<p>I have been awarded the Boettcher Scholarship (full tuition, room and board, book allowance, basically everything to any college in colorado) and I'm leaning towards Colorado College. </p>
<p>I want to go out of state (University of Chicago is my first choice), but this is something I don't think I can turn down. I spent a block at CC this past summer taking a fiction writing class and liked it. However, I have a few concerns, mostly with it being such a small school. I know this has a lot of advantages, but I'm worried about feeling limited. The course catalog doesn't look too thrilling. And I'm worried I'll end up feeling trapped or something. I also don't like Colorado Springs. </p>
<p>Convince me (or don't). I know a lot about the school already and have a couple of friends who go there, but I'd like some outside opinion. </p>
<p>Any advice is greatly appreciated! </p>
<p>My other in-state option is CU Boulder. I don't like the "types of people" that go there as much, but I know I could find my niche. And maybe it has more resources because it's bigger?</p>
<p>I can only relate the experience that my S has discussed with me. He is on merit scholarships so he has to maintain his grades to meet the required level, as I assume you will. </p>
<p>He has emphasized that the block system (1) mandates regular and disciplined studying, (2) facilitates a reasonable and do-able daily schedule (M-F, 9-12:00 classes, the dorms are on the same schedule and he has from noon till?? to prepare for the next day) and (3) allows him to engage in EC's without scheduling conflicts.</p>
<p>S meets people easily and as a freshman has made friends in mutiple different classes. Meeting sophs, jrs and sr in EC's is easy. When viewed as a student body, not just a single class, there are over 2000 students at CC to meet and from which to find friends.</p>
<p>He also mentioned that the 3-1/2 weeks straight with the 3 hour daily class and a small number of students in any class means you WILL know those class members at some level, unlike in a larger less intensive class setting.</p>
<p>The block breaks also have been a way to meet people with differnt interests. One block it was people who all wanted to go to the same concert at Red Rock. One block it was a group of guys who all wanted to go skiing. Seems that the mutual block break facilitates finding people who want to try or experience somethng that you might like. "The Break" encourages group activities perhaps more that the typical "what are we going to do this Friday" arrangement.</p>
<p>S has related several events where it is clear that he has already developed connections with the professor and/or advisors. A larger number of students in the classes and having more than one subject to teach at a time spreads the teacher at a traditional school out more than at CC. At CC you are one of 20 or less students that teacher has at any one time.</p>
<p>It's good to know it's easy to make friends there, and lots of different friends. The connections with professors is also important. Thank you, and if anyone else has anything to say, keep it coming!</p>
<p>My aunt went to CC and loved it...then went on to UC for graduate school. </p>
<p>I think that you'll find that "intellectual" atmosphere at CC...you just might have to search harder for it. True, CC doesn't have all the resources or the name recognition of a school like UC, but I think that you can make it whatever you want it to be. In the end, I don't think it will hurt to give it a shot...if I were you, I'd rather go to CC for a year and fall in love with it (and then have a free undergrad education) rather than go to UC full-price, graduate with debt, and never give CC a chance. If you aren't happy at CC you can always transfer to UC. I guess the prospect of transferring is a little daunting...but your scholarship seems too good to pass up.</p>
<p>P.S. What don't you like about CO Springs (vs. Chicago)?</p>
<p>I had an experience 2 days ago with the larger CS community. I was trying to invest some $$ my S had sent to me for his graduate school fund. It turned out that there was a branch of the investment house in CS and since as an adult my S has to sign the account documents, I called the CS branch.</p>
<p>Well, the woman couldn't have been more helpful and when we started discussing my S's goals, it came out that he was at CC. She mentioned that CS was a conservative values town but said that she had found many kindred spirits and invited my S to look into joining the Piles Peak Whitewater Club!! She was a member and said there were other members from HS seniors to old geezers (my words).</p>
<p>I think CS has more to it than it seems at first.</p>
<p>FWIW, D is having her overnight this evening. (We'll be leaving for the drive north in about 3 hours.) She has made plans to met with her school's valedictorian from last year. The V graduated with the highest GPA <em>ever</em> since the school's founding 50 years ago, and turned down Harvard AND St. Andrew's to go to CC. However, she is currently considering transferring to Stanford. Her objection isn't a lack of intellectual atmosphere or challenge; rather she find the small campus too much like her high school. By which I think she means it's too small and lacks diversity. </p>
<p>(BTW, if you're wondering who the V is her picture is on the BB outside the Admissions Office. She's on a full Presidential Scholarship.)</p>
<p>Interesting. My S has a friend (female) who is a Jr. at CC. After the end of her freshman year she too thought about transferring to Stanford. In fact, she was accepted at Stanford as a transfer student. She then visited and talked to a number of current Stanford students.</p>
<p>She ultimately stayed at CC. She related that the people she talked to did confirm that there were more people of differents racial and ethnic backgrounds at Stanford. However, they reported that those who had strong racial/ethnic identification tended to join groups and activites specific to that race or ethnic group.</p>
<p>She said that by the time she had talked to these different peolple at Stanford and had experienced the campus herself she realized that the people she knew at Stanford actually knew and interacted outside of class with about the same number of "diverse people" as she did at CC. </p>
<p>She also laughed that Palo Alto was more "removed" from the experience of the Stanford students than CS was to those at CC. She said several friends at Stanford said they would love a series of block breaks. </p>
<p>AH--the grass is greener syndrome still seems to exist.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm worried about the small school atmosphere. The one girl from my high school who is a current student at CC is studying abroad all this year. She's dreading going back to CC because of some personal issues and I think she's just getting tired of that same, small environment and people. </p>
<p>I go to a small high school. I don't want college to be like high school AT ALL.</p>
<p>WayOutWestMom, if you don't mind me asking, how far do you live from CS? I'm also within driving distance and live south! Are you from Colorado?</p>
<p>blindkite: Based on your posts, it reads as if Colorado College is not a fit for you. I know several students who share your mindset. If I understand your situation, your scholarship will cover four years of undergraduate study for tuition, room & board at any college or university in the state of Colorado.Is this scholarship portable in the event that you attend CC for one or two years and then transfer to the Univ. of Colorado at Boulder? Will the scholarship cover study abroad that is sponsored by any Colorado school? Colorado College is not for everybody--academically or socially-- and may be a particularly difficult "round hole for a square peg". Have you investigated all of the programs, both on & off campus, offered by the Univ. of Colorado?</p>
<p>Why do you feel like it's not right for me? </p>
<p>Yeah, I have. The scholarship does cover study abroad. I'm not sure how transferring would work. </p>
<p>It seems like CU does has some good programs, but I'm worried about that school being too BIG. I also don't know if I want to be surrounded by so many people who aren't serious students (I also have a lot of friends who go to CU and they say many people don't care about academics).</p>
<p>I would say academically CC is a better choice over CU. Socially, I think it completely depends on your personality. If you don't want a small school, I wouldn't reccommec coming to CC, for you may feel "trapped" in the small environment. With that being said, I've had no issues with the small size of the school, but I am one that would be completely lost at a big university. </p>
<p>I would strongly reccommend doing an overnight so you can really get a feel for the student body, campus life, academics, etc. </p>
<p>WayOutWestMom - You and your daughter certainly picked the perfect day to visit CC! It is an absolutely gorgeous day here in the Springs and tomorrow is suppposed to be just as nice. I hope your daughter enjoys her visit!! Good luck to the both of you!</p>
<p>blindkite -- some of the academics at CU are first rate, especially in areas like engineering, microbiology and physics. I'm not so sure about the non-science areas, but plenty of kids in the sciences are working very hard at CU. Not to mention 3 Nobel Prizes in physics in recent years (and 1 in chemistry a bit before those). </p>
<p>I'm not much of a fan of CS either -- the sprawl is horrendous, but the area around campus is nice and downtown is nice, and it's a quick bike ride to the spectacular Garden of the Gods.</p>
<p>And there are many advantages to the block system. My son is a freshman at CC and loving it. Despite the small size, there are always a lot of things going on at campus, not to mention big time hockey (in place of big time football).</p>
<p>
[quote]
The English Major
We are committed to mixing a traditional English education with innovative and avant-garde modes of learning. An English major at Colorado College has a choice of three tracks in pursuing that major: the regular English track, the English/Creative Writing track, and the English/Film Studies/Film Making track. All students are expected to have in common courses on literary theory, poetry analysis, prose fiction, Shakespeare, alternative literature (e.g., African American literature, Postcolonial Literature, Literature of the American Southwest), and courses which embrace all or most of four key historical periods: the Middle Ages and Renaissance excluding Shakespeare, British or American literature 1660-1830, the 19th Century in British or American literature, and the 20th Century in British or American literature. Seniors in the English department take a seminar in literature, creative writing (poetry or fiction), or film studies (film making, screen writing, or a critical essay).
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Another interesting fact is that there are specific grants for summer travel and study for English majors. Since it is clear that you excel academically, you would have a good chance to get one of these grants and get to design your own summer on a grant up to $3500.</p>
<p>blindkite--
You asked where we're from.. look south to the largest city in New Mexico. </p>
<p>LOL! D & I were talking about the kinds of freshman experience courses are offered at CC. She remarked rather ironically that she doubted she'd be doing her community service in Santa Fe --after all if she wanted to do that, she'd just stay home. </p>
<p>Well D's host seemed wonderful when I met her. They even got D a futon to sleep on instead of the floor. And had lots of "things" planned for this evening. D also was placed in a upper level math class to visit tomorrow--as she had requested. Her biggest concern (aside from the small size of the school) is how well she would deal w/ a 3 hour block of math. (D is potential bio/neuroscience major with a strong math minor or possibly a double major in math. She's already finished about 1/2 the required classes for minor and is in too far to give it all up. Besides she really likes math--just she and Calc 3 had a rocky relationship. Once she got into linear algebra she fell in love ll over again.)</p>
<p>blindkite--
Re: CU and the English major. Probably irrelevant, but the S of the friends I'll be staying with went to Boulder. He majored in creative writing/English. He was quite pleased with the program and even managed to graduate in 4 years despite nearly flunking out his freshman year. (Not going to class is a bad thing.) He found summer internships w/ one of the national labs writing press releases. Currently he's living in Kazakhastan (sp?) and sending home some adventure travel type articles (Nothing published yet, but he is getting better.) and working on his first novel.
Of course, YMMV.</p>
<p>Peace--you're right. Gorgeous day. One of the reasons why D is looking so hard at CC is she doesn't want to leave the West with its beautiful weather, blue skies and the mountains in her backyard.</p>
<p>WayOutWestMom - Sounds like things are going well. That's great! As for the service trips during orientation, I actually went to the Santa Fe area for mine and a girl in my group was from Santa Fe. We actually ended up staying at her house for a couple of nights when a reservation we had at another place got messed up! It was pretty funny ;)</p>
<p>As for math on the block plan, I took a calulus course earlier this year and thought it was great. Class was really more 2-2.5 hours and there were "problem sessions" in the afternoon so you could ask the professor questions about the homework. The work load was just right and overall I had a great experience. So far, I've heard only good things about the math department.</p>
<p>S and I talked tonight. He related that he was going to South Carolina for the break at the end of block 6 that tacks on to Spring Break to give him 11 nights and 12 days off beginning March 12th. Not a lot of details since he pays for his breaks and I don't "dig," but it seems there is a "group" going and they are staying at the beach house of one of the girl's parents. He says it is easy to meet people and that the opportunities abound to visit different areas because CC's student body has people from all over the country not just from Colorado.</p>
<p>S attended a small HS and had visited UT-Austin (the state flagship) where I attended decades before. He said he was sure he didn't want that big an environment to have to negotiate. Having spent my freshman and soph years at Emory in the 1960s and the junior and senior years at UT, I have to admit that the freshman adjustment was enough even at the smaller Emory. </p>
<p>Attending a large state university wasn't as difficult as an upper classman since there wasn't the competition for the pre-requisite courses that all freshmen had to take. Old HS friends that started out at UT related the major hassle of not being able to get the courses they needed when they wanted them. Since your scholarship transfers, small then large (if you find small too confining) may be an easier way to go.</p>
<p>Something else my S said. He is a mathmatical economics major, dance minor (right and left brain!) We were discussing his statistics course. In passing, he mentioned that none of the courses he had taken this year were 100s (freshmen level). I asked him about that. He had taken sufficient APs to essentially place out of the freshman level courses. He reminded me that although he started CC in 2007 he is listed as Class of 2010. </p>
<p>Did you take a lot of APs in HS? If so, and assuming you did well on them, you will be academically challenged by not having to take most 100s courses. S just finished a course last block where the prof took him aside the first day to advise him that he viewed the course as being taught at about a senior level. This was a challenge that my S craved. I take it that you want this level of challenge too. Well, it surely is there at CC.</p>