Hi,
My D is looking at both these schools - they are really different (Temple - large, urban school in Philly; Colorado State- campus-type school in mountains of CO).
She wants to (for now) be a lawyer and is interested in art. CO is known for its agricultural/veterinary majors, not so much liberal arts or artsy stuff…? Temple is not far from her home in NJ, has a lot of art stuff, but is in a less beautiful area with more crime (I also went there).
She likes hiking and nature but is a bit unsure how much social life/fun there is in CO too.
Money is about the same - Temple a few thousand more but Colorado State will have the added plane costs.
Colorado State has plenty of liberal arts and artsy stuff. There is a very good theater program. They have a program for Native Americans so have many classes for NA history, art, languages, writing, etc. (My daughter went to Wyoming and really enjoyed some of the NA Studies courses).
CSU is more western, more casual than Boulder but they are about the same size. It is very easy to get from the airport to Ft Collins (about 45 minutes). It’s also easy to get to Denver for theater, concerts, sports (should those things ever start again), although Ft Collins is a fair sized city and has a lot of its own events.
Thank you, twoinanddone!! That’s good to hear. D is not interested (as of now) in sciences or math (although she’s not bad at either). So figuring some aspect of liberal arts is where she will land. Fiske’s Guide to Colleges (2019) said CSU was “not strong in the liberal arts” so that was a little scary to read the other night!
I am hopeful that there is room to grow in the liberal arts programs, though.
Has she visited both? I ask b/c I can’t think of two locations more different. And Ft Collins is definitely a western town, and Philadelphia is East Coast all the way.
old law you are exactly right and I’m not quite sure why she likes two so different schools.
We visited both - she has a parent who went to grad school at Temple and it’s not far from us so there is the draw of the draw of the familiar, I think. She’s visited Philly many times and likes the art life and culture.
Colorado has the draw of the different & the beautiful scenery & we went on a family vacation there, which she loved.
The other schools she got into - very nice! solid east coast schools! - she pronounced “boring”. Lol
My head is spinning but trying to be supportive and let her of course take the lead…just don’t know!
There’s a lot to like about Philly, and I know quite a few people who went to Temple. That said, I’d offer up that CSU does have an interesting campus, with lots of interesting things going on which have nothing to do with classes-like this https://landscapeplants.agsci.colostate.edu/
Ft Collins is small compared to Philly, but does have a lot of great micro-breweries, and it even has a budding, if still small, tech scene.
But access to the outdoors is the difference; Rocky Mountain National Park is less than 90 minutes away, and so is some pretty amazing skiing.
And I’d concede the cultural opportunities near Temple would be better, but there is a lot to do off-campus at CSU.
Thanks oldlaw! The comparisons are helpful as I’m at a loss right now lol!
We live 20 minutes from Philly so the mom in me would like her closer. And I know a lot of folks with an art interest who’ve thrived there. North Philly where the campus is located has some significant crime but that’s not a huge factor as we know many grads who had a positive experience regardless.
CSU is a plane flight away from D’s home so I I have to wrap my head around that.
I honestly think she’d be happy at either. Not sure what would tip the balance. CSU is more of a risk because it’s just further away, I think.
She does want “fun” and it sounds like CSU has that.
Publisher - I agree. There should be a reason, LOL.
She was actually accepted at 22 schools (yes we went crazy with apps)
The ones that she doesn’t hate LOL:
American (liked but too pricey at $68k)
U of VT (not visited- in our price range )
U Mass (not visited- in our price range)
U of Rhode Island (kind of likes - in our price range )
UC Boulder (loves natural beauty & school spirit - but too pricey at $50k)
U of MD (too pricey at $53k)
U of Delaware (said it boring - in our price range)
Penn State (likes the idea of lotsa school spirit & strong alumni network- but too pricey at $49k)
Montclair
James Madison
Rutgers NB
Temple
U of New Hampshire
Rowan
Monmouth
Thanks, Publisher! Yes, invited to U of Vermont honors & I think it would have been a great fit for her, personally (lots of mountains, hiking, nature, kids seem to love it there, not quite as far as Colorado, a little more progressive than Colorado State).
We missed (by days!) the chance to visit Vermont before the lock down. So now (sadly for me) she’s taken it off the list since hasn’t set foot on the campus. I don’t know what to do about that, except to not fight the leaning she’s doing toward Colorado State. It frankly feels safer than Temple, even though Temple’s got a lot of artsy stuff going on, which she likes.
An interesting difference between the University of Vermont & Colorado State University is the percentage of state residents in the undergraduate student population.
That is interesting! And a statistic we hadn’t considered, actually.
I think with two days to go until decision day she’s just overwhelmed by the weight of having to make a choice. Frankly, I encouraged her to apply to a lot of schools (live and learn) and now she just wants to limit the choice-overload.
I wish there was a way we could still visit U of Vermont in a few weeks and then she could have the chance to maybe change her mind. I think w/the May 1 deadline that might not be possible, unfortunately…
These two are such different schools to come down to at the end. With what is going on right now, any school that is at least within driving distance would seem more appealing. But, that is just me.I think Philadelphia is a great city. Fort Collins is cool. Good luck with the decision!
But how many of those at UVM are from new england states and may be even closer to Burlington than those going to CSU from Durango (about 9 hours away) or SE Colorado? UVM doesn’t have a lot of instate students because they don’t HAVE that many instate high school grads.
Thanks! She said she felt it was pushing her out of her comfort zone (it’s across the country), she loves the area (CO is beautiful) and it was on the more affordable end!
A son moved to Denver a couple of years after college and we are on the east coast. Colorado is great! But visits back and forth that were planned just can’t happen now . Too far to drive, and too much uncertainty. Zoom is helping but it is difficult and not the same. We drove through CSU campus and it was okay. Fort Collins is nice. I would just be sure you and your daughter fully consider the logistics, support system for your daughter in Colorado. I miss my son , so admittedly that is influencing my comments. All the best.