Hello,
My daughter is currently in the process of looking for schools. She is a very outdoorsy girl and wants to join the equestrian team wherever she goes. She is looking at schools such as St. Lawrence, UVM, and SUNY New Paltz due to their outdoorsy environment. I’ve been hearing great things about the University of Scranton, but I’m not sure the environment is what she’s looking for. I don’t know much about the area- we are from MA. Any help would be appreciated. Any good hiking, etc… Near the college? How is the surrounding town? Thanks for your help!
The surrounding town isn’t great, but the campus itself is fantastic. There’s a 70-mile Heritage Trail, a forest, and a lake. Good hiking.
The city of Scranton is actually pretty nice for a student, especially around the campus. It is an old city but it has a charm all its own.
As stated, the campus, housing, facilities and food are absolutely first rate. Academically it is one of the schools that punches well above its weight. The kids are nice, friendly and clearly want to be there.
I have hunted in that area extensively. The Endless Mountains are close by with more than ample things for an outdoorsy person to do. There are huge tracts of state preserve just west of Scranton. I mean huge like the state of Rhode Island.
You should visit. It is real winner of a school. Look closely at the condition of everything including the admin building, the preservation is phenomenal.
We visited U Scranton with my son 4 yrs ago & loved it! Food made fresh everyday, rooms cleaned 2x/week! Excellent school. My dtr (HS Senior) looked in to this school as well. She too is an equestrian. One of her requirements was that the barn needed to be within 15- 20 mins from school. She currently drives 35 mins one way to ride her horse & I dont want her spending an hour traveling to/from the barn. My dtr is looking at Marist in Poughkeepsie NY, Bloomsburg University in PA, UMASS Amherst, Westfield State. Roger Williams U. and Skidmore in NY. All these barns are within 15 mins of the school.
So is the university of Scranton riding barn within 15-20 minutes jcort1? Thanks so much for all the helpful replies! We have also looked at Marist and Roger Williams and liked both!
I can’t help with Scranton. Given what you’ve written, however, I also suggest putting Sewanee on your D’s list of schools to consider. Great LAC. Beautiful mountaintop campus ideal for an outdoorsy girl, and it also has an equestrian team.
http://www.sewanee.edu/admission/why-sewanee/
http://sewaneetigers.com/sports/equest/index
Can you tell me where the equestrian team rides out of in case we go visit?
Last I checked (prob last year), their barn was 30-40 mins away. Don’t remember the name of the barn, but I did have to make a few calls to the University before I was able to track it down. Again, I loved the school. Great programs, loved the town as well. You can usually find the info on the school website, or start by calling school who will then put you in touch with clubs’ leaders. U Scranton does have a club team. Feel free to ask me any other questions!
Thank you so much- I do appreciate the help! Distance to the barn is something to figure in, definitely. She’s already scratched a few schools based on that alone. Thanks- and I may have more questions so I appreciate the advice!