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I was hoping I could get some NS wisdom on the University of Vermont, Such as what the courses are like, if the skiing is good, what the skiing is like, etc.
UVM is awesome! There's a bunch of great mountains within an hour from campus, I got ~80 days last season with full course load. The ski community is really strong in Burlington and the Ski and Snowboard Club and Freeskiing Team at the heart of it.
If you have any questions about FST, the club, or UVM in general post em up. There's a bunch of UVM kids on here.
UVM's great! Burlington consistently ranks in the top college towns for a reason-- it has a cool downtown, lots of outdoor fun stuff like hiking, and has Stowe, Sugarbush, Bolton Valley, Smuggler's Notch, and Jay Peak all within 1.5 hours of it. It's some of the best skiing on the east and you also get a great deal with pass prices as a student. On campus we have the UVM Ski & Snowboard club, which is non-competitive and big, and the UVM Freeskiing Team which is much smaller and freeski-specific.
Classes are awesome, and as a senior I can say I've never had a professor I've disliked. While it is a state school, very few of my classes have been big lectures and professors are more than happy to help you and meet one on one. There's a lot to get involved in on campus, whether it's with skiing or other activities. I can't imagine having gone anywhere else-- if you have any questions about UVM or skiing in the area, PM me and I'd be happy to answer any specific questions!
So much misinformation here. Burlington VT is NYC compared to Waterbury while Lewiston is a hideous and unfortunately somewhat dangerous town. Portland ME is pretty nice, but it is not super close to the mountains.
You are neglecting the size and demographic differences as well. UVM is 9,000 undergraduates (I believe) while Bates, Colby, Bowdoin, and Middlebury are all under 4,000. Additionally, many of those NESCAC school students come from the New England area prep school system, so if you don't grove with those people then you may not enjoy it.
OP, lots of us on here go to UVM. Post questions and someone will answer.
I am an out of state student and it's between UVM, UBC, University of Washington and Colorado Boulder, so far UVM looks like the coolest town in general but the money is a problem, my parents said they would pay part of my tuition and i could possibly get an academic scholarship if i do well on my ACT and SAT. So the money isn't a big worry, I just am wondering about what the majors offered are like specifically Enviromental Studies, Education, and English
I just graduated form UVM in May. Best decision I ever made was to go here. Yeah it's expensive (i'm from out of state) but for me I wouldn't have been nearly as happy at any in state school (PA). Burlington is seriously one of the best towns I have ever been too. I would highly recommend UVM to anyone who is even considering it. Also, VT has the best damn beer around so that's a huge plus.
lilshabazzI am an out of state student and it's between UVM, UBC, University of Washington and Colorado Boulder, so far UVM looks like the coolest town in general but the money is a problem, my parents said they would pay part of my tuition and i could possibly get an academic scholarship if i do well on my ACT and SAT. So the money isn't a big worry, I just am wondering about what the majors offered are like specifically Enviromental Studies, Education, and English
UVM has a great Environmental Studies program with it actually being one of its strongest programs on campus. English and Education are decent, but if that is what you are attempting to go to school for my recommendation would be to go instate with the costs of UVM's tuition.
Unsure about UBC, UofW or CU's programs in comparison.
I almost went there, but it was way too expensive. There's lots of good skiing within a few hours like Sugarbush, Mad River, Stowe, Smugglers Notch and Jay or course. From what I've seen the skiing community there is awesome. I grew up skiing in Vermont, and even though I moved to Colorado, I still miss it. Like rocks, trees, bearded old guys and heavy snow? Good.
Academically, it just depends what you want to do. If you change your mind or don't know, at least they have a pretty long list of majors so you'll have some options. Their environmental science/ forestry school is very good but, I know little about reputations of other programs.
It is so fucking expensive out of state, but it spares you the prep school attitude of some certain private colleges in the northeast (ehmmm Colby.) Sadly, I'm sure it's gotten worse since I applied.
It's also a quick drive to Montreal.
Burlington is a great city. \If you aren't from New England or a similarly cold as place, be prepared. Its fucking freezing. Its very far north, and the lake doesn't help. There's a reason they have tunnels in some parts of campus.
Hell I'd be happy to move up there one of these days.
caroline.Their environmental science/ forestry school is very good
I was and Environmental Science major with a forestry minor. The forestry program is fucking awesome, but I thought ENSC could have prepared us a little more for specific career paths. I'm trying to get into environmental consulting and had minimal preparation. So if any of you out there have parents working environmental consulting, hook me up!!
Burlington is amazing, but UVM is probably too expensive for what it is. The academics are alright but most of the kids there just want the enjoy the high quality of life Burlington has to offer on their parents dime.
That said, there are ways to get a lot out of the UVM experience but I know so may kids I graduated with that are doing pretty much nothing with their degrees. It breeds a culture of fun and not one of working hard, haha. If you can get a serious scholarship or if your parents pay for it is a school to consider for sure.
As some other people mentioned it does have a few strong programs but most of them are just alright. I went there and got a fair amount out of it (I'm in law school now) but most people I knew just partied and that was by far the accepted norm of student behavior.
TLDR: Awesome town, great fun-loving culture, the skiing is good, meh academics, and way too expsneive.
lands11I was and Environmental Science major with a forestry minor. The forestry program is fucking awesome, but I thought ENSC could have prepared us a little more for specific career paths. I'm trying to get into environmental consulting and had minimal preparation. So if any of you out there have parents working environmental consulting, hook me up!!
No environmental science program seems to do a very good job of that for one reason or another. It's just too general and never gives the student a good enough edge to work in any of the fields they learn which is unfortunate. Then everyone says 'well you should have specialized" after the fucking fact. Oh gee thanks!!
Talk to ThaLorax. A fellow NSer in sustainability consulting (a bit different, but he's the first that comes to mind.)
Consulting is a really hard business to start out in because anyone who want's your services expects years of experience to back up your statements. So that leaves us here.
I was accepted. come from a middle class family. I was given absolutely no financial aid despite the fact that i had very good grades. They somehow expected half of my parents income to pay for school.
This is incredibly not true, I currently go to Middlebury and the ski culture isn't anything like UVM's. When I visited UVM there were freeskiers everywhere and no shortage of people who want to hit the slopes as much as possible. At a NESCAC school like the ones mentioned there is a fuck ton more work and you will barely have time to shred much.
lilshabazzCan anyone possibly tell me about Champlain College too?I'm interested in the Burlington area as a whole
So Far its been so ill. Only Big problem with Champlain is the fact that its half game majors and some of them are really fucking weird. but if you want to ski, it is honestly way better than UVM. the Snow culture here is way more tight.
KingGeedorahIt's a nice high school...
But at least they might actually give you money, unlike UVM.
lands11I was and Environmental Science major with a forestry minor. The forestry program is fucking awesome, but I thought ENSC could have prepared us a little more for specific career paths. I'm trying to get into environmental consulting and had minimal preparation. So if any of you out there have parents working environmental consulting, hook me up!!
I work for an environmental consulting firm in Atlanta. Do you have a masters? If not I recommend doing that and getting internships.
If your looking maybe for something a lil smaller come to st mikes we got mad homies up here and super close to uvm and burly anyways.
It's small but like as a freshman I walked onto campus and everybody knows everybody like I know all the upperclassmen who ski and they are all pretty fresh on the hill
Ralph_SwaggumI was accepted. come from a middle class family. I was given absolutely no financial aid despite the fact that i had very good grades. They somehow expected half of my parents income to pay for school.
Fuck UVM. It was my first choice too...
Then apparently you didn't have "very good" grades?
.ttelrab.Looking to go somewhere private in VT with a good engineering program. Tips anyone?
Like was said above, most schools are too small to have good research opportunities.
However, University of Maine has a damn fine engineering school and if you're from New England you can save a little money going there. It's not as low as in state, but it helps. I'm originally from MA and I could have gone there for $14000 a year without scholarships or aid. That was 5 years ago so maybe it changed but, it may be worth considering.
I wish I went there. Too expensive. Burlington is beautiful though and the campus is beautiful. And the UVMFST thing is really cool. I kinda wanna start a URI freeskiing team but half the kids here don't even know how to step into ski boots. Oh well.
mmccarthy14I wish I went there. Too expensive. Burlington is beautiful though and the campus is beautiful. And the UVMFST thing is really cool. I kinda wanna start a URI freeskiing team but half the kids here don't even know how to step into ski boots. Oh well.
The freeski team got banned from URI you couldn't even start one if you tried.
mmccarthy14I wish I went there. Too expensive. Burlington is beautiful though and the campus is beautiful. And the UVMFST thing is really cool. I kinda wanna start a URI freeskiing team but half the kids here don't even know how to step into ski boots. Oh well.
Contact the Freeski Rep at URI, Austin Vivieros. I'm sure he can help you with resources to make your dreams a reality. Together you can teach kids how to strap up their boots
.ttelrab.Looking to go somewhere private in VT with a good engineering program. Tips anyone?
UVM has good opportunities for research. The problem with places like UVM is that you will SERIOUSLY STRUGGLE to get a good internship, which is extremely valuable if not necessary in the job market especially if you want to go to a competitive place (smaller cities near mountains) after you graduate. You'll have more luck if you go to UC Boulder and find an internship in Denver.
VT_FLOUVM has good opportunities for research. The problem with places like UVM is that you will SERIOUSLY STRUGGLE to get a good internship, which is extremely valuable if not necessary in the job market especially if you want to go to a competitive place (smaller cities near mountains) after you graduate. You'll have more luck if you go to UC Boulder and find an internship in Denver.
Dude, at Champlain I can get an internship during my second semester as a freshman...
Just visited my best friend there this past weekend, it was so cool there i loved it, everyone was so friendly and laid back, definitely an awesome experience.
Then again, I think its a little impractical to go there personally because its so damn expensive and I probably would have a very hard time finding a job after graduation. I got the impression from most of the people I met that they didnt really care about having a promising career or future, instead they were enjoying every aspect of college on their parents dime.
anashyoJust visited my best friend there this past weekend, it was so cool there i loved it, everyone was so friendly and laid back, definitely an awesome experience.
Then again, I think its a little impractical to go there personally because its so damn expensive and I probably would have a very hard time finding a job after graduation. I got the impression from most of the people I met that they didnt really care about having a promising career or future, instead they were enjoying every aspect of college on their parents dime.
anashyoJust visited my best friend there this past weekend, it was so cool there i loved it, everyone was so friendly and laid back, definitely an awesome experience.
Then again, I think its a little impractical to go there personally because its so damn expensive and I probably would have a very hard time finding a job after graduation. I got the impression from most of the people I met that they didnt really care about having a promising career or future, instead they were enjoying every aspect of college on their parents dime.
This assumption really irks me. Not everyone who goes to college has a set career path in mind, nor do they need to have one. Obviously it is better to have one, especially if the student is taking on loans.
But to say that they don't openly care is quite the reach. I have no clue what I plan on doing next year, but I sure as hell care about my future. I know many other students who are in similar positions. They are graduating within the next 12 months, have zero clue about their future and openly admit it, but they are sure as hell worrying about it.
Shit, isn't college about learning who you are and enjoying life? Obviously education is an important aspect but sometimes the connections you make are better than the things you learn in a classroom.
And to be honest about the whole internship knock on UVM, it is difficult to get one in NYC or Boston, but then again it is difficult at many other schools as well. It is all about networking your professors and fellow students. Professors are often looking for research assistants which may be a better on a resume than working for some giant investment bank like State Street where all you learn is plugging numbers compared to doing meaningful research and making connections.
What irks me is that people have assumed that higher education is but for one purpose, and anyone conducting their education in a way that doesn't necessarily lead to high paying job opportunities/a socially acceptable future are either wasting their time or making a poor life decision. There is more than one way, and it is never too late to give up our prejudices. Stop judging me based on my starting salary out of university. I don't even want one anyway.
I want to experience life through the lens of an educated individual, and this education is doing that for me. I thoroughly enjoy my studies right now. I'm not here to work my ass off learning meaningless information so that I can die in a mahogany deathbed someday. I'm not even here for a degree.
I don't say all this to devalue the choices of others in obtaining higher education; each has their own purpose; theirs just doesn't fit me. Excuse me for my difference.
ZimmermanWhat irks me is that people have assumed that higher education is but for one purpose, and anyone conducting their education in a way that doesn't necessarily lead to high paying job opportunities/a socially acceptable future are either wasting their time or making a poor life decision. There is more than one way, and it is never too late to give up our prejudices. Stop judging me based on my starting salary out of university. I don't even want one anyway.
I want to experience life through the lens of an educated individual, and this education is doing that for me. I thoroughly enjoy my studies right now. I'm not here to work my ass off learning meaningless information so that I can die in a mahogany deathbed someday. I'm not even here for a degree.
I don't say all this to devalue the choices of others in obtaining higher education; each has their own purpose; theirs just doesn't fit me. Excuse me for my difference.
You don't want a salary? Besides that I agree with your post. College means something different to everyone. That being said, college is a really expensive way to "find yourself," or simply to become more educated. Eventually you're going to have to pay off those tens of thousands of dollars in loans, and for that you'll need a salary. I think it's also important to realize that most people don't have the luxury of paying that much money to go to college just so they can become more educated. Most people don't have the money to do that in the first place and go to college so that they can have a better life than they otherwise could.
But why not both? I placed a high value on college to be able to figure myself out, and view the world through a more educated lens as you say. But I also went to college in order to take a career path that I would enjoy. For me it has nothing to do with starting salary, but college allowed me to start a career that I felt was personally fulfilling.
FunkadelicYou don't want a salary? Besides that I agree with your post. College means something different to everyone. That being said, college is a really expensive way to "find yourself," or simply to become more educated. Eventually you're going to have to pay off those tens of thousands of dollars in loans, and for that you'll need a salary. I think it's also important to realize that most people don't have the luxury of paying that much money to go to college just so they can become more educated. Most people don't have the money to do that in the first place and go to college so that they can have a better life than they otherwise could.
But why not both? I placed a high value on college to be able to figure myself out, and view the world through a more educated lens as you say. But I also went to college in order to take a career path that I would enjoy. For me it has nothing to do with starting salary, but college allowed me to start a career that I felt was personally fulfilling.
Okay, so I don't "not want a salary," but I don't plan on having a career. In other words I don't plan on having a lifestyle that would allow for a salary to exist(I am mostly talking about after my loans are payed off.) Way too static and for me life is a constantly changing thing. So I guess you could say the only difference between me and you are futureplans in the form of a career. I'm not lamenting your way, for it suits you. Your way won't fulfill me though. In order for me to be here now I cannot occupy my nowtime with future planning.
Notice that no matter how far I deviate from common lifeplans, I do not suggest that my, or any way is the correct way of being.
This isn't coming out very well right now so excuse my choppy thinking and briefness.
Great University Great Partys. Great skiing for the east coast. Within an hour you got Bolton (only good bc of night skiing), Sugarbush and Stowe. Burlington IS a sick city too.
.undetectedThe freeski team got banned from URI you couldn't even start one if you tried.
frankspiritoContact the Freeski Rep at URI, Austin Vivieros. I'm sure he can help you with resources to make your dreams a reality. Together you can teach kids how to strap up their boots