Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:28 am Post subject: An Awesome Opportunity
Well, I am a Junior in High School and fly fishing is a huge part of my life. As a Junior, it is time to begin looking at Colleges and possible fields of interest.
I am leaning toward something in the line of Environmental or Aquatic Biology. My parents understand that my interest in fly fishing will affect where I go to school, so my options are to an extent limitless. I have tested the boundaries by saying that I want to go to Wash., Monatana, Wyoming...etc. and they are more than accepting. In reality, though, I probably don't wan't to be that far from home, Erie, PA, but you get where I am going.
So I am considering a few broad areas at this point. They include, Upstate NY, the White Mtns. of NH, Maine, The UP of Mich.,...etc. I guess if I had to make a question out of this it would be where would you or did you go? Now, we don't have a lot of money, but I will get some Aid based on our situation along with some potential scholarship money being that my grades are solid. And I am well aware that the rest will come from loans and I'm fine with that.
So what's your take on it? It really seems like an awesome opportunity to me.
Joined: May 31, 2004 Posts: 118 Location: Colorado
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:19 am Post subject:
I would visit the areas that you would like to go and see which geographic spot suits you. You mentioned WA and from my experience up there I wish I would have gone to school there. Beautiful area, I am sure that there are a number of schools to choose from, killer steelhead fishing in the summer and winter. also a milder climate than Eire PA. I went to UMaine and was ready to be out fo there after 4 years. Good school but very long winters and you are in the middle of nowhere. It dosent sound like you are into somewhere southern, but I wouldnt rule that out either. Goodluck, it is an interesting time of your life....enjoy it.
I appreciate the honest opinion about U Maine. You mention visiting schools, yeah, I should have included that I plan on taking a few visits. That would be another plus to the whole experience! I am really leaning toward the PNW because I love steelhead. Granted, the one's I fish for aren't real... ...
Joined: Nov 17, 2006 Posts: 9 Location: Fayetteville NY
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:44 am Post subject:
You should look into ESF in Syracuse NY. They have a lot of good undergrad programs like Aquatic and Fisheries Science. Its only a half hour ride to the salmon river from there
Last edited by Curro on Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:31 pm; edited 1 time in total
Joined: May 15, 2003 Posts: 888 Location: Portland, Maine
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 11:58 am Post subject: Joey
Joey - You freaking traitor!!! Maine, ROCKS! Joey says, "I went to UMaine and was ready to be out of there after 4 years" .. Keep in mind .. Joey is born and raised in Maine and then went to college in Maine .. Point here is, its only natural for anyone going to college or in their early 20's to want to venture out to new worlds and "get the heck out" .. regardless of where they are. I had roomates and good friends, born and raised in the bahamas .. and they couldn't wait to "get the heck out of there" .. i had friends from hawaii, alaska, australia, japan, bermuda, england, california and virtually every other state in the USA .. and the one common thread was among all of us was "WE ALL COULDN'T wait to get the heck out" .. regardless of where we were from. We all wanted to venture to see new places and we were all tired of the "same-old-same-old" at home. My wife is born and raised in maine .. hence she went to Arizona State and wanted nothing to do with Maine .. now, she is back and wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I have personally traveled far and wide for work and pleasure and lived in more places and states than I can even remeber ... and, at some point .. I couldn't wait to "get the heck out of all of those places." ... so, like everything else in life .. everything looses its luster after a while ... its only natural... and THAT is what keeps us in search of new experiences and new places....
So - now that I am done with my rant .. let me tie it back to your initial question and why I do agree with Joey. Maine is a spectacular place for fly fishing (probably why so much of fly fishing history has its roots in Maine) .. we have amazing amounts of remote wilderness and wild fish and virtually endless supplies of water. I have yet to find a place where I can LITERALLY cast to bluefin tuna and striped bass in the morning (5 minutes from my house) and wild trout and salmon in the afternoon (20 minutes from my house) ..... BUT, in your case, why it might not be a good option .. is because when college is usually from September - April .. and you would be missing the months of "may, june, july and august" ... and you would be here primarily in the winter months (for the most part) .... and just like you wouldn't want to be in Alaska (as good as the fishery is) in January .. the same applies for Maine .. ... So, for this reason .. I agree with Joey .. that Maine might not be your best choice.... Why not consider something in Florida? They have some very affordable schools ... airfare is cheap (back and forth to NY) .. and very good schools for that field of study of which you mention ... and you could get to experience the saltwater and be there when its winter time at home and leave there when its getting to hot to want to be there ... Kind of like my friend alex does:) .. Argentina and The USA have reverse seasons .. so when its winter in the USA, its summer in Argentina .. So, he comes to the USA during our summer and then leaves in the fall and returns home to Argentina to SUMMER AGAIN! ...
Joined: May 15, 2003 Posts: 888 Location: Portland, Maine
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:11 pm Post subject: Austin
Austin, on this site .. is in a simlar place as you. He is born and raised in Maine .. 18 and graduating from high school this year. He contemplated all sorts of places .. and still in the process of choosing ... of course, I don't know if he has a specific interest, as you do, in the particular study path of "Environmental or Aquatic Biology" ... I'm not sure where he is at .. I think i recall him saying he wants to "get out of maine for college, but not too far" .. I think he is leaning toward schools in burlington vermont? .. I'll send him a link to this thread .. I'm sure he would find it interesting .. as he is thinking about the same things and at a point in his life where he is making the same decisions as you ..
Have given it a little thought Jeremy, perhaps it deserves a little more. I really am into Trout and Steelhead though, so that is sort of my motive. I was in Islamorada two winters ago and it's great. I would love to go to school anywhere near there, just have to look into my options near the keys. Always have the Snook, Jacks, Macks, and Baby Tarpon up the Gulf Coast too. Thanks for the ideas though.
Completely get what you're saying about splitin' town too. But I could see why Maine might not be the place to be through Winter.
Hey mike! like you, i am also in high school. this is my last year, and you are making the right call by looking into schools in advance, because if your high school is anything like mine, your senior year is a whirwind.
I grew up through high school addicted to fly fishing and am even more addicted now. I have a friend who is a year ahead of me who goes to the university of montana in bozeman who I believe studies Aquatic Biology. He just called me the other day from out there and said that he was having a blast. But, it seems as though you and me are alike in many ways. We both would love to travel but at the same time are somewhat homebodies, at least i know i am. For me, i am looking to travel away from maine, experience some different areas, and study and fly fish along the way. But, I don't want to travel too far because of the expenses to get back home, and i would love to travel back to maine easily on vacations. My main reason why i don't want to go far though, is because I am in love with maine. I have traveled to a few states out west, and a few in the south, and even though i enjoyed traveling to these states, i love maine too much to be very far away from it. I grew up here and I can see myself living here for the rest of my life. So, thats my deal. My top colleges are in rhode island, massachussettes, New hampshire, and vermont. infact, i just sent out my envelopes today!
My advice to you is to visit schools as much as you can. It seems like you are addicted to fly fishing like me, so use fly fishing trips to their full extent and actually visit colleges during these trips! for example, it sounds like you steelhead fish a lot. Visit the salmon river or erie tribs to fly fish, then look at colleges on the same trip (kill 2 birds with 1 stone) such as syracuse, for example. and as jeremy mentioned earlier, make sure you have fish to fish for while you are AT college, because, your case may be that you travel back to pennsylvania once the summer months role through.
And of course, i have to pimp out my home state to end this rant. Maine is a great place to live and has some AWSOME colleges. UMaine and Bowdoin are great schools. Bowdoin is somewhat tough to get into, but if your grades are solid and have some extracuricullars, you could swing it for sure. i'm sure you know the deal about all that. Even though there isn't much fly fishing in the wintertime in maine, you would have lots of time in the fall and spring to fish some sick waters such as the kennebec and penobscot rivers for WORLD class trout and salmon. Infact, UMaine is not far at all from either of the 2! We have some good skiing in the winter too, i don't know if your into that or intrested in picking it up, but that is how i plan to spend my winter months at college! and then tear the rivers apart in the spring!
Whatever you choose to do, good luck! and defiently let me know how it all pans out!
Joined: Feb 03, 2007 Posts: 11 Location: Seattle but moving to Boston
Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 8:54 pm Post subject:
Steelie,
I grew up in WA, went to school there, even grad school (I just couldn't stand to leave). I am also quite familiar with the Univ. of Montana. My brother and sister-in-law are both fisheries biologists. You will probably have to choose between a biology, environmental, or fisheries program and that might help you focus your options a little more. I'd be happy to try to answer any questions about schools in WA or about the fishing around them. I live and Boston now and miss the NW dearly, but I hear ya about sticking somewhat close to the family.
Big Fellas...I envy you both! Your in awesome periods of your lives with the world in front of you and you can do no wrong where ever you go. As everyone has previously mentioned try to weight in on all the down and upside of each particular school's size, studies offered, chicks/parties, and of course location...probably the biggest X factor to a die hard fly-fisher. This was my downfall, I choose to play sports in college and the location factor really but a big damper on my fly-fishing crave.
Some great areas/school have already been mentioned but to through a few more out there I think you should definetly look at a few schools in and around the Denver area. Unfortnately I am not a well versed fly fisher in this area but there is plenty of awesome college towns in Colorado and big city potential that you can be out of within an hour's drive and fly-fishing on a world famous river for trophy trout totally secluded without seeing another sole all day. Chicks love Colorado and it does offer many other cool outdoor activies. Another would be around the Oregon/Washington states that offer class A steelhead fish that can often drawf the size of the steel us east coast fly-fishers are used to catching. Have to through out Montana too if you are looking for a smaller school in more of a rural setting.
I undestand you both are seasoned fly fishers but have no idea what kind of school and/or college experience you are looking for. You both currently reside in great fly-fishing destinations so I would definetly recommend not downgrading your future destination to an area that provides less fishing oppurtunites that you currently have at your disgression or you will end up kicking yourself.
If the plan is to stay close I don't think you can go wrong with upstate NY or the Adirondacks there are plenty of good decent size schools up there in addition to great year round trout fishing and of course close to all the benefits that the great lakes provide.
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 8:55 am Post subject: Planes, Trains and Automobiles
All roads lead to a river, ocean, pond, stream, etc. In this day and age of fast travel, one only needs to live near an airport, train station or car rental place. Choose where you live by proximity to these places and your never stuck. Paint scenery on your walls and when the urge strikes you,huh, Oh I Know, just leave!
Its awesome to see your enthusiasm, Steelie. Trying to combine the best of both worlds. Utah state university in Logan, Utah has on of the best fisheries management programs anywhere in the country. Here's a long list of classes they offer in the field.
http://www.cnr.usu.edu/wats/htm/courses
You are centrally located among dozens of rivers to fish. The Logan and Blacksmith Fork are within 10 minutes. The Logan River actually flows through the campus.
Joined: Apr 11, 2008 Posts: 11 Location: Spencerport, NY
Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:54 am Post subject:
Your post made me smile! I went through the exact same thing when I was planning my college experience. And even though my subject of study was different than yours, my reasons for picking a school were not. I came to realize that I wanted to be happy where ever I would go. And a part of being happy with my experience was having places to fly fish. I'm not saying that my education was secondary...I'm just saying, if I really wanted to have a great experience at college, it needed to include a place to go fly fishing. And from the sound of it, you feel the same way.
I grew up in New York, went to school in New York and I live in New York now. I still love it! The fishing is fantastic year round......so with that said, have you checked out Paul Smith's college in the Adirondacks?
Just remember....if you end up some place that is not for you, just transfer!
Austin-It's really nice to know that I'm not the only person going to college who will be influenced by fly fishing. You mentioned that it's good I'm starting early, well, my mom has been pushing me a bit, but then I realized it's like I get to plan a four year trip anywhere in the country, so I am taking on some of the responsibility. Good luck on your Applics. and with everything else. I'm sure I'll erer more from you about where you go. Thanks again.
Joe-M- Really cool to hear fro someone from Washington and get an honest opinion. I think I would love it too. I have such an appreciation for nature which I am not able to fulfill here. So like I said that is still high on the list. Yet, bar So Cal, about the farthest from home I can get...
Shubacka- "I would definitly not recommend downgrading" when it comes to fishing. Great point. If it were up to me (it sort of is) I would like to have a couple solid rivers near me with at least one with wild fish and I would like good winter opportunities at trout.
Lunchbox- Thank you sooo much for the link. They have soooo many programs which fit my interest and the area, well, enough said there. Really seems like a great fit! I gonna request some brochures and I printed some papers out. It is far from home, but looks PERFECT. Thanks so much!
I grew up in Coeur d' alene Idaho, the UoI in a good choice there are so many rivers that you could fish! Theres also really good hunting,hiking,
pretty any much thing you want to do outdoors you could do.
Semper Fi Cpl Bolen USMC
Joined: May 15, 2003 Posts: 888 Location: Portland, Maine
Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2008 1:56 pm Post subject: Chernoble
Chernoble --- Couldn't help but notice your info under your name "yuma AZ - Twin falls, Idaho" .. I assume you are now in Yuma Arizona?? If so, its close to New Mexico .. Got any info to help this guy on the San Juan, River?
Joined: Mar 26, 2005 Posts: 25 Location: New Hampshire
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:54 am Post subject:
Mike and Austin,
No matter where you go in Northern New England, remember you can always take some great day trips. In college, brooktroutbully and myself would take steelhead trips, trips to northern Maine and also all over northen New Hampshire as well as mastering the lakes region. I wish I could have spent more time in school!
Its a great part of your life, find friends who fish, and chase your passion!
Joined: Feb 16, 2006 Posts: 55 Location: Long Island, NY
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 7:58 am Post subject:
Mike (Steelie):
I have a little different perspective than some. I attended the U. of Colorado in Boulder and later completed graduate school at the U. of Maryland in College Park. (I was able to fish in both locations.) My son is a junior in high school so our family is in a similar situation to yours. But one interesting item is that there was a professor in my department at U. of Maryland who was studying stream ecology and particularly trout vs. insect ecology. His graduate students really liked him and he has now moved on to the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) where he is in some big administrative position. But, if you are interested in ecology/environmental biology and you enjoy fly fishing, it seems like a natural if you can actually focus on what you enjoy doing away from school. The professor's name is J. David Allan, Ph.D. and you can search his name online. He has a site where you can see his research interests (and probably the courses he teaches!). It may not be the UP but check it out and see if you can get a degree in fly fishing or at least something unbelievably close to it that may help you to become an even better flyfisherman!
Joined: Mar 25, 2005 Posts: 5 Location: Plymouth, NH
Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:54 am Post subject:
I went to Plymouth State University in the White Mountains. PM me with specific questions on school/fishing if you would like. If you are a steelhead fisherman the fishing in that area may not be what you are looking for. There are good opportunities for trophy trout/LLS at times but it lasts a very very short amount of time. If you enjoy hike-in ponds for brook trout than you will be in heaven. Great experience with PSU though!
BTB
Say I wanna go south for some Salt, where would you go then. I would like to be in South Florida, but still want to get an education, if you know what I mean. So What would be the best place for some DIY in the South during the school year (August-May)....?
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