College Help: Fort Lewis College, Mesa State, Colorado State, and University of Utah

[Gnar]

I've finally narrowed down my college choices! I need help from anyone who has attended or is attending these schools. First and foremost, how's the MTB trails and the Snowboarding. I've pretty much picked schools based on location for riding, and if they have a decent business program that shows me how to run my own business. Also, could you guys give me any useful information on the schools(Pros/Cons, useful tips) that you went, or are going to.

Appreciate the help!

[gschuette]

Well I moved from kind of close to your location for the same reason you did. Snow and bikes but mainly bikes. I go to SUU in Cedar City, UT. A few weeks ago I went skiing on a Friday in a ton of powder at Brianhead. The next day I went riding near Zion in 65degree weather. Zion and Brianhead are 45 and 20 minutes, respectively, from school. Uh sorry can't help on academics becaus I don't really care. I just want to ride. I have been told though that we have a good business program but it matters not to me because the riding is out of this world. I have ridden near your college choices and I like the riding better where I am at but hey different strokes...

Good luck!

[-dustin]

why would trails be a factor in choosing a college? shouldn't things like tuition/ total cost, financial aid, placement rates, graduation rates, size, rank, etc, be more important? if you're interested in business, look up each school's business program(s), and see how they rank. just learning how to run your own business won't take very much education, in my opinion. as long you're descent with money, have common sense, and take basic level classes, i think you can do it just fine.

UC, Boulder is consistently ranked in the top 30 undergrad business schools...CSU is in 80s and 90s...U of Utah squeaked into the top 50 this year.

[Transcend]

Um ya that sounds like sound criteria to choose a college on...

[Gnar]

why would trails be a factor in choosing a college? shouldn't things like tuition/ total cost, financial aid, placement rates, graduation rates, size, rank, etc, be more important? if you're interested in business, look up each school's business program(s), and see how they rank. just learning how to run your own business won't take very much education, in my opinion. as long you're descent with money, have common sense, and take basic level classes, i think you can do it just fine.

UC, Boulder is consistently ranked in the top 30 undergrad business schools...CSU is in 80s and 90s...U of Utah squeaked into the top 50 this year.

Because out of state tuition to Boulder is around $30,000, which is why it is not in the list. Don't worry about colleges not on the list ok. Thanks

[-dustin]

it was simply a reference point. though, 3 of the schools you listed are in CO. i assumed you were a local CO-ian.

[neversummersnow]

CSU and CU should be almost identical in tution...maybe off-campus housing is more at CU but you can get around that.

But don't listen to me, you really should just pick your school based on better riding and snowboarding....I hear that's what all the smart ones do.

[gschuette]

Trail quality near the place you will spend 4 years of your life is a very important issue.

[Transcend]

Trail quality near the place you will spend 4 years of your life is a very important issue.

Ya, sure buddy. As important as choosing a good school that will let you excel in yoru program.

You guys need to get your head out of your asses.

[OGRipper]

If the schools compare well then sure, location is part of the decision.

But you sound like the quality of the school doesn't matter at all, which is just confused. If it doesn't matter, why go at all? Get a job and live it up.

Four years might seem like a long time but it's not much at all.

[Jeremy R]

I don't know.
It just seems like this guy wants to get a business degree, and he wants to have good trails and mountains nearby. Who are you guys to judge this?
Coming from myself who has a Economics/Finance degree, there is no way in hell I would have went somewhere with no riding. Life is too short not to enjoy yourself. And you can get a good business degree in about a gazillion colleges, so why not have your cake and eat it too.
Hell, 3/4s of the people with college degrees, don't even have a job based on their major.

[mobius]

Trail quality is not any near factor of what you should choose in college. I love mountain biking and loveeeeeeeeeeee riding in the mountains but i goto school 20 minutes outside of washington DC. I could have gone to school at virginia tech right in the mountains of western VA but i hated the area and the major i changed into does not even exist there. I at first was real kinda bummed that the only kind of riding in the area was pretty flat XC but riding isn't the first thing on my mind when im at school with my friends. I would definetly look into what school has better academically wise then trails.

I do ride while at school but have found myself into street and DJ riding in the off season and i head to the mountains in summer to ride.


So i'd say the smart thing is not to choose your college solely on riding and check more into campus life, cost, and academics.

[James | Go-Ride]

If you go to the U, Go-Ride can be your LBS

Sorry, couldn't help myself. Ah, just to put in my two cents, I don't think criticizing somebody because good trail access is important to them while deciding where to live for the next four years is very fair. Bottom line, unless you're at a top-tier school, any public school in the intermountain west with a student body of over 15k is going to provide about the same quality of education. CU and Boulder might rank higher than the UofU, but that's over all of their courses combined. The U has one of the best pre-med and pre-law programs available at any public university in the country but doesn't have such stellar "liberal arts" wings such as philosophy or the like.

SUU wouldn't be a bad choice if you can handle 85% of Cedar City being members of the LDS faith, and the resulting social atmosphere.

[OGRipper]

Yeah maybe some of us sound a little harsh, he didn't ask us about anything other than quality of riding, not quality of schools, life lessons, and certainly not to be judged as a human.

But if you come here for advice, expect a little more than what you asked for. It's just part of the giving nature of the monkey. :dancing: :dancing:

[James | Go-Ride]

Total derail here, sorry. Anybody else think the dancing monkey thing looks like he's dancing out of rage rather than pleasure?