Top Schools for CS with Skiing

You say your son’s activities don’t stand out, but he has 1.5 years to take his activities up a notch!

I also would suggest Brown has it has a Varsity Ski Team and good computer science. I’m familiar with their ski team as my own daughter was once on it!

Dartmouth has both D1 and a USCSA club team.

4 Likes

Racing is more important to him than freeskiing.

Thank you (and everyone else) for all of the suggestions!

1 Like

While it’s definitely possible to reach the ski areas from the U via public transportation, it’s much easier and quicker if one has a car.

1 Like

These schools have club ski programs and I have seen noted for CS (or have a good number/percentage of CS majors).

  • Clarkson (NY)
  • Lehigh (PA )
  • Rensselaer Polytechnic (NY)
  • Stevens (NJ)
  • Williams (MA)
  • Amherst (MA)
1 Like

I would look at U.Mass Amherst. It is quite strong for CS, and has a ski team. It is also located not all that far from several ski areas. With an unweighted 4.0 and 1540 SAT, merit seems possible. I have worked with literally tons of software engineers with degrees from U.Mass and many of them are excellent. I have also skied with a few of them.

McGill is a wild thought. However, it would most likely be tough to make the ski team. Many Canadians learn to ski at a relatively young age (certainly single digit). We were told when we toured that on Saturday mornings in the winter there are lines of buses taking McGill students off to ski for the day.

3 Likes

Colby has a team and I think a club as well. Would be worth a bit of research to see if that is of interest. Some interesting AI opportunities as well.

1 Like

UW Seattle and UCLA. Both are very highly regarded in CS and have skiing clubs and opportunities nearby.

1 Like

Nearby is certainly relative for UCLA. My son coaches at Snow Summit on the weekends. The commute is 3h at best, and 5h at worst.

2 Likes

UMass Amherst might give honors college and 16K/yr of merit money, but I’m under the impression that they’re less open-handed to Comp Sci majors, since it’s so competitive to get in.

Good Vermont skiing is about 2 hrs from Amherst.

1 Like

That would be very unusual and most of the well known areas are 2 hours from DU. There are some hills that are closer (Loveland, A-Basin) but skiing 4 days a week is a lot. I mean, some students go to class! CU ski team trains at Eldora almost every day and that’s probably about an hour travel time.

You can make it from a Colo School of Mines parking lot to a Mary Jane parking lot in 50 minutes on a nice clear Friday morning. Done it many many times.

2 Likes

And that’s from Boulder. I think 4 days a week from DU would be challenging. Four from Golden or Boulder, maybe. Four from The U in SLC…easy peasy. :skier:

1 Like

He’s in finance and set his schedule lopsided days. And I don’t think he was challenged by schooling at all. And for straight As. They are quarters so one less class to help with scheduling. Both my kids are busting tail but he’s just naturally smart and somehow gets As with little effort.

My daughter visited him. They went skiing.

I used to tell him there’s no way he could pull off what I described. He showed me he could bcuz he did. Yes mines is better in that it’s at the base of the mountains headed up.

He said 1 hr 15. I think he went A Basin. I’ll ask and edit after he confirms. I know he drives fast. My better half has life 360 and tracks his speed when my daughters with him and is always calling her to tell him to slow down.

Edit. Mostly A basin and 90 minutes he has one of those passes for multiple resorts.

2 Likes

A Basin is 90ish minutes from DU if everything is perfect - weather, traffic, no accidents, no troopers slowing down traffic (or giving tickets) no rock slides, no hazardous materials trucks going over the pass (they can’t go through the tunnel) no stopping for pizza in Idaho Springs… Still, it’s a long day for a college kid to spend 3 hours driving and 2-3 skiing. On a weekend (assuming 2 of the 4 days are weekend days), it’s a lot longer than 90 minutes because there is no way to avoid the traffic.

1 Like

It’s what he says. What can I tell you. What’s your email. I’ll show u the text.

His dad gives him $120k for college. He gets $30k from DU. He’s planning a transfer to FSU the last two years to make budget. Somehow his mom has residency (they have a 2nd home there). This was his plan all along.

The OP asked where you can ski and do CS. DU is an option. He skis a lot. He has 4 classes and schedules so he is able to ski. That’s what I know.

If u go to the very first message I said Mines bcuz we visited and Golden is at the base of heading out of town up I70. They don’t like Mines so I threw out Denver and explained why. Not sure why the fuss.

UC Davis has a solid CS program, ski team and skiing is under two hours away.

1 Like

Sugar Bowl is a great area and a wonderful race hill. Don’t know where UCD trains and races though.

It’s going to be very expensive though.

1 Like

A plane would be best, The U is in Florida.

Utah has been known as “The U” longer than Miami has been in existence.

4 Likes