If climbing is a priority, skipping grad school might lead to better climbing than finding a grad school near good climbing.

Not the University of Utah, the school sucks and the climbing is terrible here. Don't come here.

Julia Eanes wrote: I currently go to App State in Boone N.C. and I have gotten so spoiled by the sheer amount of rock climbing and how accessible it is! I am looking at graduate schools and I want to go somewhere that has strong academics but also has a lot of boulders as well as an accessible outdoor rec scene! Any suggestions?

What grad programs are you looking into?  To echo a lot of people earlier in this thread, focus on what you can get out of school.  I will say as well, it's the rare grad student that has time for a lot of recreation time - the stereotype of grad students pulling ungodly hours and surviving on caffeine is real.  Especially if you're looking at a PhD program.

OP should have graduated by now (unless he went to Nebraska, where the N is for Nowledge).  Buddy where did you end up?

Julia Eanes wrote: I currently go to App State in Boone N.C. and I have gotten so spoiled by the sheer amount of rock climbing and how accessible it is! I am looking at graduate schools and I want to go somewhere that has strong academics but also has a lot of boulders as well as an accessible outdoor rec scene! Any suggestions?

You think you'll have time to climb in grad school! How cute!

Julia Eanes wrote: I currently go to App State in Boone N.C. and I have gotten so spoiled by the sheer amount of rock climbing and how accessible it is! I am looking at graduate schools and I want to go somewhere that has strong academics but also has a lot of boulders as well as an accessible outdoor rec scene! Any suggestions?

A few people above me seem to be discouraging grad school, so I just want to throw in my opinion:

I'm a PhD student, and I climb and ski all the time. I attend Dartmouth (NH). Part of the reason I chose Dartmouth was for outdoor activities, but academics/research was also an important part of my decision. So I think it is definitely possible to both go to grad school and climb - and I would certainly be a lot less happy if I was in school at a location that did not allow me to get outside.

Good luck with your decision!

Julius Beres wrote: I would put other factors ahead of climbing when choosing a school. CU is mediocre at best in many fields and paying out of state tuition for a mediocre school doesn't make a whole lot of sense unless climbing is all that you care about. 

Studies have repeatedly shown that for long-term career prospects and earnings, what you study matters much more than where you study.  

All I have to say is: don't come to California. The climbing is fantastic and there is so much of it, but you will be paying so much for rent and gas that you could save by living elsewhere and taking bigger trips. Also, if you live in the Bay Area or LA area, there will be traffic so add 30min to and hour to every drive and really no great climbing closer than 2 hours. And choose by your program, recommending UNR is useless if you are marine biology student. 

Marc801 C wrote:

You think you'll have time to climb in grad school! How cute!

I went to CSU for grad school and was on the Climbing team......yea, it's totally do-able.........I did it and know many others who are currently doing it at CSU for sure.

BTW:

CSU, Fort Collins, CO - Close to Wedavoo, Wyoming for Bouldering
        -  next to the Poudre Canyon for Sport
       - 2 hours from RMNP
       - 40 minutes from Boulder and all of the Eldo, Boulder Canyon, Etc stuff
        - close to a lot of gym qualifying events

East Stroudsburg University, PA - 2 hours to the Gunks
                                                         - in the Delware Water Gap
                                                          - Ice Climbing at Rick's
                                                         - Lots of nearby competition gyms within 2 hours to qualify

38 years ago I took a course on investing at SUU in Cedar City.

Never bothered to graduate, now I'm making bank and living large an hour north.

There are still virgins less than an hour from town (virgin walls that is).

Yeah, go to Boulder where the cost of living is thru the roof and every rock has been climbed,....

Lexi Berger wrote:

I went to CSU for grad school and was on the Climbing team......yea, it's totally do-able.........I did it and know many others who are currently doing it at CSU for sure.

BTW:

CSU, Fort Collins, CO - Close to Wedavoo, Wyoming for Bouldering
        -  next to the Poudre Canyon for Sport
       - 2 hours from RMNP
       - 40 minutes from Boulder and all of the Eldo, Boulder Canyon, Etc stuff
        - close to a lot of gym qualifying events

East Stroudsburg University, PA - 2 hours to the Gunks
                                                         - in the Delware Water Gap
                                                          - Ice Climbing at Rick's
                                                         - Lots of nearby competition gyms within 2 hours to qualify

On that note, I went to law school and was highly involved in student organizations and competition moot court--still climbed 4 days a week at the gym. All about priorities and time management. Don't let someone's lack of one or the other discourage you from striving to be highly successful while still climbing hard (not that I climb hard, lol). 

I will amend what I said and say this - it does depend a lot on your program and what your priorities are.  I used to climb decently regularly in my undergrad, then didn't climb at all for about a year during my Master's.  But I also worked my a** off with the outdoor program at my school, and spent ungodly amounts of time in my lab and office working on my Master's thesis and project.  FWIW, I was in a graduate engineering program.  And as many other people above do mention, there are people who are doing grad school and still do a lot of other stuff - I know of at least one PhD student who went on climbing trips fairly regularly, and definitely a couple others who do some other activities on the side.

In the end, I think I will say this - the mountains and the climbing aren't going to go away, you'll have time to enjoy them once the stress of school is over.  But the opportunity, motivation, and drive to go to school won't stay forever.  For grad school, do it if you have a passion for it, and the time, resources, and opportunity to go.  It's definitely not easy, but if you can push through, it's worth it.

+1 for Colorado College. The school uses a "block plan" that is amazing for climbing: Most classes go 9-12, so you can grab a partner at lunch, climb, then get your work done in the evening. Every month there is a 4.5 day "block break" that most climbers will use for climbing trips. Hundreds (thousands?) of crags are within a days drive and Colorado Springs has a dry, sunny climate that's ideal for climbing most the school year.