<p>Obviously UC's would be best but any in Florida that aren't top notch hard to get into... What about Hawaii Pacific?</p>
<p>Well if your looking for something right on the coast UMiami would probably be ideal since its not too terribly tough to get into although the beaches around there are usually very crowded. There is also Flagler College which is in St. Augustine I dont know too much about the college but I hear its pretty good. I dont know anything about Hawaii though sorry.</p>
<p>Miami is terrible for surfing. And UM isn't actually in Miami...it's a good half an hour from most beaches, which are crowded, and not good for surfing.</p>
<p>Pepperdine (probably the best for surfing...the campus is literally right on the ocean...most beautiful campus I have ever seen and you could walk about 500 feet and be at the beach) , Cal State Long Beach, anywhere in Hawaii, Miami, Fla. Int'l,</p>
<p>Hawaii Pacific University plays up its proximity to top surf spots in its marketing materials, so yes, a good option. The University of Hawaii at Manoa is another good one.</p>
<p>Also, check out the University of San Diego, San Diego State, UCSD, and Pt. Loma Nazarene (like Pepperdine, right on a great surf spot, although, also like Pepperdine, it's a religiously affiliated school with a conservative administration) </p>
<p>And, if you're really open to adventure, many of the universities in Australia have great surfing and are happy to admit U.S. students. In particular, Bond University in Australia is known for great surfing. (great resource if you want to learn about Australian schools: <a href="http://www.Australearn.com%5B/url%5D">www.Australearn.com</a>)</p>
<p>For other ideas, check out this link: <a href="http://www.surfinglbi.com/surf/Colleges.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.surfinglbi.com/surf/Colleges.html</a></p>
<p>One possibility that's often overlooked by non-locals: Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California. Even though it's not on the water, SLO was rated as one of the 10 best surf towns in the US by Surfer magazine in 2002:
[quote]
SLO sits 15 miles inland. But what this railroad and farming burg-turned-college-community of 43,000 lacks in beach proximity it makes up for in affordable living, bustling nightlife and a vibrant surf culture cut from the reef and beachbresks at Pismo Pier, Morro Bay and mysterious Big Sur. While the coast is often mired in fog, San Luis glistens in the bright sun with inspiring views of Maddona Mountain and Bishop's Peak, making it the perfect place to thaw out after a session.
[/quote]
Cal Poly is part of the California State University system, not the UC system, but it is comparable in prestige and selectivity to most of the UC schools. I question whether the phrase "affordable living" still applies to SLO, but I don't doubt that it's still a fun place for college.</p>
<p>a uc that isn't quite as difficult to get into, but is amazing for surfing and supposedly has a gorgeous campus is Santa Cruz</p>
<p>Pepperdine seems like the obvious choice</p>
<p>"Cal Poly is part of the California State University system, not the UC system, but it is comparable in prestige and selectivity to most of the UC schools. I question whether the phrase "affordable living" still applies to SLO, but I don't doubt that it's still a fun place for college."</p>
<p>i wouldnt say necessarily on a national or global scale, but definitely a west coast scale prestige wise. Its probably right up with UCI, UCSB,UCD...great school though. My brother is going there next year (after summer is over).</p>
<p>Good for surfing though for sure. And a very nice school. If you want to do undergrad engineering or architecture, i would definitely say their programs are in the top 20 undergrad engineering and architecture programs in the US.</p>
<p>Their business is good too, but is mostly just well known in california. Its a very conservative school from what i know. Also, Cal Poly wrestling is amazing i hear...i mean i met the guy that runs the program (John azevedo, olympic medalist)... but i doubt you wrestle so who cares.</p>
<p>Anyway, yeah so my vote for surf schools (at least in California) are Cal Poly, Pepperdine (even has surfing electives i hear), UCSD, UCSC(though not exactly on the beach), and USD.</p>
<p>UNC-Wilmington is right near Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina. Ben Bourgeois is from there, and I know they have a few smaller tournaments.</p>
<p>Hawaii Pacific is in some great surf spots, and the locals generally stay out of the area. But I'm not sure how good of a school it is.</p>
<p>how about the University of North Florida? It's definitely near the water but I've only heard rumors (not hard facts) that a lot of surfers like it there.</p>
<p>Oh, and I know Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach is right on, well the beach</p>
<p>I would say Cal Poly is comparable in some ways to the mid-tier UCs (SB, D, I), but it still lacks many of the top programs, award-winning faculty, etc. On top of that, it's easier to get into, as it's still a Cal State that goes mostly on numbers (the UCs have closer to a holistic process -- with essays, etc.). UCs are much, much more prestigious than Cal States, which in part holds back Cal Poly from growing in more national prestige.</p>
<p>Anyway, I second UCSC. Beautiful school, awesome location, great academics... and there are redwoods! Woohoo!</p>
<p>/treehugger</p>
<p>I live near Santa Cruz, and I'd have to say that Pepperdine would be #1, then University of Hawaii, then UCSC, then UCSB, then UCI, then Cal State Long Beach (I also lived and went to school there).</p>
<p>Pepperdine wins since it is right at the beach in Malibu--and Zuma beach is also just a short bus ride away. UCSC has great surfing, but the locals aren't as friendly as they should be down at "Steamers' Lane", the local surfing spot.</p>
<p>Also, if you like the "big waves", then check out San Francisco State. It's about a 20 to 30 minute drive from there to "Mavericks" near Half Moon Bay--the location of the largest waves in the known universe.</p>
<p>I was actually looking at Cal state schools but being from out of state, I feel like I wouldn't fit in since I heard there is only 2% students from out of state.. is that true?</p>
<p>Well most public schools have a significant instate population, and California is no exception. Most schools are around 95% Californians.</p>
<p>But I wouldn't worry about it. California people (especially the ones from SoCal) are amazing, and I'm sure you will be able to meet tons of people and it's not like they won't talk to you because you come from another state. And plus, not everyone is going to college with their high school clique. </p>
<p>So schools I would recommend (in order) are...</p>
<ol>
<li>University of San Diego</li>
<li>UC San Diego</li>
<li>San Diego State</li>
<li>UC Irvine</li>
<li>Chapman University</li>
<li>Pepperdine University</li>
<li>Loyola Marymount University</li>
<li>UCLA</li>
<li>UCSB</li>
<li>Cal Poly SLO</li>
<li>UCSC</li>
</ol>
<p>Others to consider -- USC (with traffic it will take a while to get to the beach), CSU Monterey Bay, CSU San Marcos, CSU Channel Islands, CSU Long Beach, Westmont College, Vanguard, and Univ. of San Francisco.</p>
<p>Good Luck</p>
<p>Humboldt State University, in the far north of California, is another commonly overlooked surf school, but you better have a high tolerance for sharks. You may or may not find [url=<a href="http://www.surfline.com/travel/index.cfm?id=2139%5DSurfline's%5B/url">http://www.surfline.com/travel/index.cfm?id=2139]Surfline's[/url</a>] evaluation to be reassuring:
[quote]
Arcata's Humboldt State University is instrumental in sucking many surfers to these waters, much like the UC Santa Cruz phenomenon. Typically, crowds only congeal on weekends, sunny days and epic, rainy days. Every spot is sharky, so that's not really a factor in crowd control... Surf with someone else, if you can. There have been two attacks here since 1997 (both non-fatal) and several during the past 25 years. If you dwell on the fact that this place is indeed a shark pit, you won't enjoy yourself. If it happens, it happens.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>yeah, it has been mentioned a few times but i have heard the middle east coast has some pretty good surfing, so you might want to check there, i wouldn't be able to name any specific schools for you, though</p>