<p>Would love to hear what people know about the social life at Denver. The negatives you hear are the that the social life is primarily around frat parties and skiing. Neither of these are bad in themselves (in moderation) but if your kid isn't likely to be drawn to these are there enough other options? Also, DU gets criticized for being white, wealthy and preppy. Again, lots of people who fit these categories are good people, but are there enough social options if you aren't one or all of these. Would be great to hear from parents with kids at DU now or actual students.</p>
<p>I’m wondering too. How about for the nerdy CS types? Will they find friends who like to hang out, play games and not</p>
<p>I find it kind of strange that they have “substance-free” floors, when I went to college the college rule was no drinking or drugs on campus at all. Are the substance-free floors mostly religious folks? Probably a dumb question, but is there a lot of pot smoking now that it’s legal in CO? My son doesn’t drink or smoke, but he is not religious at all.</p>
<p>He’s most likely going to Denver, and while he’s white (though tan from the Hawaii sun), he’s not wealthy or preppy at all! We live on a very rural island where there are lots of wild chickens and the most common vehicle is a dirty old pickup truck, and he gets a Pell grant. He has worked a PT job through HS to help the family make ends meet. </p>
<p>We live in Colorado, in a rural area. My son says he hasn’t seen an increase in kids who smoke pot - those who do, still do, but no big change. Our S is not a drinker or smoker. He likes to have fun, is outgoing, not religious, but not interested in the substance free floors for the reason you mentioned. He has a couple of older friends from HS who are at DU on scholarship and are Pell eligible. They seem like they are having lots of fun without being in frats or partying excessively. I’ll bet your son can find some like minded friends. Our son is pretty nerdy (and I mean that in the best way possible!) and he seems confident that if he goes there, he’ll find a good group to hang with. I’m sure their are lots of kids who go to the mountains each weekend, but there is so much to do in Denver that those who don’t should have plenty of options. </p>
<p>Thanks for the info and insights. Sounds great! My son is very happy and excited about Denver. He is happy to be going somewhere that has seasons, lots of options for activities that don’t involve the ocean (as a non-surfer he feels a bit left out among many of the boys at his HS), and most likely a beautiful new CS building in a couple of years.</p>
<p>Even though USC had become his top choice (he didn’t get in), now that we’re thinking more about DU he’s realized that it actually matches his “desirable criteria” more than USC. It is the size he wanted, in the kind of city he wanted, and he really felt comfortable chatting with one of the CS professors when we visited. OK, I guess I’m straying from the OP’s topic. I’m just very happy that he’s comfortable and happy about attending what he once considered his “safety” school.</p>