Surf and College?

HAh. Why in the hell would you waste your money on a surf trip to somewhere thats no better than the northeastern seaboard in the winter and is even colder? Couldnt be to avoid crowds...In the WINTER! Go to PUERTO RICO or BARBADOS.

 

Come to UNCW and you will have no regrets. 10-15 min. from the beach, warm most of the year, and lots of people who actually surf. Even when there aren't waves I still make it to the beach 3-4 times a week. I love it here and definitely made the right choice staying in Wilmington.

 

When I was at the University of Rhode Island there was a fairly sizable group of people and they had a surf club. For a super small state it packs a pretty nice array of quality breaks in. I went to grad school at Monmouth and it opened me up to a lot of different spots in that area that I'm sure you're already familiar with. Just make sure you can afford either- get lots of scholarships if you can.

 

and ps if you're looking for quality waves i would stay away from Coastal Carolina-- from what i've read and my own experience SC just doesn't have very many quality waves

 

I did not go to UNCW, but I live in Wilmington. UNCW has a top tier surf team and the area beaches have really great vibes. National Geographic recently came out with a list of the Top 20 Surf Towns - WB made the cut, among other world renown breaks. Wilmington gets its fair share of waves & OBX is only a few hours away. Excellent community and great people. You will not regret it.

 

^What he said. If work and family commitments didn't keep me here, I could move to Wilmington in a second. I always look forward to visiting my friends there.

 

you can get plenty of waves in south carolina and still get your work done...which should be your priority if you're going to even bother spending your money to go to college.

Myrtle beach is one of the least consistent and smaller waved beaches in SC, but the college of charleston is only 20 min from the folly pier and just a few more to the washout (a few jetties to choose from and spread out any crowd).

The another good thing about SC is the weather. The water can get down to 45 deg for a while in the peak of winter, but air temps rarely get below 45 deg.

 

Rhode Island colleges...i go to RWU. theres also uri and salve regina. all about 20 min away from good beaches except salve which is on 1st beach in newport

 

I go to Stockton, and while there is no surf club, there are a lot of us who surf the many locations close to campus. There are so many great places to surf. Besides the fact that Stockton has a great Environmental Science program and that I am going to school for half price, the proximity to the beach was the deciding factor for me going here. It was my only choice; I didn't apply anywhere else. It's the cheapest option as opposed to moving out of state, but this is just my two cents.

 

Echoing what ridewaves said, Stockton is a solid choice, especially for fall and winter surf. My sister went there. I'm from South Jersey, so it depends on where you're from, tuition etc. A growing school for sure, 20 minutes from AC's beaches, a 30-mile trip up the parkway to Long Beach Island. Plenty of summer jobs too if you're not from the area and plan to stick around for the summer. Also have a few friends who surf and who went to the University of Rhode Island. One studied Marine Engineering and works in the surf industry now. He loved it there. Good surf communities in both places. Hope this helps.

 

Gnaractually is from Dirty Jer-z and attends UNCW, maybe you should ask him.

Closest Army base is in Fayetteville--closer to Raleigh.

But, in the spirit of my remaining consistent: DO NOT GO TO UNCW!!!! GO SOMEWHERE ELSE!!!

 

I went to UNH and the campus is about 20 minutes from the coast. NH may have a small coastline but it's packed with good breaks- as long as you don't mind cold water.

 

I don't like 85% of the people it attracts--mainly those who instantly become "surfers" the moment they move here. My comment was somewhat tongue-in-cheek though. I'm sure you're cool--especially if we're not surfing the same break.

 

I actually grew up in wilmy so I can't really comment on the distance factor but one of my roommates is from up your way and on the surf club and he seems to enjoy it here. It really depends if you want to get away from home and be more on your own or not. But UNCW is a great school for surfing, studying, and partying as long as you can stay out of trouble; cops can be really strict down here at times.

 

The surf at UNCW is sad at best. have fun surfing chest high mushy waves. the wind is constantly onshore

it is not half as good as the outer banks, which is still 5 hours away by car. stay out of NC, their surf sucks unless you live on the OBX