<p>Does anybody know anything about this school? The majority of students are in-state, so I'm guessing it's not exactly a top quality engineering school; more like a safety for Colorado residents. Does anyone have any experience with Mines? Thanks.</p>
<p>Your guesses are way off. Mines has the highest admissions standards of any public university in Colorado, and probably the entire Rocky Mountain region. It is one of the most prestigious institutions in the world for fields like mining and petroleum engineering, and is well respected in other engineering fields too.</p>
<p>Oh ok, that's why I asked. I wasn't really sure how to categorize CSM, especially since I haven't visited yet. Anyone else with experience/knowledge??</p>
<p>Mines has a big-time national reputation. It's not just a college for mining engineers for hard rock mining in Colorado. If reputation (among lay people) were truly important, they would change their name. But it isn't, so they maintain the tradition.</p>
<p>US News currently regards Colorado School of Mines as an "unranked specialty school", so it is not included in the well-known "National Universities" ranking. However, Mines was ranked as a "National University" a few years ago. </p>
<p>Between 1999 and 2001, U.S News rated Mines between #21 and #28 in the "top national public universities" category. This is impressive, considering that Mines has less than 4,000 students (graduate and undergraduate combined). It was probably the smallest school to make the "top national public universities" list, and was competing with schools 10 times its size.</p>
<p>CSM has been highly regarded nationally for many years in fields such as mining engineering, geology and metallurgy, as well as in other engineering fields. It is definitely not a safety school</p>
<p>Our son is finishing up his freshman year at CSM and is looking forward to going back in the fall. We had never heard of CSM until they started sending information to our son, we asked around and few people had heard of them, we then started to talk to engineers and they all said it was THE place to go, and had a world wide reputaion for turning out great enigineers and
that their companies liked recurting from there because they knew they were going to get a well educated, well trained engineer. </p>
<p>As far as a safty school, you have to remember that the only people that are going to apply there are people who want to do engineering and applied sciences, people who have to have a passion for math and science. As far as so many people from Colorado going there, it is because not many people have heard of the school outside of Colorado, since it is so small and almost everyone in Colorado has heard of it because of there reputaion in that state. </p>
<p>Our son filled out the application, (they sent him one which had the fee waived) was accepted in a short period of time. We went to the campus for a visit and they were so straight forward about everything that it impressed us, the campus is very pretty and not so big you have to have a bicycle to get around, everything is in walking distance. With less then 4000 students you do not get lost in the crowd and your profs have a chance to get to know you.</p>
<p>As far as studying goes, he did say that he studied more there in the first month than he ever did in high school. Classes are hard, but profs are easy to talk to and to get appointments with. Most of his classes are small, but the chemistry lecture has around 200 people in it. His roommates are great so it seems they do a very good in matching people. He said there were plenty of things to do around campus if you want to do them. </p>
<p>They do tell you up front that they are all about the grades and test scores and scholarships are based on that. Being out of state we were not sure if we could afford to send him there or not, but with generous scholarships it was cheaper to send him there then Texas or A&M. With all the comments from engineers we have talked to, and with him being happy up there I know he made the right decision.</p>
<p>Sorry for the long post, but I am thrilled with the school and the education I know he will receive there.</p>