Sierra Nevada College

Incline Village, NV

It’s not often that a Collegewise student comes to us with a college we’ve never heard of, but it happened this senior season—I had never heard of Sierra Nevada College. “Where is it?” I inquired. “You gotta see the website!” my student exclaimed. So, we checked it out together during our meeting…and Sierra Nevada College was pretty cool. On their website, it says they “learn on an incline,” like the mountains that surround the campus. “That’s so awesome!” we both exclaimed, and while he already knew he was going to apply, I knew that I wanted to know more about this small, liberal arts college located near Lake Tahoe.

When I clicked open the website’s homepage, I knew exactly what my student was talking about. The campus structure there looks just like a ski-lodge, which makes sense considering it is in the mountains. But it was amazing just how much this picture told; you really got the sense that Sierra Nevada College values its setting, and has built a college life for its students around its unique location. In fact, on another snippet of their website, they talk about how Lake Tahoe’s natural resources that surround the campus make the perfect laboratory for learning—I liked the sound of that, so I kept digging.

Obviously, the location is ideal for certain majors on this campus, including ski resort management, hospitality and tourism management, and ski business. But this campus isn’t centered strictly on ski/snow-related courses of study; there are more than 30 majors, minors and concentrations, including entertainment technology, fine arts, international studies, and environmental policy. And the new Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, which they share with UC Davis, offers students even more opportunities to learn in and around the 18 acres of pine forest campus.

If you’re wondering what the students think about their school, check out the “Student Voices” portion of their website. Here, students from all over the world have left testimonials about how they ended up at Sierra Nevada College, what makes it a great place for them, or why they chose it in the first place. Most students mentioned the location, which obviously would captivate anyone with its beauty, but students also talked about the campus’ close proximity to ski resorts and other nearby amenities, including the Incline Village Recreation Center, a 37,000-square-foot gym that students are able to walk to and use. It’s first-rate, with exercise equipment, courts, and a gorgeous indoor swimming pool, and Sierra Nevada students can use all of this whenever they want.

This facility is perfect for the Sierra Nevada athletes who need an indoor place to get in-shape. And it must be working—the ski and snowboard teams hold an impressive 16 USCSA national championship titles! It does make sense considering it’s only one-mile to the nearest ski resort, and there are 10 more ski resorts within a 45-minute drive of the campus, offering some of the best opportunities to ski and snowboard on the west coast. So, if you think Lake Tahoe sounds like it’s too far away from home, think again—the Reno International Airport is only a 30-minute drive from the campus, meaning you could be home quicker on a flight than sitting in southern California traffic on the way down from Big Bear.

Sierra Nevada College is one instance where you should judge a book by its cover—the website cover, that is. Jump on the site and see what you think. If you’re an avid winter sportsman (or woman) who thought your only college options were somewhere in Colorado, Sierra Nevada College will make you think again. 

Some college freshmen take their bikes with them to school to get around, but others take their snowboards and skis and don’t even have to pay out-of-state tuition. Interested yet? Find out at http://www.sierranevada.edu.