Class Dismissed

Surfline.com ranks the top ten U.S. colleges for surfing

May 8, 2001 So, you've laughed your way through Revenge of the Nerds, Road Trip and Animal House. You even paused to read a paragraph in Playboy's College Edition and started doing some freelance experimenting in the tube and funnel section of science class. Now, you stand proud, enlightened and fully prepared to take on the most rewarding seven years of your life: college.

Nice try, Poindexter, but you missed one thing -- the waves. Haven't you listened to a thing your parents said about the college you choose impacting your entire future? Do you really think they want you moping around some surf-starved campus growing increasingly depressed until the only school list you top is the first semester's suicide report?

Lucky for you, your good buddies at Swell.com have compiled the necessary info to guide you through these confused times. Think of it as a sweat-proof cheat sheet straight from the teacher's manual, a Cliff's Notes for peak-dwellers. Instead of ranking America's top schools in terms of academic merit, we rank them according to surfing fulfillment -- the essential details you won't find in the Princeton Review. What we say may not impact your entire future, but it will make sure that those few times you actually do make it to class, you'll still be laughing.

6. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA,WILMINGTON (UNCW)

PROXIMITY AND ACCESS TO SURF: Welcome to Mid-Atlantic surfing's most-happening epicenter. Although Ben Bourgeois was never a student, the WCT pro raised the bar for all the surf-hungry students who flock to UNCW, turning the area's warm, inconsistent and crowded coastline into a serious talent pool just 10 minutes from campus; a soul-filled weekend of Hatteras barrels waits four hours away.
SURF CLASS(ES): Not unless you're skipping.
SURF TEAM: No team, but former president Jason Carlisi says the once defunct Surf Club is recovering from funding problems with "a lot of beginners showing interest."
SURFING PROFESSORS: Dr. John Bennett, Physical Education; Bill Atwell, English professor; Wade Watanabe, Marine Aquaculture research professor.
SURFING ALUMNI: Matt Beacham, Outer Banks charger and photo pro; Johnny McDanel, uses his MBA as a Mid-Atlantic surf rep; Surfrider Foundation's National Environmental Programs Manager Mark Rauscher; Research Associate and diver for Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology Katie Lang; Marine Geologist Chris Freeman; East Coast surf journos Matt Pruett (ESM) and Anne Beasley (Surfing Girl); plus a slew of renowned NC rippers like Dean and Pat McManus, Ben Szafron, Tony Butler and Cameron Pearson.
CURRENT RIPPERS: Mitch Baker; John Dodson; Pete Viele; Trent Barkley; Jed Galloway; Justin Brown; Brian Braithwaite; plus burgeoning surf photog D.J. Struntz records all the action.
HOW HARD TO GET IN: Just like Masonboro Inlet: lots of people fighting for space, but if you got the goods, you'll make the cut. Average GPA: 3.53; Average SAT: 1097
KNOWN CURRICULUM: Marine Biology department is world-renowned; Environmental Science and Recreation are popular with surfers; Cameron School of Business is noteworthy. "We [Surfers] all start as Marine Biology majors and then after a week we realize how smart you have to be and how long you have to go to school and then we switch to PE or something really weak like English or Journalism." -- Matt Pruett, ESM
ANIMAL HOUSE/PARTY FACTOR: Although UNCW has outgrown its party reputation in many cases, there's still plenty of bar-brewed debauchery, mostly polarized between downtown Wilmington -- which provides celebrity sightings courtesy of the local movie studio -- and the beach strip's separate block of favorites for the surfing populace.
MALE/FEMALE RATIO: 40/60 ("The most beautiful girls in the world live in Wilmington." -- Matt Pruett)
COST: (in-state/out-of-state): $5,964/$13,314
EXTRA CREDIT: "UNCW has everything -- a beach, a killer downtown, an artsy side and dance clubs, and a large group of young people. Plus, there's all kinds of girls surfing there." -- Anne Beasley.
DEMERITS: "Crowds are a problem in the warmer months, and it's expensive to live right on the beach." -- Jason Carlisi
ADDRESS/CONTACT: 601 South College Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403; Phone: 800-228-5571; www.uncw.edu