University of Utah to ski or community college in cali?

Squidyskis

Squidyskis

New member
I am nearing the time where I have to apply for college and I am having a hard time making a decision. I am fortunate enough to have the privilege of my parents pitching in for my college, but if I go to the U of U I will be in a small amount of debt. My grades are good so it is not a problem but I am not sure if skiing is enough justification to move to Utah for university. I am going to do computer science and I have heard that Utah has a good program for that as well. If I go to utah my first year will be the issue financially as I would have to pay out of state.The rest my parents would, fortunately, be able to pay for. For housing I can stay with my grandparents until I save enough for an apartment. If I go to community college here in SoCal I am going to have all 4 years payed but only occasional trips to Utah.

I have been skiing 30 days a year at snowbird already because my grandparents live in sandy, but because college is more demanding I do not think I can balance the trips.

So should I go to University of Utah to ski often or stay in cali?
 
Go ski dude. You seem to have your shit together and a decent plan. If I could go back to college I would have left Oklahoma and dealt with out of state too. I'm 28 and now live in Colorado with multiple resorts close buttttttt I honestly missed out skiing in my "prime" because I didn't have the balls to leave home. In those 10 years I probably spent 60-70 days on the snow instead of 80+ a year.

**This post was edited on Oct 24th 2020 at 1:25:23am
 
If money is the issue, you can get your associates from SLCC for 500/course and take it to the U to save money. Sure, SLCC isn't as cool as the U of U, but you will end up there regardless after 2 years of full time school. The skiing out here is just unreal, so I'd highly recommend coming out.
 
I don't know what in state tuition costs are for UCs (University of California system) these days, but is UC Davis an option? I don't know how strong of a CS program they have, but if you're grades are good enough to get into UofU out of state, I imagine you can probably get into Davis? Would your parents' assistance be enough to cover in state tuition and housing? Downside would be the longer drives to Tahoe (~2 hrs each way).

If I were you and you say the CS program at UofU is good like you say, I'd look into the CC route mentioned above, and maybe even try to extend the free housing from the grandparents as much as you can. I'm sure you know majoring in CS will be hard work and if you're dedicating free time to go skiing, the last thing I'd want is to get distracted by the college party scene (not to discourage you from socializing either). Maybe offer to start chipping in rent money (hopefully cheaper than actual rent), do some labor intensive chores, I dno. It'd show your family you're being responsible, but at the same time understand if your family is one of those "you're 18 now gtfoh" type.
 
DING DING DING. They're really close to each other so you can knock down those early credits with a seamless transition. Join the UofU ski club even tho you're at SLCC. Move in with a bunch of UofU skier dudes and join in with all their events. No one is gonna be like, "awh he goes to SLCC, he can't hang out." Double dip on the ski club at SLCC. After 4 years, by going to 2 schools, your network will have been doubled and your financial burden equalized. Do yourself a favor. Something something have your cake and eat it too. Besides, then you getta see your sweet grandma more often.

14187567:BigPurpleSkiSuit said:
If money is the issue, you can get your associates from SLCC for 500/course and take it to the U to save money. Sure, SLCC isn't as cool as the U of U, but you will end up there regardless after 2 years of full time school. The skiing out here is just unreal, so I'd highly recommend coming out.
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You should apply to the schools you want to keep your options open but I would say go to community college in California. I had a great time going straight to a 4 year school but it was a waste of money and going out of state would cost even more. I wasn't focused when I started and wasted a couple years before switching majors. Checking tuition cost, U of U is about $30,000 for out of state and $10,000 in state. Ca community college is about $6,000 a year. Going to Community College would save about $28,000 in tuition for your first two years. If you really want to move maybe look into Cerro Coso Community College in Mammoth Lakes or a community college near another resort. How much is the experience of moving to Utah worth to you?
 
Definitely move to Utah and definitely do this plan. I went to Westminster which I absolutely do not regret, but if I had to do it again and wanted to save like 80 grand, I would have done this.

14187567:BigPurpleSkiSuit said:
If money is the issue, you can get your associates from SLCC for 500/course and take it to the U to save money. Sure, SLCC isn't as cool as the U of U, but you will end up there regardless after 2 years of full time school. The skiing out here is just unreal, so I'd highly recommend coming out.
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Utah! U of U or listen to the purple ski suit. Just remember you are paying for the education and to ski so ski a bunch and get good grades. If you study CS and do well at a big university you’ll be able to live where ever you want pretty much and pay off any debt pretty quick.
 
This question comes up all the time and I'll give you the same advice I give everyone, the advice that I wish I had received before starting school at U of U: If you're going to college to ski then you shouldn't go to college.

Seriously, college is absurdly expensive, even at cheaper schools, and it only pays off if you take it seriously, and have a solid understanding of the career path that results from your major. If your priority is skiing, then get a job at a ski resort or in a ski town and be a ski bum for a few years. Your lifestyle will be pretty similar to that of a college student's, but instead of trying to balance school with skiing, you can just ski as much as you want.

I wasted a lot of money getting a degree that I will probably never use, and after graduating, I ended up ski bumming anyway. If I could get that money back now, as a 30 year old, I know that I could go back to school with dedication and go into a field with a real career at the end of it. There is nothing wrong with skiing being your biggest priority, there is something wrong with wasting your college education on skiing.

In the words of Ron Swanson, don't half ass two things. Whole ass one thing.
 
My family is the gtfo type which I don’t mind because i’m pretty ready to leave. My parents aren’t down to pay for housing so i have to pay for housing either way. Cali is just way to expensive unless I have 6 other roommates so I’m pretty set on Utah now. I’m sure my grandparents would let me stay for awhile but they would probably only let me do the first year which is more than enough to save for an apartment.

14187584:OhJay said:
I don't know what in state tuition costs are for UCs (University of California system) these days, but is UC Davis an option? I don't know how strong of a CS program they have, but if you're grades are good enough to get into UofU out of state, I imagine you can probably get into Davis? Would your parents' assistance be enough to cover in state tuition and housing? Downside would be the longer drives to Tahoe (~2 hrs each way).

If I were you and you say the CS program at UofU is good like you say, I'd look into the CC route mentioned above, and maybe even try to extend the free housing from the grandparents as much as you can. I'm sure you know majoring in CS will be hard work and if you're dedicating free time to go skiing, the last thing I'd want is to get distracted by the college party scene (not to discourage you from socializing either). Maybe offer to start chipping in rent money (hopefully cheaper than actual rent), do some labor intensive chores, I dno. It'd show your family you're being responsible, but at the same time understand if your family is one of those "you're 18 now gtfoh" type.
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I haven’t thought about going to cc in salt lake. Probably the most logical option for the tuition and location.

14187567:BigPurpleSkiSuit said:
If money is the issue, you can get your associates from SLCC for 500/course and take it to the U to save money. Sure, SLCC isn't as cool as the U of U, but you will end up there regardless after 2 years of full time school. The skiing out here is just unreal, so I'd highly recommend coming out.
Click to expand...
 
14187728:wasatch_rat said:
This question comes up all the time and I'll give you the same advice I give everyone, the advice that I wish I had received before starting school at U of U: If you're going to college to ski then you shouldn't go to college.

Seriously, college is absurdly expensive, even at cheaper schools, and it only pays off if you take it seriously, and have a solid understanding of the career path that results from your major. If your priority is skiing, then get a job at a ski resort or in a ski town and be a ski bum for a few years. Your lifestyle will be pretty similar to that of a college student's, but instead of trying to balance school with skiing, you can just ski as much as you want.

I wasted a lot of money getting a degree that I will probably never use, and after graduating, I ended up ski bumming anyway. If I could get that money back now, as a 30 year old, I know that I could go back to school with dedication and go into a field with a real career at the end of it. There is nothing wrong with skiing being your biggest priority, there is something wrong with wasting your college education on skiing.

In the words of Ron Swanson, don't half ass two things. Whole ass one thing.
Click to expand...

I mean most of my college will be payed for which I am very grateful for. I actually enjoy computer science so I don’t see a reason not to go. My main focus will obviously be on school but it would be nice to ski once or twice a week in my free time.

I get what your saying but I need to be making money as fast as possible cause i’m trying to invest so I can ski as much as possible in my life.
 
Grandma can cover my food for four years no doubt.

14187595:larilinesign said:
DING DING DING. They're really close to each other so you can knock down those early credits with a seamless transition. Join the UofU ski club even tho you're at SLCC. Move in with a bunch of UofU skier dudes and join in with all their events. No one is gonna be like, "awh he goes to SLCC, he can't hang out." Double dip on the ski club at SLCC. After 4 years, by going to 2 schools, your network will have been doubled and your financial burden equalized. Do yourself a favor. Something something have your cake and eat it too. Besides, then you getta see your sweet grandma more often.
Click to expand...
 
14187596:Profahoben_212 said:
UNR....closer to home, and was way cheaper for me than the U of U
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I’ll end up in Utah anyway Alta and Snowbird are my favorite resorts and it’s pretty reliable on the snow. But when tahoe gets a good year. It’s reallyyyy good.
 
I don't know what the residency requirements for Utah are, but it might be something to look into if you could change your residence to Utah, work for a year, and then be eligible for in state tuition. Trust me, there's no need to rush into college. Not taking a gap year after high school was a huge regret for me.
 
14187766:RIP_leos_shack said:
I don't know what the residency requirements for Utah are, but it might be something to look into if you could change your residence to Utah, work for a year, and then be eligible for in state tuition. Trust me, there's no need to rush into college. Not taking a gap year after high school was a huge regret for me.
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Parents won’t be happy with a gap year and there’s not much I can do to argue because they are paying for most of my college.
 
14187770:Squidyskis said:
Parents won’t be happy with a gap year and there’s not much I can do to argue because they are paying for most of my college.
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I feel though if you could convince them of the economics 10k a year is a lot less than 30k
 
14187770:Squidyskis said:
Parents won’t be happy with a gap year and there’s not much I can do to argue because they are paying for most of my college.
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Go to a cc in Utah then. Save money in the long run once you get instate for the U
 
Slc first year while non instate, then transfer credits to the U. I'm a freshman from out of state as well at the U.
 
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