<p>I have a pretty good chance in getting into both according to my stats. Anyway, I was wondering which college would prepare me best for an undergrad major in Psychology and then on to Med School?</p>
<p>Hello Mxrider,
I just happened to have visited both of these schools with my DD so I’ll give you my impression, FWIW.
CU-Boulder probably has a bit more of a name outside Colorado but I doubt that factor is strong enough to make much difference. I think the student body is far more traditional than the old stereotype of “liberal, hippie” leads you to believe. My dd and I found most of the kids to be fairly “preppie” and more sorority/frat types than expected (The same may not be true of the profs or town of Boulder). My DD has many friends in the science area who have been happy with the education. Psychology is a good program there and they have a strong PsychD program at the graduate level. The town of Boulder is a fun college town and the campus is beautiful.</p>
<p>Colorado State–This school has really improved dramatically. It graduated more STEM (science, tech, engineering and math) students than any school in Colorado. For this reason (historic strengths in agriculture, forestry, environmental, vet school) it seems to be a mix of somewhat conservative kids combined with “mellow, skater types” (my DD description). The psychology department is also reportedly good. The campus is not as architecturally stunning as CU but it is very well integrated into the town of Ft. Collins. The town also seems to be full of energy with lots of students frequenting the old town area with restaurants, bars and clubs.</p>
<p>If you are a resident of one of the western states that participate in WUE I would really take a close look at CSU as they accept OOS WUE kids (last time I checked) and that would make it a much better financial deal. Ultimately, I think it comes down to “fit” and where you could see yourself spending 4 years. Oh, I forgot my DD says the dorms are better at CSU. Within Colorado, CSU supposedly has the better honors program according to the high school counsellor. The downside of CSU is that it’s harder to get to from OOS.</p>
<p>I have no idea about medical school. I have known kids from both schools who went to good professional schools and the med school in Colorado is associated with CU-Boulder.</p>
<p>They’re both good schools and I don’t think it would make too much of a difference, but CU might have a little better shot at UCD’s med school because they are in the same university system. I don’t know if that makes THAT big of difference, even to UCD.</p>
<p>tall, it doesn’t – what does matter are grades, MCAT scores & any medical lab/volunteer/work experience.</p>
<p>Hey thanks for all the info, it helps a lot. As I have been hearing, the schools are really pretty equal in academics and it truly depends on where I fit in. I guess that means I will just have to take a trip to the state in the future to feel things out.</p>
<p>I would like to point out that the University of Colorado Health Science Center is in Aurora thus making it much more difficult to get a good lab job for students in Boulder (certainly it is not impossible, just more difficult). While Fort Collins has a veterinary school, and a good one at that, on the campus that promotes substantial amounts of biological research. You might find research opportunities easier to come by at Fort Collins than in Boulder. Since you think you might be interested in medicine, this would be an important aspect to consider.</p>