Surf Schools

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Nevadanteater

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Hey Everyone,

I'm starting to get my list of schools I'd like to apply to next year and there is some information that isn't in the MSAR that I need...

Namely, I'd like to go somewhere with some decent surf nearby (of course this isn't my ONLY criteria, but it is something i'm considering). Clearly all the UC schools (except davis) is on the list, but that's about all I know. Anyone know of any east coast schools? OHSU?

Gnarly...
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Don't forget USC!!!!!!!!!!
 
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I surf out here in Jersey....obviously nothing compared to socal 🙁 but its an ocean 🙂
 
Definitely Caribbean, also some of the NC and SC schools, but you witll still be a couple hours drive from the ocean unless your a NC resident b/c ECU is less than an Hour
 
I go to Duke and went surfing while I was on my family med rotation out in Wilmington (on the coast). The beach is about 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours from Durham.
 
Since i've always lived a stones throw away from the ocean and i've been surfing for 15 years,i was determined to go to medical school near an ocean. There was no way i was going to compromise surfing for my career. As a result i came up with 16 schools roughly no more than an hour away from surf spots and decent/consistent surf.

PM me if you want more info.
 
shocked that no one mentioned UCSD...less than a mile to Blacks beach (the famous 1)
 
OHSU would be a rough one. The ocean is an hour away, and surfing in Oregon is a whole different story than surfing in Hermosa. Plus, 6 months out of the year, the weather is going to be miserable on the coast.

BTW, greatest question ever.
 
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This certainly is the greatest question ever...What the hell for brainstorming's sake:

All the Philly Schools are at least an hour away from Atlantic City,NJ and other shore points which have easily consistent surf.

So Jefferson, Temple, Upenn, Drexel, PCOM

Also all the NJ schools are within an hour from the coast.

All the Manhattan schools are within an hour of Long Island, which has consistent/good surf.

All the UC's and USC.(UCSD arguably the best surfing medical school since its closest to various beaches facing different directions to get the best/most consistent swell!)

Hawaii

You could probably make most of the florida schools work for you...after all the best surfer to ever live is from coco beach.

Although its a stretch, surf can be found around Boston...(New Hampshire/Rhode Island aren't far).

Puerto Rico

Thats what i've got for now...
 
jr doctor in sd said:
shocked that no one mentioned UCSD...less than a mile to Blacks beach (the famous 1)
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Well, the OP did mention the UC's. But, you are right. UCSD probably is near the best break out of all the med schools in Cali. I mean, UCLA is near Malibu....but, not the way UCSD is close to Blacks.
 
I'd love to hear from from some med student who actually has time to go surfing at some occasion other than vacation.
 
are we forgetting miami...
 
Loma Linda about 45 minutes from Laguna. Not sure how the waves are though, but its close to the ocean and nice weather, if you dont mind the heat.
 
quiltlady said:
I'd love to hear from from some med student who actually has time to go surfing at some occasion other than vacation.
Click to expand...

I know med students who go skiing, not every weekend but they can still squeeze in a morning here and a night there.
 
Evms
 
I tried to make access to snowboarding one of my main criteria for selecting a med school to attend. It did not work and I am not snowboarding. Oh well, regarding OHSU, people do surf off the Oregon coast which is an hour west of Portland. But the ocean is bloody cold, and you have to wear a wet suit to keep from freezing to death. Most of the surfing is done in the summer. If you are a snowboarder, Mt. Hood is nearby and offers great snow.
 
kami333 said:
I know med students who go skiing, not every weekend but they can still squeeze in a morning here and a night there.
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Yeah, I was accepted at Dartmouth last year and I almost went. Dartmouth was number two on my list but it killed me to turn down that acceptance. Dartmouth owns a ski/snowboarding area near the campus. Tears rolled down my cheeks when I sent my email to the Director of Admissions declining that acceptance. It still hurts, and I continue to track the snowfall in New Hampshire. My snowboard sits in my garage at home, gathering dust now. Very sad.
 
too bad UCSB doesn't have a med school, closer to surf than any school in the country...
 
San diego is hard to beat...blacks, lj shores, and scripps all within walking distance of campus. Cardiff, swamis, o-side to the north, windansea, cliffs, and ib to the south, just to name a few.

UCSF should be added to that list. Ocean beach is only a few miles away and is home to some great beachbreaks and Santa cruz isn't too far too the south.
 
daman4886 said:
too bad UCSB doesn't have a med school, closer to surf than any school in the country...
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Looks like it's gonna be good this week, west swell on the way!
 
Mayo has consistent breaks.
 
If you windsurf or kiteboard, go to sherman island in the California River Delta. Last summer we had wind soo strong I couldn't use my 10 m, and I weigh 190.
 
Dmizrahi said:
Yea UCSB really really needs a medical school...
Click to expand...

actually ucsb is not a great school to surf at. the channel islands block just about any swell except for very very specific northwests. if you surf sb youll get some killer days...a couple times a year.

ucsd definitely wins. i grew up surfing salt creek and trestles, but definitely have caught the best waves of my life down here in san diego. blacks is unreal.
 
ChristianJames1 said:
actually ucsb is not a great school to surf at. the channel islands block just about any swell except for very very specific northwests. if you surf sb youll get some killer days...a couple times a year.

ucsd definitely wins. i grew up surfing salt creek and trestles, but definitely have caught the best waves of my life down here in san diego. blacks is unreal.
Click to expand...

It's a Common misconception that the channel islands block most swell!

All you've got to do is drive 20 min south to Rincon, to score world class surf or 1/2 hour to c-street which is very exposed. There are also all the breaks between those two spots such as emma wood, faria, hobsons...etc

You can also drive an hour up to point conception and jalama's swell window is just about every direction. Not to mention all of the breaks in isla vista/goleta where the school actually is. Sands sees just about any swell direction and i'd be willing to argue a rideable wave can be found there 3 days out of a week on average. Sands is only at most a 20 min. bike ride from the other end of campus.

Or even better, take a boat to the ranch and score the best uncrowded surf on the west coast!

So the moral is you may have to travel a little, but swell can most certainly be found year round at UCSB. (time you may not have in med school though!)
 
its definitely true that there are some great spots up there. i didnt mean to sound like its not a good place to surf at all...just during medical school it will be much easier to walk a quarter mile from campus to surf blacks for a couple hours before studying.
 
ChristianJames1 said:
its definitely true that there are some great spots up there. i didnt mean to sound like its not a good place to surf at all...just during medical school it will be much easier to walk a quarter mile from campus to surf blacks for a couple hours before studying.
Click to expand...

Yea, i definitely agree with you that san diego has more consistent and better accessible surf if you were to be a medical student. I think it would be great to have a medical school at UCSB too, because they too would have accessible surf only minutes away, not nearly as consistent as san diego though.
 
Surf was good in Sb today!! tried to post a pic, but no luck....
 
I saw two trama cases due to surfing accidents in the past 2 weeks and I am in the hospital only 5 hours a week mind you. Those people may never walk again beause they both had broken spines. Surfing and motorcycle riding are a no no in my book.
 
BrokenGlass said:
I saw two trama cases due to surfing accidents in the past 2 weeks and I am in the hospital only 5 hours a week mind you. Those people may never walk again beause they both had broken spines. Surfing and motorcycle riding are a no no in my book.
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Is living in your book?


sorry for the insolent response...the surf was really big on the west coast today and dangerous. Surfing is an amazing recreational activity, i wouldn't trade it for the world. You're right it can be exceedingly dangerous.(especially today in santa barbara).

However, you always have to have your guard up and never underestimate mother nature.

I'll certainly agree with you about motorcycles though...i'd try it...but they freak me out.
 
I saw three domestic violence incidences within two hours in the ER, including a stabbing through the hand. Does this mean I should stay out of relationships?

OP, maybe think of Miami's campuses. FL's east coast has some consistent 3-6 ft swells on incoming tides, but I am sure this doesn't compare to California or the west coast for that matter. If you want to raise your blood pressure, go out when a hurricane is brushing the coast; it is even a test of strength to just hold on to your board when 30-40 mph winds are on you.
 
surfed for 12 years...i have never had any injuries except maybe a bruise here or there. i have also never personally known anyone to get injured any worse than stitches. i know a lot of surfers. surfing really isnt that dangerous as long as you are careful, and know your limits. sure freak things happen...but so do car accidents...much much much more frequently.

i really hate it when people refuse to try something because they think it is really dangerous, but hop in their car everyday to drive to work. if you really want to be safe, dont leave your house.


i also ride a motorscooter instead of driving a car. sometimes i even ride my motorscooter holding my surfboard to the beach to surf. i live on the edge.
 
ChristianJames1 said:
surfed for 12 years...i have never had any injuries except maybe a bruise here or there. i have also never personally known anyone to get injured any worse than stitches. i know a lot of surfers. surfing really isnt that dangerous as long as you are careful, and know your limits. sure freak things happen...but so do car accidents...much much much more frequently.

i really hate it when people refuse to try something because they think it is really dangerous, but hop in their car everyday to drive to work. if you really want to be safe, dont leave your house.


i also ride a motorscooter instead of driving a car. sometimes i even ride my motorscooter holding my surfboard to the beach to surf. i live on the edge.
Click to expand...

Are you seeing swell in san diego yet?
 
Not that you should stop surfing, but I know a surfer who suffered a surfing accident and is now quadriplegic.
 
ufgrad00 said:
I saw three domestic violence incidences within two hours in the ER, including a stabbing through the hand. Does this mean I should stay out of relationships?

OP, maybe think of Miami's campuses. FL's east coast has some consistent 3-6 ft swells on incoming tides, but I am sure this doesn't compare to California or the west coast for that matter. If you want to raise your blood pressure, go out when a hurricane is brushing the coast; it is even a test of strength to just hold on to your board when 30-40 mph winds are on you.
Click to expand...


That's entirely up to you. I am just helping you make an inoformed decision because if you end up like those guys, you will agree with me that it wasn't worth it.
 
I think that a sober mind always makes informed decisions, even if it is only subconsciously. But I would definitely say that surfing is worth the risks. In my humble opinion, I would agree that, when you are competent in swimming, balance, and judgment of your surroundings, surfing has the safer risks of injury than driving a car. And much safer than driving that car through a bad storm. Aside from attacks by sea animals (stingrays and jelly fish, which happens either while waiting for a swell or simply standing up in the water ), I have personally only seen of one injury due to a surfing, and that was a collision accident, which would have been avoided if the kid had the judgment not to go through a crowd of surfers swimming out.
 
Dmizrahi said:
You're right it can be exceedingly dangerous.(especially today in santa barbara).
Click to expand...

seriously...

3+ x head high = scary.

friday should be good though 😀

besides, the fear is what makes it fun sometimes...
 
Nevadanteater... are you from Nevada?... sometimes I feel like I'm the only one on here from the Silver State 🙂
 
Dmizrahi said:
Are you seeing swell in san diego yet?
Click to expand...

yeah...it peaked yesterday. black's was the biggest i have ever seen it, there were a couple i watched come through that were easily 3x overhead. i didn't paddle out. i don't own a gun, and last time i paddled out in 2x overhead at blacks on my 6' 1", i took a few on the head and decided it just wasnt a good idea. blacks can get pretty frightening sometimes.

Oh yeah, the cove was breaking too. last time it broke was 2 years ago.

seriously if you are afraid of everything, youll never enjoy yourself. until you have personal experience, don't try to dissuade people from doing things they really enjoy because you know someone who got hurt doing it. if i think hard enough, i can come up with someone who got injured doing just about anything.
 
quiltlady said:
I'd love to hear from from some med student who actually has time to go surfing at some occasion other than vacation.
Click to expand...

if you live near the beach, it's just like going for a morning run...
 
East coast surf sucks, I'd pray for somewhere in Cali
*currently stuck inland*
 
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