1. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SAN DIEGO
Photo: Jeremiah Klein
PROXIMITY AND ACCESS TO SURF: As long as you can handle a hike and don't have an incurable pointbreak fetish, you can ditch your car for a bike as long as you live on campus. UCSD is set back a few hundred yards from the cliffs overlooking Blacks Beach, widely regarded as one of the best sand-bottom A-frames in California.
SURF CLASS(ES): Mission Bay Aquatic Center (858-488-1000), a UCSD affiliate, will get you on board.
SURF TEAM: Coached by FCS Marketing head Tyler Callaway. Check this link: http://recadmin.ucsd.edu/sports/teams/surfing/.
SURFING PROFESSORS: Who says surfers are a bunch of dummies? UCSD has enough surfing MENSA candidates to clog up the lineup at Windansea, including: Ed Hutchins, Beacons local, Professor of Cognitive Science, MacArthur Fellowship recipient and president of the UCSD Surf Club in 1968; Jim Hollan, Professor of Cognitive Science; the late Paul Saltman, former Professor of Biology and college provost; David Sandwell, Professor of Geophysics; Greg Mitchel, Associate Research Biologist; Ralph Keeling, Associate Professor of Geochemistry; Sam Iacobellis, Assistant Research Meteorologist.
SURFING ALUMNI: There's at least one in every yearbook, but here's a short list: Ricky Grigg, big-wave pioneer and Professor of Oceanography at the University of Hawaii; Rusty Preisendorfer, founder of Rusty Surfboards and Clothing; Tom O'Keefe, founder of Red X Fin Systems; Isabelle Tihanyi, founder of Surf Divas surf school; Mark Massara, Sierra Club figurehead; Bolton Colburn, current chief curator of the Laguna Art Museum; the late Chris Bystrom, surf filmmaker; Rob Gilley and John Bilderback, premier surf photographers; Benicio Del Toro (OK, he doesn't surf, but the dude won an Oscar, for Pete's sake); Geoff Rashe, shaper of M-10 surfboards in Santa Cruz; Charles Golden, PhD graduate in Marine Geophysics and current golf club designer at Taylormade/Adidas; Scott Bass, online editor at Surfermag.com; Allen Johnson; Garth Engelhorn; Holly Beck (former NSSA national champ); Loryn Wilson; Zach Plopper; Edward Graham.
CURRENT RIPPERS: Marty Wienstien, Lauren Sweeney.
HOW HARD TO GET IN: Comparable to a 6-foot triple-up behind the boil at Big Rock: good luck. Average high school GPA: 3.98; Average SAT: 1256.
KNOWN CURRICULUM: Everything that is right-brained. Biochemistry, Biology, pre-med... if you're an aspiring numbers person, you'll fit into the equation.
ANIMAL HOUSE/PARTY FACTOR: Compared to its crazy sister, San Diego State, UCSD is all highwaters, pocket protectors and Coke-bottle glasses.
MALE/FEMALE RATIO: 49/51
COST (in-state/out-of-state): $8,062/$20,600.
EXTRA CREDIT: "It's kind of weird," says Allen Johnson, who transferred from Florida Institute of Technology and graduated from UCSD in 1990. "But the fact that Blacks is right there almost improves your work ethic. If you miss a good swell because of your studies, you always know that a good day of surf is right around the corner."
DEMERITS: Due to the workload, missing that "good day of surf" easily can turn into weeks, months... even semesters. Remember: when in doubt, paddle out. There's always summer school.
ADDRESS/CONTACT: 9500 Gilman Drive 0021, La Jolla, CA 92093-0021; Phone: 858-534-4831; www.ucsd.edu or e-mail at admissionsinfo@ucsd.edu
Other top surfing colleges in the San Diego area include Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego State, Mira Costa College, and Cal State San Marcos.
Photo: Jeremiah Klein
PROXIMITY AND ACCESS TO SURF: As long as you can handle a hike and don't have an incurable pointbreak fetish, you can ditch your car for a bike as long as you live on campus. UCSD is set back a few hundred yards from the cliffs overlooking Blacks Beach, widely regarded as one of the best sand-bottom A-frames in California.
SURF CLASS(ES): Mission Bay Aquatic Center (858-488-1000), a UCSD affiliate, will get you on board.
SURF TEAM: Coached by FCS Marketing head Tyler Callaway. Check this link: http://recadmin.ucsd.edu/sports/teams/surfing/.
SURFING PROFESSORS: Who says surfers are a bunch of dummies? UCSD has enough surfing MENSA candidates to clog up the lineup at Windansea, including: Ed Hutchins, Beacons local, Professor of Cognitive Science, MacArthur Fellowship recipient and president of the UCSD Surf Club in 1968; Jim Hollan, Professor of Cognitive Science; the late Paul Saltman, former Professor of Biology and college provost; David Sandwell, Professor of Geophysics; Greg Mitchel, Associate Research Biologist; Ralph Keeling, Associate Professor of Geochemistry; Sam Iacobellis, Assistant Research Meteorologist.
SURFING ALUMNI: There's at least one in every yearbook, but here's a short list: Ricky Grigg, big-wave pioneer and Professor of Oceanography at the University of Hawaii; Rusty Preisendorfer, founder of Rusty Surfboards and Clothing; Tom O'Keefe, founder of Red X Fin Systems; Isabelle Tihanyi, founder of Surf Divas surf school; Mark Massara, Sierra Club figurehead; Bolton Colburn, current chief curator of the Laguna Art Museum; the late Chris Bystrom, surf filmmaker; Rob Gilley and John Bilderback, premier surf photographers; Benicio Del Toro (OK, he doesn't surf, but the dude won an Oscar, for Pete's sake); Geoff Rashe, shaper of M-10 surfboards in Santa Cruz; Charles Golden, PhD graduate in Marine Geophysics and current golf club designer at Taylormade/Adidas; Scott Bass, online editor at Surfermag.com; Allen Johnson; Garth Engelhorn; Holly Beck (former NSSA national champ); Loryn Wilson; Zach Plopper; Edward Graham.
CURRENT RIPPERS: Marty Wienstien, Lauren Sweeney.
HOW HARD TO GET IN: Comparable to a 6-foot triple-up behind the boil at Big Rock: good luck. Average high school GPA: 3.98; Average SAT: 1256.
KNOWN CURRICULUM: Everything that is right-brained. Biochemistry, Biology, pre-med... if you're an aspiring numbers person, you'll fit into the equation.
ANIMAL HOUSE/PARTY FACTOR: Compared to its crazy sister, San Diego State, UCSD is all highwaters, pocket protectors and Coke-bottle glasses.
MALE/FEMALE RATIO: 49/51
COST (in-state/out-of-state): $8,062/$20,600.
EXTRA CREDIT: "It's kind of weird," says Allen Johnson, who transferred from Florida Institute of Technology and graduated from UCSD in 1990. "But the fact that Blacks is right there almost improves your work ethic. If you miss a good swell because of your studies, you always know that a good day of surf is right around the corner."
DEMERITS: Due to the workload, missing that "good day of surf" easily can turn into weeks, months... even semesters. Remember: when in doubt, paddle out. There's always summer school.
ADDRESS/CONTACT: 9500 Gilman Drive 0021, La Jolla, CA 92093-0021; Phone: 858-534-4831; www.ucsd.edu or e-mail at admissionsinfo@ucsd.edu
Other top surfing colleges in the San Diego area include Point Loma Nazarene University, San Diego State, Mira Costa College, and Cal State San Marcos.
So the gaunlet is out there for my surf kids. Might as well go for the best. There will be as close to a pro surf career as they will get.
College is fun....you can surf, have fun and all while being able to show up at family functions with your status-'going to a top school'.
Of course when I went to SDSU it was rated number 3 by a national magazine (Playboy's top party schools). Now SDSU is a bit different. My friends son tried to get in and here are the stats; 58,000 applicants for 6800 slots. Average GPA 3.81. When I got in to SDSU I was down in San Diego for the late part of summer and did not want to go home. Wandered into the admissions office and there I was a student. Everyone else in my family went to UCLA. Me not a chance. The average GPA for UCLA is over a 4.1.
But I agree with Surfline UC San Diego is a good goal which will be carot/stick/threats/etc for my kids.
