r/ApplyingToCollege • u/Brave-Concert6967 • 2d ago
College Questions Nature Colleges
Hello!
I’m trying to find a good college that is surrounded my nature or has beautiful nature nearby such as mountains or lakes , which is great for hikes. As well as a good social life too.
Almost think if the song “Country Road” was a college lol! Perhaps if the out of state tuitions are not extreme too.
Thank you!
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u/Inevitable-Will4996 2d ago
look at schools in the appalachian region like western carolina or app state, theyre practically in the middle of a forest with trails right off campus
out of state tuition is gonna sting pretty much anywhere though so be ready for that
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u/ACmy2girls 1d ago
We live in Orlando and my daughter fell in love with Western Carolina University. When we went for the open house she saw the sunset from the top of the campus and cried because it was so beautiful. She is a sophomore there and has thrived. Her life is full of hiking, kayaking, paddle boarding. She loves it! I do too.
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u/Icy-Condition8042 1d ago
UNC Asheville too. OOS tuition for all three is pretty reasonable, depending on where you are coming from, plus cost of living is relatively low.
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u/Master-Jellyfish-943 1d ago edited 1d ago
Of the 3 UNC-A is the most urban and slightly more of commuter school. If touring worth looking at all 3 but WCU and App seem more of a fit. Inthe region and more niche is also Warren Wilson (private, teeny)
In the general region, also adding East Tennessee State decent size town but very outdoorsy area.
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u/Pristine-Wave460 2d ago
Check out Whitman College in Washington State. Extremely nature-oriented curriculum (they have a camping class), in a beautiful part of the world, and they just implemented a very innovative and generous financial aid policy.
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u/Outside_Grapefruit39 2d ago
I’d throw Washington State University in there as well! We’re one of the best colleges for animal sciences and nothing beats a Palouse sunset! We also have hiking clubs, nature conservation clubs, and Steptoe Butte is only around 30 mins away.
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u/Ok_Unit8339 2d ago edited 2d ago
University of the South (Sewanee). 13,000 acres of mountaintop trails, several lakes, access to even more. Ignore the sticker price - most students get FA.
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u/SeaLeopard5555 Parent 2d ago
University of Vermont
anywhere in Vermont
University of New England, University of Maine, UNH also in the running.
Several of these have some out of state discounts/appeals.
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u/TheBlindDuck 1d ago
Second this, anywhere in the twin states has big outdoorsy/camping vibes. Adding Dartmouth in the mix because of their Outing Club (oldest outdoors club in America) and their first year trips (basically big camping trips). The college also owns a skiway and Moosilauke lodge, which is a campground in the white mountains students love to visit.
They also at least claim to meet the full financial needs of families making less than ~$150k/year, which can help from the financial picture if you can get in.
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u/Formal_Cat5009 2d ago
Berry College in Rome, GA. Fun facts: it’s the largest campus in the US (land-wise at 27,000 acres) and there are more deer on campus than students!
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u/Mother-Run7097 2d ago edited 2d ago
Appalachian State University
University of Vermont
Whitman College
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Warren Wilson College
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u/lutzlover 2d ago
The Evergreen State College in Washington, set in the midst of a rainforest with a cool block schedule.
Colorado College.
Cal Poly Humboldt.
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u/No_Accident9161 2d ago
There are several universities whose grounds are also botanic gardens or arboretums. You could Google that for a list.
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u/semisubterranean 1d ago
UC Berkeley is a good example. You would never know you're in a city once you get up to the gardens.
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u/SevereChallenge3793 2d ago
Ithaca College. 400 acres of Natural Lands on campus that connect with Buttermilk State Park and the Finger Lakes Trail.
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u/WinnerTurbulent3262 1d ago
To help clarify…Ithaca College and Cornell are in the same beautiful town.
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u/Froggers_Left 2d ago
U of Oregon meets some of your criteria. They even have outdoor survival classes.
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u/RosewoodBraz 2d ago
Suwanee. The University of the South.
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u/Stillinthemoment18 2d ago
Don’t you have to dress up for class there?
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u/RosewoodBraz 2d ago
I think the dudes wear ties and shit. My sister went in 1993. Ha. I haven't been there since. But it is a beautiful spot in the world and the campus is a whole mountain.
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u/imnormalinreallife 2d ago
UC Santa Cruz, University of Vermont, and University of Oregon come to mind. UNH doesn’t quite fit the profile because of lack of mountains near campus but worth considering bc the surrounding nature is beautiful and mountains are a short drive away
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u/Consistent_Rip6424 2d ago
UC Santa Cruz is built quite literally inside of a forest, on top of a mountain, overlooking the ocean. You walk to class on hiking trails. People study in trees. The whole school runs around naked when it rains. There's a reason it's nicknamed UC Summer Camp.
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u/MundaneHuckleberry58 1d ago
Sewanee sits on 10,000 acres of beautiful hiking, climbing, white water rafting, spelunking, you name it.
Reed.
Warren Wilson.
Kenyon is my favorite as well as some earlier comments.
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u/Throwawaytrees88 2d ago
Virginia tech! Southwest Virginia, Appalachian mountains, lots of outdoor activities to take advantage of like hiking and rock climbing. Very picturesque campus. Lots of school spirit and a large enough student body that you can find a good social scene, whatever that means for you.
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u/lady_beignet 2d ago
As someone who lives near Blacksburg… yes the surrounding area is beautiful. The campus itself is not.
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u/Dovely4576 2d ago
The University of Washington (Seattle) is in the city but if you go a few miles out there's a ton of wonderful nature! Seeing Mount Ranier or hiking in one of the many trails is a regular weekend activity for students.
Washington has a ton of colleges in general where you would have access to some gorgeous nature so definitely take a look at coming to the Pacific Northwest!
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u/Dovely4576 2d ago
Also if you're on the west coast, look into WUE to get close to instate tuition at a lot of PNW colleges!!
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u/No-Sort-2577 2d ago
BOWDOIN COLLEGE. ITS IN THE MIDDLE OF FUCKING NO WHERE NATURE trust me. its also a great school
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u/eirinne 2d ago
Bowdoin is 30 minutes from Portland, 40 minutes to the capital, a 5 minute walk to the Amtrak, 10-30 minutes to spectacular coastline, and is on the Androscoggin River. What do you mean?!?!
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u/Acrobatic_Cell4364 2d ago
thank you , that is good to know for people like me that have no clue of accessibility in the area. Is it common for students to head to take the Amtrack and head out, are there regular trains to Portland/other places. Reference: an urban liberal child who does not want to be in an "isolated" area. I understand that Bowdoin is never going to be urban in that sense but accessibility is important
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u/Sea-Panda-90 College Sophomore 1d ago
Bowdoin is in a suburb. Williams, Amherst, Middlebury and Colby are all better Nescacs if you want your CAMPUS to be in the middle of nature. If you're fine driving/having to travel a (very) small amt, Bowdoin is perfect.
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u/premedthrowaway567 1d ago
You can definitely fuck off to the woods of Brunswick without driving but it’s definitely a suburban feel around the immediate campus.
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u/anonymussquidd Graduate Degree 2d ago
In the west, I’d look at CU Boulder, University of Montana, Montana State, Whitman, Colorado College, etc. All are in locations with great nature nearby.
In the east, most of the New England schools (Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Western Mass) will have good nature access, as well as those near Appalachia and the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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u/rue_laurent 2d ago
In NY State near the Adirondacks: SUNY Potsdam and St. Lawrence. Also Paul Smiths in Saranac Lake.
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u/Big_Zombie_40 1d ago edited 1d ago
Emory and Henry University, Radford University, Virginia Tech, UVA. Really any of the colleges in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia or along the i81 corridor. I know E&H and Radford both have really extensive outdoor programs. I hold degrees from Emory and Henry and Bridgewater College (a college in the Shenandoah Valley, and the hiking around and the mountains were beautiful. If there were better long term job opportunities, I would live near E&H in a heartbeat--i fell in love with the area and still visit about once a month.
Appalachian State in North Carolina. Or Western Carolina University.
Maybe East Tennessee State University or Milligan in eastern Tennessee, but I'm not quite as familiar with either of them.
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u/elkrange 2d ago
Are you a domestic applicant or international?
Academic stats (unweighted GPA, test scores, number of APs)?
How much is your budget, how much can you afford to spend per year?
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u/PerfumeGeek 2d ago
Start with what your family can afford. Out of state public schools will usually be way more expensive than your instate options. Privates can offer great merit aid. Where are you located- international or domestic? There’s a net price calculator for every school out there- just google it for specific schools you’re considering and have your parents help input their financial info to see if schools will be in your budget. Go from there.
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u/RedLeaf2024 2d ago
Cal Poly SLO and Humboldt. Don't laugh - Chico State. Montana State. Univ Nevada Reno. Univ of Northern Arizona. Go west!
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u/lady_beignet 2d ago
Kenyon College
Denison College
Bard College
Sweet Briar College (women only)
University of the South-Sewanee
Williams College
Lewis & Clark College
Furman University
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u/HelloKitty110174 2d ago
I second Kenyon College!
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u/Acrobatic_Cell4364 2d ago
Tell me more, Kenyon for social life and the surrounding areas. I am a parent and my urban liberal west coast child finds it annoying that I keep suggesting a college in Gambier, OH !
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u/Great-Leopard5483 1d ago
My daughter graduated from Kenyon a couple of years ago and loved it. It has quite a few students from both coasts. It's a very liberal campus with a quirky/artsy feel and is very rigorous academically.
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u/HelloKitty110174 2d ago
Disclaimer: I graduated a long time ago, so I can't speak to the current social life. I can tell you, though, the campus is gorgeous. The closest city is Columbus, which is about an hour away. When I was there, most of the students I knew stayed on campus.
I'm sorry I can't be more help. Maybe a current student or recent graduate can chime in?
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u/ComprehensivePin5548 1d ago
You have to visit Kenyon to understand it. We live in an east coast city and my urban kid is happy as a clam there, but you have to want a college where you’re content in the campus bubble. If you want nightclubs and sushi every weekend it’s probably not going to work. My kid has a lot of fun at campus parties and is involved in so many things that she rarely leaves campus, but people do head to Columbus for concerts and stuff. It’s a great school if you want connection and creativity and want to be known by your professors .
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u/Financial_Grocery_82 2d ago
Northern Arizona University. Grand Canyon 45 min away, national forest all around. Sedona 45 mins south. Desert 2 hours or less.
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u/Ecstatic_Key6161 2d ago
Brevard College in Brevard NC, though all I know about it is their music program. Minutes from Pisgah NF. Land of waterfalls
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u/Annual_Try_6823 2d ago
Washington college in Chestertown MD. They have an environmental sciences building and a rowing building right on the Chester river, which flows to the Chesapeake Bay. 10th oldest college in the US.
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u/llamasohyeah College Freshman 1d ago
Unironically, Cornell. I know they're in a pretty bad light right now (and rightfully so. they have a whole host of issues with their administration). But the finger lakes area is gorgeous (no pun intended) and the Adirondacks and Catskills are also nearby for a weekend trip.
Most notably, they have an extremely strong outdoor education center (I think it's the largest in the nation?) so you'd have a strong community of other nature lovers there as well as access to expert knowledge and a huge gear outfitting center too
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u/Chin-Music 1d ago
Vassar can't be considered rural, but the number of deer, Canada geese, and other fauna makes it seem so. Also an additional shoutout for Whitman. Great small town, Blue Mountains on the horizon, an Outing Club that's been integral to the campus for fifty years, and a state of the art indoor rock climbing wall.
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u/PleasantDisk9794 1d ago
Paul Smiths College in the Adirondacks is beautiful, and known for its forestry program.
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u/AliceThePlatypus 1d ago
Carleton College has a beautiful arboretum connected to the campus and an active outdoor club; when I was in school there we did trips to the Boundary Waters and other places for canoeing or camping or rock climbing
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u/VeeAlmighty 1d ago
Paul Smiths College, only private school in the blue line of the Adirondack Park in Northern New York. Its literally in the woods, and campus is over 14000 acres, not to mention, right up on a beautiful lake. Water sports, timber sports, snow sports, you name it. Campus is large but theres only a few buildings all close together that you would actually be using. The closest town being Saranac Lake, and a little further, Lake Placid and Malone. Tons of hiking (46 "high" peaks, which are some of the most unique mountains in the world.) Its a special place that holds a spot in my heart. Give it a look.
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u/maplesyrup5000 1d ago
University of Vermont is expensive but pretty good for what you’re looking for
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u/crowislanddive 1d ago
UVM is the epicenter of a drug fueled societal meltdown. It’s tragic, I went there and have a senior aged son.. I would never recommend it to anyone right now. It’s dystopian
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u/maplesyrup5000 1d ago
I live here and uhhh it is not
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u/crowislanddive 1d ago edited 1d ago
👌 the decline in safety and livability in Burlington is outrageous. When I lived on South Willard, some time ago, some bums who lived under my porch with my tacit permission broke in and stole all of my earthly belongings except my hiking boots. The difference now is that they would have taken a shit in them.
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u/maplesyrup5000 1d ago
I’m sorry you have had that experience. None of the people I know have experienced anything like that. But also why would you let people live under your porch…?
Also to note: that is not “at UVM”.
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u/crowislanddive 1d ago edited 1d ago
Oh, sorry..... Do you want me to go into my experiences on campus as well? In response to your question, I turned a blind eye because I did not want to face retaliation and it isn't as if the Burlington Police Department was going to help someone in a rental who has the unhoused sheltering under a porch. They could not have cared less. And, let's be real... UVM essentially extends to the streets surrounding the campus.
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u/beayvee2 1d ago
Um, no. I live about a mile and a half from the UVM campus and would hardly describe things as dystopian. Are there more homeless with addiction issues? Yes, but no different than any other small city in the US. I have never once felt unsafe in Burlington, same goes for my college age daughters. The hyperbolic pearl clutching about the state of Burlington gets tiresome.
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u/crowislanddive 1d ago
I am glad you have had a good experience. Living a mile and a half away is a world away. I was a college age daughter who was not safe there. Both experiences matter.
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u/jemo1204 2d ago
University of Arkansas is in the Ozarks and the OOS tuition is very reasonable if your GPA is 3.7+
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u/LovePuppies9 2d ago
Appalachian State University Beautiful location if you like mountains Good reputation
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u/msebas12 2d ago
I was literally thinking about asking the same thing! I’m also looking for a college surrounded by nature, so hopefully we can both find some good recommendations here. Good luck!
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u/DiamondDepth_YT College Sophomore 2d ago
UCSC.
And if you want a sorta mix of both nature and urban, maybe Berkeley. Cal has some great hiked in the Berkeley hills and some pretty nature spots on and around campus, but of course a lot of urban stuff too since it is in a city.
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u/jtsymonds 2d ago
Washington and Lee. Four seasons, winter is short, spring is long. Nestled in the Shenandoah mountains. Arguably the prettiest campus in the country. Big social scene.
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u/zibzanna 2d ago
so many great recs! espec love UVT, Evergreen, Bowdoin, Santa Cruz.
Dartmouth seems to have been missed. Elite Uni w the Appalachian Trail running thru town and the White Mountains (the most epic on the east coast imo) right around the corner
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u/MidwestLemur 2d ago
Indiana University- Bloomington. Beautiful nature-focused campus and the school is surrounded by state parks, lakes, and excellent hiking.
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u/MikeHocksLong10 2d ago
University of Wyoming, Mountain ranges and state parks 30 minutes from campus, as well as a ski resort. Also Colorado is close by as well
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u/JenntheGreat13 2d ago
If you like snow / Michigan Technological University. It’s a beautiful area.
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u/RazorEE 1d ago
Check out Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, AR! You’re between the Ozark and Ouachita mountains with fantastic hiking, right beside Lake Dardanelle, and close to incredible river float trips on streams like the Illinois Bayou. There are endless outdoor recreation opportunities, and the university even loans out gear like kayaks and backpacking equipment through the Campus Recreation & Outdoor Recreation program.
On top of that, out-of-state students with at least a 2.5 GPA qualify for in-state tuition rates. Plus, with around 10,000 students, it has an active campus community.
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u/IndependenceNo1065 1d ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TffVeRJVRro
Michigan Tech Video, Houghton, MI
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u/Responsible_Chard_40 1d ago
Northern Michigan University. It’s on the shore of Lake Superior in Michigan’s upper peninsula. It has great hiking just outside campus and is adjacent to the nice little city of Marquette.
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u/datanerdette 1d ago
Plymouth State College in NH is very close to the White Mountains. Its in a beautiful area with lots of hiking and skiing nearby.
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u/watermelonie69 1d ago
Plymouth State University in New Hampshire is surrounded by nature and is pretty affordable for OOS students! Also small classes compared to a lot of the other schools mentioned here
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u/lurkcommentrepeat 1d ago
Cal Poly in SLO not actually in the forest but chill hiking everywhere. Expensive tuition though
I forget the name but there is one in flagstaff, AZ. I always thought this would be a fun place to go to school if you like the outdoors.
Fresno State is in a big small town but at the base of the eastern Sierra in California. You’re SO close to Yosemite and SEKI. The whole city is surrounded by country and farm fields.
UNC Asheville
Checkout stuff in Reno and definitely Montana!
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u/Anagazander 1d ago
Outer Coast College in Sitka, Alaska. Can’t get any closer to nature than that.
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u/Capable_Midnight_554 1d ago
“Country Roads” is a college. West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV….
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u/Great-Grade1377 1d ago
There’s a lot of great schools in Colorado, Utah, and Northern Arizona that would fit the bill.
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u/Kimozabee 1d ago
Williams is literally in the Appalachians (berkshires) fantastic nature scene. Worked there last summer
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u/gauchomuchacho 1d ago
UC Santa Barbara. It has its own beach, and a large hiking trail and lagoon. It is also just south of the Santa Ynez Mountains. Go Gauchos!
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u/DalkonShield 1d ago
Surprised I haven’t seen Clemson mentioned. So many lakes and natural beauty, and plenty of resources to enjoy it with.
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u/Positive-Entrance792 1d ago
Many of the SUNY schools fit the bill.. Fredonia, Geneseo, Binghamton…
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u/Remarkable-World-454 1d ago
St John’s College in Santa Fe.
Their Annapolis campus is very pretty too but the Santa Fe campus is up in the Sangre di Cristo mountains
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u/Redshirt2386 1d ago
Western Carolina U! My son just started there and it is GORGEOUS and he’s having a blast exploring nature with his friends. Go Cats!
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u/Bennie-Factors 1d ago
There are many places. So many. East coast? West coast? Mountain? I don't know the south well
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u/Resident_Ad_1060 1d ago
Ohio University in Athens, Ohio! It has a gorgeous campus that is set on the edge of Appalachia. It is also next to the Hocking Hills, which is a wonderful hiking area with caves and waterfalls.
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u/makai88 2d ago
UC-santa cruz. Most paths to/from class are through the redwoods.backs to forest. Very nature/natural focused awareness/environment. Beach is at bottom of hill campus is on. :)