Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: California (southern)
I can comment on some of these schools:
UCSB (UC "Surf Board") made the list! - good outdoor opportunities, although the bike ride for some of them is a bit stiff - the San Rafael Wilderness for instance. You have the beach, and the ocean. The Santa Barbara Channel approximates raw, screaming wilderness on a good day, believe me! Just across the Channel is Channel Islands National Park, no official wilderness, but very interesting country. The departure point for most is Ventura, which is an easy (under forty miles, and down wind) bike ride away, even for aging geezers. Hint: If you go there, consider going as an NPS volunteer - that is the cheapest and best way to experience the area (often true of other NPS areas as well).
New Mexico - Albuquerque is a fairly standard bleak metropolis, but Santa Fe and the Pecos Wilderness are not that far away, and that is just some of the good stuff in New Mexico. Definitely worth consideration.
Arizona State University - the "other" university (Did I mention that I am a U of Arizona grad? Phoenix is even bleaker and more sprawling than Albuquerque, but there is good country not too distant, but it is a bike tour (multi day, realistically, to get there) and it really good! Good rock climbing areas within the urban area. I never spent timein South Mountain Park, but it should be very nice in the winter for day hikes. Think hard about ASU. I promise I won't ask which university has the better math department.
Cal Tech, UCSD, Claremont - You could do worse, but the nice country is a bit distant, using your criterion.
I wonder if your bike ride criterion is a bit too strict. I was carless at the U of A for most of my time there, and I was always able to get plenty of outdoor time (perhaps too much!) There always seemed to be a way.
I am sure you will get interesting information with this approach. Good luck!
I'm curious why you are limiting yourself to biking distance? If that's just what you have decided to do, that's reason enough.
But this is just a thought. A small motorcycle would extend your range considerably. I have no idea what the laws are now, but when I was younger a motorcycle under 500cc wasn't even required to be insured in Florida. A little 300-400cc bike can cover a hundred miles quickly for a weekend trip and requires little maintenance.
PerryMK is right. Schools with close hiking opportunities are likely to have outdoor recreation clubs.
What distance is in bike range? I know of some guys that ride a little over fifty miles, climb Longs Peak, then ride home in a single day every year. That is NOT bike range for me, but might be for you.
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"In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not." Yogi Berra
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
I'd check on the outing clubs at the schools on your list. I notice, looking at the directory of the Intercollegiate Outing Club Association that this group has expanded beyond its original geographic location in the northeastern US (I even found Oregon State University there!). These clubs give you plenty of opportunity to carpool to more distant locations. You don't need to be limited by a bike.
I spent one year at Cornell University eons ago. There were Outing Club trips every weekend, ranging from dayhikes to local waterfalls (the countryside is almost as beautiful as the Columbia River Gorge out here) to weekend trips to the Catskills and Adirondacks, all over New England and a week-long ski trip to Mont Tremblant during January's semester break.
I do want to reiterate that as a grad student, you're not going to have very much time for this sort of activity! You'll necessarily be spending all your "school vacation" time doing your thesis research!
Edited by OregonMouse (12/30/1004:18 PM)
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
Your bike ride restriction is too much dude. Every school I've ever been at near any significant source of mountains usually has a gaggle of students in an outdoor club and a place to find/mooch rides to the mountains easily. so if you're within an hour or two's drive to good areas I think you will be fine.
I'd check on the outing clubs at the schools on your list. I notice, looking at the directory of the Intercollegiate Outing Club Association that this group has expanded beyond its original geographic location in the northeastern US
< snip >
I do want to reiterate that as a grad student, you're not going to have very much time for this sort of activity! You'll necessarily be spending all your "school vacation" time doing your thesis research!
Originally Posted By PerryMK
I'm curious why you are limiting yourself to biking distance?
First, thank you so much for the outdoor club link. That's an angle I had not considered.
The other items above are linked: 'why bike' and 'lack of free time in grad school.' I love to bike, but will in likelihood have a car in school (but not if I don't absolutely have to have one!). However, self-awareness of my own habits tells me that for me to take advantage of something, ESPECIALLY when my schedule is as crunched as it will be in grad school, it must be SUPER convenient for me. If there is trail and mountain within a 1 hr bike ride (say 15-20 miles or so) of where I live, I will get out twice as much as if it were 50 miles away. It's all about convenience and fitting it into a cramped schedule with minimal effort (e.g. travel time).
This thread is only a small part of a very large cross-referencing exercise: top rated math grad programs, most convenient mountain schools, average GRE scores in grad programs, Research 1 institutions. Out the other side I hope to draw a shortlist of 5-6 schools to apply.
It sure would be nice to have as many of them as possible within 20 miles or so of my spiritual center, mountains and trails, so that when I begin to lose hope I can easily recharge my batteries.
So far only 6 schools have been 'sold' to me by folks which meet this criteria (I haven't confirmed yet though): • University of Colorado - Boulder • Northern Arizona U - Flagstaff • U of Montana - Missoula • Montana State - Bozeman • Vieginia Tech - Blacksburg • Dartmouth - Hanover •
Two interesting picks for me out of your list are Washington State University, which will be near good stuff, and interestingly Santa Cruz.. The Santa Cruz area offers lots of good opportunity in neat stuff around the california coast, and it should be easy enough to pick off the occasional ride across the valley to hit the Sierras.
Registered: 02/03/06
Posts: 6800
Loc: Gateway to Columbia Gorge
Actually, Washington State University is out in the middle of the Palouse Hills, all dryland wheat country and private land, no hiking close by. I turned down a job offer there for exactly that reason.
Edited by OregonMouse (12/31/1012:32 PM)
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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view--E. Abbey
I will admit that I have not read all 4 previous pages of answers to your post. So I may repeat what others have said. Have you thought about University of Utah or Utah State? Cannot get closer to great skiing. Centrally located for backpacking and biking. Mountains and deserts both. Only missing ingredient is coastal areas. Contrary to popular thought, non-Mormans will do just fine in Utah if you stay open minded. I went to grad school in Logan Utah for four years and would have remained if I could have found a job. Salt Lake City is even more diverse - about 50% Mormon. I personally think Utah communities are very friendly if you make some effort to understand the prevailing social beliefs.
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