<p>My D is planning to major in Biology at CC, and probably pursue the pre-med requirements. I have read varying opinions about Biology on the block plan. Some have said it's very difficult, due to labs, etc. Anyone have any info/opinions about this? Perhaps current or past students, or parents of students studying Biology?</p>
<p>I know there was a similar thread 2 years ago about this, but I thought some of the newer people on this list might have additional information.</p>
<p>I am a junior at CC majoring in Environmental Science. I have taken quite a few classes that have involved labs. The block plan is really quite conducive to the lab experience. Most classes have the labs scheduled in the afternoon so there is no conflict and relatively very few other demands that can interfere with the single class at a time.</p>
<p>They seem to have a reasonably good track record for getting students into med school.
[Colorado</a> College | Bulletin](<a href=“http://www.coloradocollege.edu/Bulletin/March2005/healing.asp]Colorado”>http://www.coloradocollege.edu/Bulletin/March2005/healing.asp)</p>
<p>My S is a second year bio/chem major. He thinks the block plan is perfect for the sciences.
I still ask him how things are going on the block plan because it is so foriegn to my college experience (4-1-4). He tells me that you retain more on the block plan because after you live, eat ,sleep and breathe organic chem for 3 1/2 weeks you know it like the back of your hand. The block plan also works well for him because he is a varsity athlete and can schedule his tougher science courses off season. He has heard that the is block plan is a great way to prepare for the MCAT because you retain more information. Certainly it is not for everyone but my S believes the block plan is particularly good for the sciences.</p>
<p>My son is VERY interested in CC. He is a high school sophmore and is pretty sure he is going to be applying to CC. He hasn’t visited yet, but he says that from all the info he as ascertained so far, it is like the world has somehow made the perfect college for him. </p>
<p>He also is planning on med school… thanks tk21769 for the info on the cadaver lab, my S was extremely excited to read that. He wants to be a rural ER DR. He is also heavy into the arts… dance, acting, and his HUGE love, the outdoors. I was pretty worried about the sciences at CC with the block plan but you guys have put my mind at ease. Keep up the positive posts…( swimming 08) Thanks all you guys! I check this thread almost daily and will, I’m sure, be having many posts in the next year.</p>
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<p>Man oh man, sounds like a kid after my own heart. Look me up when he’s completed his residency. I’ll tell you where we live. Fine place for an outdoorsy rural ER DR. Chain saws and dangerous farm equipment all over the place. Rednecks, alcohol, and firearms. Narrow windy roads with short sight lines. Steady supply of aging old farts who insist on doing our own work. Growth opportunity!</p>
<p>Tk21769… Omg!!! So funny.</p>
<p>5boys–my S also LOVES the outdoors-hiking, biking, thriathlons- and music. He participated in Varsity Show Choir in high school. He would love to try out for the Back Row ( male acappella group) but he just does not think he has the time with studies and a sport. If your son would ever want to email him with quesitons please feel free to PM me and I will let my son know.</p>
<p>Thanks Swimming08… he will probably have many things to ask as time goes on. Right now he is just starting to think about colleges and what kind of school he wants to go to. I have been on this post for awhile and I have never heard one bad thing about CC. Everyone seems so happy there. It also seems like to me that the kids who go there… TK21769’S s, 07DAD’S S,etc., are the type of kids that my S would love to hang with. We are heading up to the PNW next month to see my dad in Seattle, so we are going to go visit Whitman while we are there. It seems like it would be a favorite cross-over from CC. We CAN’T wait to visit CC next Fall though and see all the cool stuff we’ve been hearing about. Do you have any suggestions on where to stay when we go?</p>
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<p>That’s something that struck me, too, when we were looking. </p>
<p>Actually, there are two negatives that sometimes come up. One is that Colorado College (and this is true of the Rocky Mountain West region) lacks ethnic/racial diversity compared to some of its peers (though I’ve never seen any indication that the school is unwelcoming to URMs). The second is that drug use is relatively common. CC is #7 on the Princeton Review’s “Reefer Madness” list. This may be a legacy of its “hippie college” past. When I’ve asked my son about drinking and drugs, he just sorta shrugs and says, “It’s a college”. I cannot imagine he and his friends could be keeping the schedules they do if they were stoned half the time (but admittedly, I’m half a country away).</p>
<p>Popular cross-over colleges (where admitted students decide to attend over CC) include places like Whitman, Middlebury, and the Maine colleges (Bowdoin, Bates, Colby). Some students in turn pick CC over such schools. The only Ivy among the top 10 cross-overs is Dartmouth. These are all small, outdoorsy snow belt schools. It appears to me that students pick CC for the fit, and are glad to be there.</p>
<p>Hey everyone…I can tell you from my experience, CC is like no other. Before I starrted college shopping, I was already hooked on CC because of the block plan…I liked the thought of being in the middle of a great class discussion and no bell would go off to end it after an hour…we really get to dig into things here. Well, my Dad insisted on us visiting about 10-12 of the top LAC’s and everyone that I went to just didn’t meet my expectations. I am from the midwest and narrowed my choices to CC and a VERY DISTANT second was Whitman…nothing against small schools in small towns but after a weekend in Walla Walla I felt like we (my family) had lived there all our lives continually running into the same kids and townspeople wherever we went. For that reason it was too small for me. One thing is for sure, the facilities at CC are not up to the same standards as say a Middlebury, Hamilton, Bowdoin etc…but as I said to my Dad…we have the whole state of Colorado as our campus and nothing could be truer esepecially with the block breaks…everyone should come and visit…I love it and hate the fact I only have a year and a half left…the experience here is awesome…so much so I wouldn’t gpo abroad for a semester because I don’t want to miss a thing here…plenty of time down the road to continue exploring…Come and see what we are all about if you haven’t already!</p>
<p>5boys–Good luck to your son on his search. Enjoy the adventure. My S also looked at Dartmouth, Middlebury and Bowdoin. I think they learn so much about themselves and what they are looking for by visiting at a wide range of schools. If you or your son have any questions in the future you know where to find us. Although I love checking in with the Colorado College and Mount Holyoke threads (OK I confess, a few others as well) , I have yet to forgive my sister-in-law for getting me hooked.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone!!! You are all SO great on this thread. </p>
<p>flyboy… Yeah, I think that CC will definitely override Whitman in regards to location. I’m sure that the minute he sets foot on the CC campus and sees the Garden of the Gods looming in the background that will just about be it for him. One reason he is looking at Whitman is because he has a small visual learning disability and they give oral tests. A few of his teacher’s have recommended it to him. I will also, like your dad, have him look at a wide range of school’s. He does know that he wants to go to a LAC that has great teacher interactions, and a laid-back but intellectual student body. Also the school has to be close to outdoor activities… being outdoors is as essential as air to him. I’m worried that some of the LAC’s in the East will be too preppy for him… but maybe that is just my perception. We are from laid-back San Diego, where you just put on a shirt, shorts and sandals and your good for just about anything… although he realizes that in Colorado, that might not cut it in the Winter months. I think his stats will be too low for Midd, Bowdoin, Dartmouth. He is a B+ student that will have superior SAT scores. He loves to learn, so he takes hard classes, but details are not his thing. As far as the drug/drinking scene that CC is sometimes rumored to be, I don’t think that will be an issue. My S is pretty straight, but he is non-judgmental, so could care less what other people do. The facilities will be the least of his concerns if the fit is right.</p>
<p>swimming08… I have to confess too, I’m hooked:-))</p>
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Or it just might. I live in Denver and see all kinds of people wearing just shorts and a sweatshirt in the winter. I haven’t noticed the shoes, though!</p>
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Oh, that’s another great thing about Colorado College. Their Disability Services office is excellent. Talk to them. They offer support covering a broad range of physical and cognitive issues. (Here I’m repeating parts of a post to another thread …)</p>
<p>From the DSO page:
[Colorado</a> College | Disability Services](<a href=“http://www.coloradocollege.edu/learningcommons/academicsupport/disability.asp]Colorado”>http://www.coloradocollege.edu/learningcommons/academicsupport/disability.asp)</p>
<p>Assistive technologies include a Kurzweil text-to-speech machine in the library (with MP3 download capability), audio tapes, and LiveScribe Smart Pens to assist in note-taking.</p>
<p>And I agree, the facilities are not quite up to New England LAC standards, but they’re working on that. Cornerstone Arts and the new Science Center are wonderful. Tutt Library and some of the athletic facilities are slated for replacement, additions or other improvements. The campus already is beautiful though.</p>
<p>WOW!!! I’m so happy to hear about all the resources they have for LD kids. I think my S will have it easier at college than his high school because they have none of these resources at his school. If he was at a public school they would HAVE to provide these things for him but at his private prep school they really can only do so much. His teacher’s have been great though. Thanks TK, VERY, VERY exciting news. It just seems at this point that CC can do no wrong.</p>
<p>5boys…the thing that originally drew me to Whitman was Brian Sheedy…he is the head of their outdoor program and when I was applying he had recently completed summitting his final highest peak om all seven continents…since I had done NOLS, I was interested to meet him and was totoally thinking he would be the best mentor for me in the outdoors…he spent a whole morning with me when we visited and drove me all arpound the area pointing out different things I could take advantage of…we had a great time together but unfortunately, I just still couldn’t picture myself there for four years…all in all, decided to apply EDI at CC and got in…never looked back since…best decision of my life!</p>
<p>flyboy— Is Brian Sheedy still the head of the outdoor program? That is so cool that he showed you around like that. My S would have died to have been with a guy like that. My S is only a sophmore so I don’t know how much time they will spend with him because I’m sure the focus will be on the admitted Seniors. My S LOVES mountaineering and climbing. He also just got into ice climbing this winter. He just got a job one weekend a month up in our local mountains on their cliff rescue team. He is SO excited about that. He got hired in a second because he had so much climbing experience and already has his emergency response certification. He will be doing his Wilderness First Responder this summer. He is gone almost every weekend to the mountains. You can see why he is so interested in schools with great outdoor programs. I’m sure he would love to be an outdoor program leader one day. I still think CC will win his heart though.</p>
<p>5boys - Is your S getting his Wilderness First Responder (woofer, it’s apparently called) through Broadreach/Academic treks?</p>
<p>We toured CC in January and saw kids in shorts! It was a beautiful 51 degree sunny day.</p>