<p>I’m jealous digmedia. CB is my favorite place to ski and hang out. It is a long drive, a lovely drive in spring, summer or fall from Aspen to Gunnison but you have to go way around the mountains to the east or west in a conventional auto.</p>
<p>I have to say that Western is sounding better and better. We can deal with the transportation cost more readily than we could deal if transportation was difficult. Their transportation allotment for oos students is over 3k so very generous and obviously takes air fares into consideration.</p>
<p>This is a school he noticed in his sister’s brochure when he was a 7th grader and said “I want to go there!” so it’s very nice to hear all of this fabulous input!</p>
<p>have you looked at mesa state college</p>
<p>rockymntnhigh: No I had not. Is there anything you can share that would make you pick it over Western? I did just look at the website and they seem similar though mesa is in a larger town and draws what looks like a more diveser academic demographic. I would love to hear anything you may have to share. Thank you.</p>
<p>arabarab: I looked at the FA page on Western’s site today and it looks like if S can get a 22 or bett on his ACT he would be guaranteed monies over and above the WUE tuition. Sounds like motivation to me but we shall see where he stands with that.</p>
<p>First of all called the banana belt MUCH warmer than gunnison, very outdoorsy with mountain biking, skiing /snowboarding 45 min away and aspen/vail/telluride day skiing about 2.5 hours away., 14ers mountain climbing few hours, school has large outdoors club ,have no idea about scholarship outside state, instate is good- airport access direct denver,dallasftworth daily !,salt lake,certain days LA and las vegas- i guess the majors of educaion and nursing(competative) and exercise/sports known for. alot of locals with some california/hawaii kids and commuters - not sure how many nontraditional/traditional kids. academic i would put level above community college. some masters in eduation and mba offered. any of the schools you mentioned in colorado will feel very isolated compared to east coast. no shopping to speak of . but the I70 route of mesa is great and if into mountainbiking moab,utah the meca is only 1.5 hours away. diversity is low. just finished new phase of new dorms really expanding. also the hockey ? club sport? is taking off. another college i don’t know as much about is fort lewis in durango colorado in the southwest corner. in a ski resort town, slightly higher academics than mesa state. less highway access and more isolated.</p>
<p>I love Colorado and have been on several of these campuses, but are graduates actually getting jobs these days? That would be my concern.</p>
<p>MOWC that’s a valid question for sure but I think, sadly, it is one you could ask of the graduates of many colleges nationwide. I know several people just here on CC whose college grads, some of whom attended very prestigious schools with very high price tags, were unable to land a job after grad. I attended a party last night with a recent grad from close by state U who is using his history degree to drive truck for a produce company but is getting benefits and making enough money so that he and his new wife are able to think about buying a home soon. He recognizes this as a step, or more accurately a jumping off point.</p>
<p>Western’s business program from what I have heard is well respected in the state of Colorado. I agree that sending a kid to college (brand name or not) is an enormous leap of faith, like getting married or having a baby in the first place, but I have to believe that these smaller directional Us aren’t just spinning their wheels eating up tuition money and turning out grads with no prospects. </p>
<p>Some of our kids choose these campuses despite their acceptances into more highly ranked colleges because of financial, social, athletic or other reasons. Others choose these campuses because they are their best higher education option. I can’t believe that choosing this path will lead to a dead end if the kid on that path is committed to getting a great education. No, perhaps the Fortune 500 companies aren’t beating a path to the door of the average grad of directional U but that is not = to no job prospects.</p>
<p>If your child likes Western Colorado, Western State is a well-regarded school – some deep suspicion on the Western Slope of those Boulder hippies, and you probably don’t want to know what they think of students from Boston! </p>
<p>My experience at a conference at Western State was that their seemed to be a fair amount of integration between Western State and the town, partly because Western State is both a cultural resource for the area and an economic engine for an area that otherwise has a tremendous reliance on tourism.</p>
<p>No, companies recruit the nonflagship campuses, too. In Colorado the oil, gas and alternative energy companies are an example in Colorado. My (youngish) dentist went to Ft. Lewis and then returned to Michigan for dental school at UofM so kids have many reasons why they go where they go. It’s often pointed out that if there is a chance of grad school the undergrad holds less importance. Not to mention the costs of some of these schools is quite attractive especially if you have a B plus kid.</p>
<p>cinniesmom - it is <em>so</em> refreshing to hear someone on this board concerned about the cost of college (vs “prestige,” or what <em>others</em> think of a choice). There are so many schools in the country other than the typical ones discussed on CC that will provide a quality education. Plus, what’s the worst that can happen? If your kid discovers that he wants a different place, he can then transfer.</p>
<p>I was extremely lucky that my son’s number one choice was the financial safety for us (merit scholarships) and was my choice (other than money) for where I thought he’d get the best education. But ranking-wise, it was considered off the CC-charts. He graduated this past year, and it turns out that it was the best choice for him. He now has the connections (in a tough industry: the movie business) that got him the work that is now keeping him happy and employed doing what he wants to do.</p>
<p>Jobs are tough to get ANYWHERE for college graduates. Colorado is no exception, but from what I know, no worse than many other regions of the country. The quality of life here really makes this state attractive, especially if you like the outdoors.</p>
<p>My college senior daughter at CU-Boulder competed very favorably with candidates from all over the country and was accepted into the Teach For America program. My college sophomore son also at CU-Boulder has plans (for now) to go to dental school and I am impressed with the support he is getting at school and with his own work in planning how he is going to gain admission to dental school and pay for it.</p>
<p>You can have a wonderful, educational, and meaningful college experience at so many places, not just at an “elite” school.</p>
<p>OP, I wish your son the best of luck in his post-high school endeavors. :)</p>
<p>
When we first moved to Colorado, we lived in Boulder and I thought I had died and gone to heaven. “Those Boulder hippies” were part of the ambiance of the town that made it really different from the rest of the world. As we said of Boulder, “It’s tne New Age Capital of the Known Universe.” :)</p>
<p>I would still argue that the state flagship(s) are going to get you a lot higher on the hiring ladder than the directional universites, as much as I might like them. I met a LOT of Western State grads driving ski resort shuttles and teaching skiing. Maybe that is their dream job (hey, I can see it), but maybe not…</p>
<p>Well I have a 55 yr. old Dartmouth grad friend that teaches skiing in Colorado so you just never know LOL. Actually in this economy if my son said he was going to go be a liftie or teach skiing for a year or two, I’d probably be happy. He’d be poor but he wouldn’t be living in my basement.</p>
<p>Well, I do like it here, but I do feel some affinity for bumper sticker that says, “Forget Tibet – Free Boulder!” (Of course my other favorite bumper sticker is “Visualize Using Your Turn Signal,” since way too many drivers around here are under the impression that using it allows too many other people to know what you’re planning to do.)</p>
<p>I’d say that if your child is likely to be interested in a big city kind of job opportunity, then going to the flagship could be a better idea. But I do a lot of work with folks involved with legislation around the state, and I would say that there is a very distinct bias against CU from folks on the Western Slope and throughout the rural areas. CSU and School of Mines have very different (and much more positive) reputations in these less urban areas, IMO. </p>
<p>There are also a lot of kids who come from ranching and farming families who go to college and get a degree, but who want to continue at least limited involvement in the family’s farm or ranch, and you see a lot of these kids take jobs that let them continue to have that involvement. </p>
<p>I think that you also have socioeconomic factors coming into play in a big way. I’d guess that the average family income for students at CU is much, much larger than for families of Western State students. For one thing, CU has a huge out-of-state population that is willing (and able) to pay one of the highest out-of-state tuitions of any public university. Go down the area by the sororities and fraternities, and right there, I promise you’ll count more BMW, Lexus, and other high-end SUVs than you’d be likely to find on the entire Western State campus. Not so many pickup trucks. That family income has all the associated intangibles – families can fund internships and study abroad, families have connections for jobs and internships, and so on. It would be rather remarkable if that didn’t play into what happens after college.</p>
<p>Have you tried UCCS? Its quite good.</p>
<p>Also check into Fort Lewis College (small public) in Durango. I like Durango as a college town far more than Gunnison.</p>