<p>I recently found this site and what a great resource! I have started looking at colleges with my daughter and we're making summer visit plans now. Colorado College looks very interesting. My daughter's interests are anthropology and music. We'll have to find out how music is done with block scheduling since I would think music and languages would need to be an ongoing effort rather than contained to a block. But my big concern at this point is that I was looking at a site where students reviewed the college and marijuana use was repeatedly talked about. I know it's prevalent on most campuses, but I saw comments about how dorms at times reek of pot and after first semester, kids don't leave the doors to their rooms open as much because they are in there smoking. Maybe it's easier to smoke a lot of pot if your classes are always contained to the mornings. Anyway, my daughter is pretty social but not a huge partier and if this is truly the scene there it wouldn't be a good fit for her. We'd like to find out more before we take a 12 hour drive.</p>
<p>I know MJ is now not illegal in Colorado- and they are still trying to sort it out as far as taxes and driving. As far as colleges go, I have not heard anything different about them. CU Boulder was certainly know for MJ use but I really have no idea how to compare their use to others. I can speak to Colorado College. One of D1’s friends graduated from there and really liked it. The block system is different and liked by some. It is a very respected college and in my opinion worth looking at. So many colleges including CU and Cal and Reed had similar reputations when D2 was looking. I just did not see it and friends that went there were fine. Now, that said, if your D is very much against MJ then there are probably a few colleges that you will not find it used. I think it is valuable to see not only what college you might want but also ones you do not . When we looked at colleges there were alot of surprizes - ones D2 thought she would love- did not and vice versa.</p>
<p>Policy and culture are two totally different things. I think that CC has a bit of a leaning towards the granola, vegetarian, pot smoking stereotype, but really, just a bit. I do think this is a school where students who are interested in attending should spend a day or so checking it out. I’ve been to the school a number of times, and have not noticed any excessive leaning towards pot, I have to say.</p>
<p>Really it’s everywhere, but probably more “open” in places where it’s legal or is a small local fine. Even at colleges where it’s more prevalent there will always be kids that don’t get high. I would reserve judgement until after the visit as CC is a fine college. I wanted it for my older son but it was just too far from skiing for him (he wanted to be able to go in the mornings or afternoons depending on his class schedule because it’s how he relieves stress.)</p>
<p>The CC students I’ve known were all, in the end, fairly ambitious and academic. They may ‘party,’ but they’re also trying to get into good grad schools and develop competitive resumes. In other words, MJ is a relatively small part of the big picture at CC.</p>
<p>Honestly, I have walked in building in CC over a hundred times over a 5 year period, all spontaneously, and at time when some pot smells would have been normal, and have never caught a whiff. I would not have thought of it as an issue if I did as I have at any number of college. I am very sensitive to any odors.</p>
<p>Now off campus at private homes and apts…who knows? But the college seems to enforce their rules pretty well. I am sure there is smoking of pot and drug use, maybe a bit more than at certain college, maybe more than at some peer colleges but nothing I could see as big issue one can’t miss. Truly. I have no compunction saying what I see.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that many states have de facto decriminalized pot with only tickets and/or misdemeanor charges for relatively small quantity possession. So, the Colorado “legalization” is not exactly a game changer for parents with concerns about a pot culture due to local laws.</p>
<p>If you want to investigate student satisfaction, perhaps you would want to look at the common data sets for colleges/universities that are being considered. Colorado College has a line item B-22 rate of retention of 1st year students to 2nd year of 95-96% for freshman Classes of 09, 10 and 11. Its line item B-11 graduation rate is 90%.</p>
<p>There is a Huffington list of stoner colleges. NYU and Grinnell are also on there. NYU’s rate of 1st year retention is 92% and its overall graduation is 85-86%. Grinnell’s rate of 1st year retention is 93% and graduation is 84-88%. Brigham Young (not on the stoner list) is 1st year retention 84-87% and graduation 78%. </p>
<p>Students attending Colorado College as freshmen return at a very high rate and progress to graduation at a high rate. That would not seem to reflect social isolation. I second the suggestion of letting your daughter visit (alone) while school is in session to see what a day/night is really like.</p>
<p>FYI- my son graduated with dual majors --mathematical economics and dance. The arts kids are constantly involved in performances due to the availability of adjuncts (check out the CC website) and student performances. She will have an ongoing opportunity to be involved in music throughout the year at CC.</p>
<p>I’ll just say this: If your daughter’s main interests remain anthropology and music, no matter where she goes to college (a) many/most of her colleagues will engage in at least some recreational drug use, and (b) there’s a high, high likelihood that she will, too. Steel yourself. It’s not the end of the world, it’s probably not the beginning of the end of the world, and as several others have pointed out it’s not inconsistent with academic and life success, either.</p>
<p>Actually with the state of CO making pot legal, it makes things potentially a bit less hairy in terms of students getting caught with pot. I know some kids who got into a lot of trouble with the law for drugs. Kids don’t seem to get it that you are a dealer by drug volume, not whether you make a living selling drugs. I know a number of parents who had to get attorneys for their kids due to drug charges, never mind the school issues, we are talking about the police and courts and jail here. Very expensive and a criminal record in the mix. I personally know of two young people who did time for having too much pot on hand I don’t know what their colleges’ involvements were, but both graduated from selective, name recognizable ( a lot on C C here) schools which tells me the colleges were not so concerned about this but the law was. That is an issue, you know when your kid goes off to school. I know a lot of kids who have had problems with the local law enforcement. A nice industry for the lawyers and courts in a college town/area. At least in Colorado, pot is off the table in terms of that.</p>
<p>FYI- In Colorado, the law only applies to people 21 and older. it is still a misdemeanor to possess marijuana if you are under 21 and don’t have a prescription.</p>
<p>What great comments. I especially liked hearing about the arts at CC and will definitely check out what an adjunct is-- I have wondered how they fit in music, clubs, etc when block classes might decide to go off campus for the week to study elswhere. There must be some way the kids stay involved in activities. And the comments about pot use and freshman retention rates are all helpful to keep in mind. The issue for me is less my own fear for her and more me trying to figure out if the school would be a good fit. She was turned off by what she read about the pot use but I am hopeful that is just a subset of the population there. She is a bit of a quirky kid and has not easily found her niche in high school-- she has high hopes that she will find kindred spirits in college. </p>
<p>We were going to go visit this summer because it’s sooo much easier, but now I’m thinking maybe we should wait until fall when students are back. But Colorado in the summer… hmm… sounds pretty nice.</p>
<p>This annual program includes Dance (and vocals and musical instruments) and I seem to recall that my Son attended it one summer as part of each student’s one free (no tuition) block. You might check that out since if it is an option for the free block it is even more fantastic.</p>
<p>My DD was often in the company of those smoking (she likes the kind of people who smoke) without ever smoking herself. Ever. And she’s turning 26. She always had friends and a social life.</p>
<p>JHS: I agree with you. No big deal. Not bragging about my D. I didn’t care about this. She is just very paranoid about losing control. She does enjoy a cocktail, but she has a Jolie leg.</p>
<p>My d. can’t smoke anything, and can’t be around smokers as it sets off her asthma. She did call us one time and asked for a recipe for “brownies”. Since neither my wife nor I have likely made any “brownies” since 1969, we told her to look it up on the Internet. Long story short, she smoked up her entire apartment! Felt bad the next morning (“she ate the whole thing”???), and then was the end of that.</p>
<p>For the record, I do not deny that I inhaled. (I also have to report, in all honesty, that my grades SOARED with the use of mind-altering substances, but that’s a subject for another time.)</p>