Hello Wise Ones,
DD is going to visiting CC this weekend. She is wondering how it would work to do a science class in 19 days. Is it crazy intense to take a course like chemistry in that short a time? How can you get the lectures, blocks and homework done in 19 days? She was considering double majoring in science and art. THANK YOU!!!
I think the students in science classes at CC across the board are very happy on the block plan. Yes, it is intense but the experience is immersive and you have all of your academic time to dedicate to AM class and PM labs. The sciences are incredibly strong at CC and many students can find a way to double major. Personally, I was a history major at CC and was also able to satisfy all of my pre-reqs for Veterinary school which of course involved quite a few science classes.
CC encourages taking a broad based approach to education, and double majoring in a science and art would definitely be possible. The only caveat is that your DD would need to look at the requirements for both and map out a logical path that would accommodate the requirements- I would imagine she would have to know pretty early what classes she would need and she might not have a ton of wiggle room for other classes depending on the science track she would pursue.
So glad she will be visiting! Current students can give her a much better feel for what life is like on the block plan.
Science is a different major at CC. A science major must come to grips with the fact that we have the regular session in the morning, and a lab at least 2 or 3 afternoons each week. Majors in Race & Migration or Film don’t have that onus. I can give you my experience: I spent my last year of high school as a full time college student, and took Physics and Chemistry. When I arrived at CC, I took more advanced classes in Chemistry and Physics as I am looking at a career in Environmental Engineering. While there is not a second to waste at CC, I felt that I mastered the (more difficult) subject matter better within the Block. Sure 19 days is a short period to completely understand inorganic chemistry, but my experience is that is was no more fun to take five classes coincidentally, and have to worry about how to study for a Chem midterm and a Calc midterm the next day.
It strikes me that CC puts learning first, whereas many other colleges put completion of credits first.
Wow - super fast and helpful responses - thank you so much!! It sounds like you both are really happy at CC!!! We are heading to CO on Thursday from CA, and have time to visit one more school - did you look at others? Any recommendations for a dual art/science major with good stats?
Well, this is just one person’s opinion, but there is no other college like CC anywhere. Others I explored which might be of interest: Reed, Bowdoin, Carleton, Wesleyan (Connecticut), Pomona, Williams. My own applications skewed toward larger science universities such as Duke, Rice and Vanderbilt, but I am incredibly happy that I chose CC. It is not as if science is terrible at CC. We have faculty from some of the best engineering universities in the world. In addition, there are cooperative engineering programs with schools such as Columbia, USC and RPI where we have a choice of going and getting a dual degree after 1 year at the other university. The grad schools at Duke, Vandy and Rice have all been very complimentary about an undergrad degree from CC, so we can always get the big science school experience in grad school.
We have now talked to someone in both art and science - incredibly nice people!
I can’t talk exactly about the sciences, but my son is currently a Math/Comp Sci double major at CC. He can’t imagine going to a traditional school and taking more than one class at a time. For him, the hard classes are the required classes where you have to read 200 pages a night. He loves the Math and Comp Sci department and LOVES CC so much that he is trying to convince my daughter to go there. She wants to study Chemistry. CC is amazing. We visited traditional schools last week for my daughter and it was hard to go back to the thinking of having 4, 5, or 6 classes all at the same time. Good luck in your search.
D looked at CC but ended up not applying after talking to some alums we know. The alums we talked to liked the school, but had this to say about the block system: “the block system in all likelihood will not allow for adequate time to steep your brain in the information you’re trying to learn. I am of the opinion that sometimes it just takes time for difficult, nuanced concepts to arrange themselves so you ‘get it.’ There is no substitute for having that time. On some level CC acknowledges this by paring down what they teach in many of their courses.”
As to OP’s question about other schools to look at, I took that to mean other schools in CO. I am a CO native but live in the upper Midwest now. CO, NM, AZ, and UT have a lack of competitive LAC’s. CC is the only one in any of these states in my opinion.
As a CC graduate (class of '91), I can attest that the Block Plan is not for procrastinators. While I wasn’t a science major (econ/political science), I had many close friends who were chemistry majors and it is an intense experience at CC, but is totally doable. You just have to be committed to being in class from 9:00 a.m. until late in the afternoon with labs. I will say that the Block Plan did prepare me very well for future success in law school. I think it forces you to stay on top of your studying and allows you to immerse yourself in the course subject. Good luck in your decision making. I loved my CC experience!