I’m always hearing how difficult of a school Colorado School of Mines is. Is this an exaggeration meant to keep B and C students away. I guess what I’m asking is are their engineering programs really be that much more difficult than any other schools engineering programs? I like that Mines is academically focused, but I would like to have some free time, and at least a little bit of the “College Experience” Thanks for any input!
I hear from students who graduated from an IB World School, or a school with AP math and science subjects including either HL math or BC calculus background and a year of physics, ( some have two years and physics) and they can earn almost all As at Mines without a problem. Students with weaker math backgrounds who do not study hard to learn calculus, linear algebra and differential equations, will struggle with some of the engineering subjects that depend on mastering math. Focus as hard as you can on math. What math classes are you taking in high school?
I am currently a senior and am taking AP Calc BC. I took just on level physics last year and am taking AP Physics 1 this year.
I am a first-year student at Mines taking a variety of classes (freshman - junior level). Mines is not about over glorifying academic “achievements”. It’s less about the classes you come in and more about how hard you are willing to work. Mines knows that none of us are perfect; everything is not designed to make you fail but to challenge you and help you push yourself. If you are willing to work hard and give it all you’ve got, you’ll do fine. And by ‘give it all you’ve got’, I don’t mean stressing out about school and sacrificing a large amount of the rest of your life (sleep, friends, family) to get perfect scores. It’s a balance. That being said, it is a very tough school. The average GPA is like a 2.5 or something. Grades aren’t the goal; sometimes, you have to take the L on an assignment so that you can get enough rest, volunteer, stay active, or go to work. And that’s ok. Focus more on industry experience and growing as a person.
As for the “college experience”, all I have to say is that wherever you go, you’ll get out what you put in. If you want to party, you can party. But if you’re not about that, you don’t have to go.
@tulsajhawk I think Mines has active hiking and skiing clubs and great access to both. Mines is not a strong party school, and Golden is a small town. Whats nice is you can jump on Light Rail and get over to Denver for a night out. I think there is plenty of tutors available so you should be fine with your math and physics background. In fact, most public engineering programs may end being harder, because your lecture size is much bigger, and you can fall through the cracks easier. Mines, everyone graduates who tries to get extra help. There are more and more girls at Mines too. Also, if you bring a car, you could theoretically go to parties in Boulder, which is only 30 minutes north, along a mountain highway. Just sleep over up there!
I would not say this is very true as a current student - most students will not be earning mostly all A’s. Mines is prestigious school that if you think you are going to come in and be performing at the same level as you did in high school, you might be up for a very rude awakening. I do have friends that have excellent GPA’s, but the majority of the people I know will mostly getting B’s with some A’s. Keep in mind, time management is everything. Success rates in terms of grades can also vary across majors.
For the first year to two years, a student can probably get mostly all A’s as it is mostly pre-requisites for upper level classes. Expect to be taking Calculus 1-3, Physics 1-2, Chemistry 1-3, a required cornerstone design class, and other required electives. Once you get into upper level classes, you may actually start to see how hard CSM is.