Outdoorsy Colleges?

<p>What are some good/great colleges that are outdoorsy? A college where people enjoy going on hikes, skiing, and backpacking? Mainly looking at east coast schools here.</p>

<p>Also post your question on the Search & Selection forum since it’s more about the school than transferring.</p>

<p>The one college that I know that immediately jumps out to me is The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. It’s a state funded liberal arts college that’s very progressive (no grades, but rather instructor reviews) It’s literally situated in the woods (or so I’ve heard), and Washington is perfect for hiking and skiing (close to the cascades), and you can even try surfing if you’re so inclined.</p>

<p>Williams have a very active outdoors club with daily activities from hikes, early morning swims in a nearby stream to trail work as well as offering special activities such as spending breaks climbing or at a secluded cabin the college owns.</p>

<p>Dartmouth and Middlebury</p>

<p>Hampshire. If you like climbing, this is the place to go!</p>

<p>Posting this for those who are looking at lower-tier options, but might want outdoorsy.</p>

<p>University of Maine-Orono – skiing, hiking, mountain climbing, river sports, ocean. All “outside your door.”</p>

<p>For similar locational opportunities at a higher ranked school: Colby, Bates, Bowdoin.</p>

<p>University of California - Santa Cruz!</p>

<p>Colgate and Hamilton are two upstate New York colleges that are pretty sporty and outdoorsy. Cornell is also somewhat outdoorsy (the Finger Lakes are at any rate a beautiful place to hike around). </p>

<p>Although its not in the East, Colorado College also has a very outdoorsy culture. The Colorado Springs area is a great place for hiking with lots of wonderful Rockie Mountain scenery, especially around Pike’s Peak. It also doesn’t hurt that the school is within driving distance of the slopes at Vail and Aspen, if you want to go skiing in the winter. It’s a bit easier to get into than some of the other schools people have mentioned, yet it also has a lot of respect and a great alumni network (including people like David Axelrod and Ken Salazar, the Secretary of the Interior). Overall it’s a very good option if you’re interested in a good outdoorsy college.</p>

<p>If you weren’t limiting your search to the east coast, Whitman would be a fine candidate.</p>

<p>I’d really recommend Sewanee, The University of the South. </p>

<p>[The</a> Domain | Make it your Domain | Sewanee: The University of the South](<a href=“Your Domain | The University of the South”>Your Domain | The University of the South)</p>

<p>^^ Several things distinguish Colorado College as an “outdoorsy” college. One of course is its spectacular Rocky Mountain location. Another is its unusual one-course-at-a-time “block plan”. This means you take the same number of classes per semester as at other schools, but in series not in parallel. Every 3.5 weeks you get a 4 day break, which many students use for outdoor activities. It also means that a class can involve extensive field work activity without worrying about interfering with other classes. Colorado is much sunnier than New England, too.</p>

<p>CU-Boulder I know is. I can’t speak to many east coast schools, but places near mountains or with a lot of trails, etc. If there’s something close, people are more likely to take advantage of it.</p>