<p>Grinnell was also in the running, but after visiting, I didn't quite like it as much as I thought I would. I will be visiting Kalamazoo in a couple days, but I thought I'd get some opinions/viewpoints from others.</p>
<p>Money is not a factor. CC gave me a mix of grants, awards, work-study and loans; K gave me a merit scholarship. I will be paying approximately the same amount to attend both schools. I will be pre-med, and want to major in something like International Relations (or at CC, International Political Economy.) Majors are not really a huge factor though, since I'm still not quite sure what direction I want to head in. I've heard great things about both schools academically, especially in the sciences. I'm particularly drawn to the opportunities to work with cadavers at CC, but I don't want that lone factor to be too large of a push away from or towards either school.</p>
<p>I'm an outdoorsy, laid-back, artistic bookworm. I backpack a lot and my main goal in life is to travel the world. Study abroad was initially why I was attracted to K, but after looking deeper into both schools, I find that they both have a large range of opportunities and places for students to go. I've visited CC, and absolutely loved the students and most things about it. But I didn't get that 100% I want to come here for sure feeling. I've also heard that they're not very good with graduate career placement/help. But when it comes to K, I've heard almost nothing except that although they were a great school, things haven't been as amazing in recent years. No one in my area knows anything about the types of students that go there (besides that they're mostly liberal and many join the Peace Corps) or even anything about the school itself.</p>
<p>I'm from the PNW, if that counts for anything. I backpack/travel out of the country, but in terms of out-of-state experience... I've only been to Colorado, Utah and Alaska for longer periods of time. With the deadline coming up so close, my worst fear is that I'll visit K and end up loving both almost equally. So I'd love to hear people's thoughts.</p>
<p>How do you feel about CC’s block plan?</p>
<p>“CC gave me a mix of grants, awards, work-study and loans; K gave me a merit scholarship.”</p>
<p>Run the two packages through this calculator and see if there is a difference. [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Award Letter Comparison Tool](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Award Letter Requirements - Finaid) Remember, work-study is money that you have to find a job for and then earn, and loans are money that you have to pay back. It is possible that one package is structured in a way that will be more favorable for you. Call and ask whether the packages will stay essentially the same for all four years, or if the portions that are work-study and loans will increase. Also, find out if you need to maintain a certain GPA to keep any merit scholarships.</p>
<p>The Block Plan was why I was initially drawn to it. When I visited, I felt comfortable with it and felt that it could be really beneficial. It allows for more hands-on classes and more in-depth learning, but at the same time, the transition for one class at a time to medical school is a con. But no matter which learning style, I feel that I’ll still thrive wherever I go. Although I can honestly say that I may like it more than a traditional method of learning, I would be happy either way. So it’s not too huge of a factor.</p>
<p>I am fully aware of what work-study and loans are and how they work. They will essentially stay the same for all four years as long as my financial situation remains constant. K also gave me a loan, but it is unsubsidized, which is why I am not taking it. If I ignore the loan from CC, they would cost the exact same amount, which is why cost really isn’t a factor. The merit scholarship GPA is a mere 2.5, so I’m not worried about that either. Money is not what I want to base my decision on. My parents can afford either one.</p>
<p>Excellent! You are in a truly fortunate situation!</p>
<p>Each of these colleges has a sub-forum that you might like to take a look at:
[Colorado</a> College - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/colorado-college/]Colorado”>Colorado College - College Confidential Forums)
[Kalamazoo</a> College - College Confidential](<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/kalamazoo-college/]Kalamazoo”>Kalamazoo College - College Confidential Forums)</p>
<p>It looks like right now you are favoring the block calendar at Colorado. Since you are concerned about grad/med school placement, it is OK to pick up the phone and call them. The pre-med advisor will be able to answer any questions that you have.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>
<p>Both are excellent. You would love being in Colorado. Nothing like it.</p>
<p>Visited CC and was very impressed by it. If you like the block plan and you are outdoorsy – sounds like a fit. I don’t know anything about K to comment.</p>
<p>Since you are pre-med, I suggest that you ask CC students how they feel about taking math and science classes with the Block plan. I have no experience with the Block plan, but it seems to me that Studying math and science could be a daunting task in such a system.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies so far, guys!</p>
<p>Anyone have any insight/information on K? I’ve been searching high and low for student review sites, on forums, etc. But nothing too recent that I’ve seen. </p>
<p>@ eli1067, I sat in on one of their more advanced chemistry classes while there and met many students studying pre-med or majoring in neuroscience (or both.) They have admitted that some of the classes like chem are harder, but because you’re only taking one class at a time, it is doable as long as you know how to manage your time and figure out what study habits work best for you. The graduates that I’ve spoken to said that they and/or their friends have gotten into medical school without a problem. The adjustment is a tad hard depending on the person from the BP to the more traditional setting, but nothing that should scare anyone too much.</p>
<p>As for Kalamazoo- the extremely good college counselor at my son’s boarding school visited K and felt it was amazing. He regarded it as a true gem and one very overlooked by many students who would thrive there.</p>
<p>Kalamazoo is indeed a hidden gem. I absolutely loved it there and spent hours trying to weigh the pros and cons of the two. It came so close… The other prospies were flipping coins to help me pick. If it had come down to Grinnell and K instead of Colorado and K, I would’ve picked K hands down.</p>
<p>They’re both amazing in completely different ways. K would satisfy my love of art; C would satisfy my love of the outdoors. You really can’t stereotype a Kalamazoo kid because they’re all so different, and that makes for an amazing college experience. Especially coupled with their open curriculum. But in the end, the outdoorsy environment and students at CC were the defining factor. K has LandSea, but most of the students there haven’t done anything like it before then. The people I met were all fun, intelligent and friendly people, but I couldn’t quite click as well with them. Everyone I spoke with (including the friends I’d just made at K who will be attending K this year) agreed that although I’d thrive at both schools, I was very clearly a Colorado kid.</p>
<p>Thank you to everyone that replied to the thread!</p>