<p>This is a super in-depth analysis of reasons why CSU is a respectable school just as CU Boulder is. I joined this forum and am posting this thread simply because I was somewhat flustered by how wrongly the CU Boulder vs. Colorado State University academic quality debate has been in some posts I have read. I read posts from a high school student who had never been to either university making claims to how hard each school was, which confused me as I dont see how he could know without experience. I am a sophomore at Colorado State University and I recently declared into Mechanical Engineering from being previously undeclared with a concentration in Mechanical Engineering. I have also lived in Colorado for 13 years, and I do know the two schools at least somewhat. And because I will proudly admit I have diagnosed OCD, it gives me the ability to not just take everything I hear at face value. I really am motivated to do research and investigate into claims people make. After researching in-depth over CU-Boulder and CSU, I have come to the conclusion that both schools are good, prestigious, and highly regarded. Keep in mind that CU Boulder is also a public land-grant research university like CSU, and the two are the main top-tier universities of Colorado. Both schools rank much higher than average on US News, but I question if those rankings really indicate academic quality because different ranking websites give different results. For example, Us News 400 top universities of the world are completely different from Times Higher Educations rankings.</p>
<p>First off, I view CU Boulder as an excellent school. They are world renowned for Aerospace engineering and Atomic Physics, which is similar to MIT. I congratulate their recent discovery of the god particle. But keep in mind CU Boulder vs. CSU Fort Collins in academics is not like comparing MIT or Harvard to Devry or University of Phoenix. It is more like comparing a Honda to a Nissan. Both have pros and cons, and one may shine better in a particular department than the other, but both have respectable things about them. I really am trying to present a neutral argument.</p>
<p>I think the recognition of the Physics and Engineering/Rocket Science program at CU Boulder gives people the impression that anything involving Science, CU Boulder does better. That isnt necessarily the case. Colorado State University has one of the worlds best and most well respected Veterinary Schools. I actually met a girl in my Chem 111 class who came here from Boulder to pursue the Vet school. The university has its own dedicated Animal Hospital with MRI machines specially designed for animals, An animal cancer research center, and even a public ER and Urgent Care center for animals. This is part of the Veterinary and Biomedical sciences school, so it figures that CSU has to have respectable science courses, otherwise the vet school wouldnt be so leading-edge.</p>
<p>Another interesting fact- The Department of Atmospheric Science and Meteorology at CSU is regarded as one of the best in the country. CSU is also very well regarded for Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Forestry related subjects and research.</p>
<p>I also think people under-value CSUs engineering program in favor of CU Boulders. Yes, CU Boulder is a top-notch and excellent engineering school, especially known for their Aerospace and Aeronautical Engineering. However, it isnt like Colorado State Universitys Engineering program is a joke in comparison, which seems to be the claim given by some on this site. Through my experience I would say both are competitive with each other. CU may get a bit more prestige, but CSU can hold its own in engineering too. As a school focused on green innovations, Colorado State University has an Engines and Energy Conversion Laboratory to work on engines and make them more energy efficient and better for the environment, and was named in the 25 best college labs in Popular Mechanics or Science, dont remember which exactly. Secondly, the school is an active participant in both Formula SAE and EcoCAR2, and has competed with Schools like Purdue in both competitions. We have placed alongside Purdue in Formula SAE, In fact. Also, the EcoCAR2 team is developing the only hydrogen fuel cell system in the competition. I spent a little time helping out a bit with Formula SAE first year but stopped due to my inexperience, and I will probably return when I am better experienced and more prepared to help the team better. While helping with FSAE though, I discovered that the University has a facility on the foothills campus specially purposed for Motorsports Engineering research, where Formula SAE and EcoCAR2 are housed currently. Additionally, the pueblo campus is one of few to offer an undergrad in automotive engineering. At the flagship campus, Students may obtain a mechanical engineering degree, but there is the option of doing a concentration or specialization in Motorsports Engineering at the Masters level, with classes such as MECH 626- Race Car Vehicle Dynamics, and MECH 526, Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics. So. CU Boulder offers a major aerospace program which CSU lacks but CSU offers a motor sports concentration and a stronger emphasis on the automotive industry, and a strong emphasis on green technology. CSU mechanical engineering students developed clean burning cook stoves as part of the envirofit program as well.</p>
<p>There was also a claim that CU Boulders academics are more rigorous than CSUs. While I havent gone to CU Boulder, I wouldnt call some of the freshman math and science classes a walk in the park at CSU. Since I had not taken Calculus in high school, I had to come in undeclared and work my way into engineering, which was difficult in its own right. First, I had to get at least a B in every math and science class I took. Chem 111 was challenging but I managed a B+. However, I had new appreciation when I took Math 160- Calculus 1 for Physical Scientists. The course has a 40 % fail rate (bellow a C, <60%). I worked my a** off, I was in the tutoring center until I should have been getting ready for bed, I sometimes studied until I was too hungry and I had to stop and get fast food, and I probably put in at least 20 hours a week on that class alone, max maybe 30 a week. Sometimes I was the only person with the professor during office hours And if you failed the final, and had an A in the course prior, you would still fail the class despite what your percentage grade worked out to be. I was scared about the final LOL, but I got nearly an 80% on the final and a B in the class. I finished my first year with a 3.471 GPA and was accepted into Mechanical Engineering. If CSU standards were low like some claim, a 2.66 would not be a B-, where a B- is a 3.0 at some schools. I admit I get angry when people claim about how a school compares to another without good knowledge or first hand experience. </p>
<p>CU Boulder is an excellent and prestigious university, but so is CSU. If someone would like to give me an argument as to why I am wrong, please, give me as much supporting evidence as I have provided. No one who previously claimed CSU is not even comparable to CU Boulder or a joke in comparison has provided anywhere near this much evidence. CU Boulder shines exceptionally in Physics and Aerospace and philosophy just as Colorado State does in Biomedicine, Infectious disease research, Veterinary science, Agriculture, and atmospheric science/Meteorology. If it sounds like I am giving more credit to CSU it is because CU Boulder is the school that everyone seems to cheer for already, so I just want to provide some reasons why CSU is a comparable school. And CSU has a respectable engineering program that is nothing to laugh at. It is easy to talk and put down something if you dont understand it or know anything about. Cu Boulder has is probably a better choice for anyone going into the aerospace industry, but CSU has some features like Formula SAE or EcoCAR2 or Engines and Energy conversion lab which CU lacks. And CSU lacks any of the space and NASA related labs that CU offers. And perhaps my strongest argument, if CSU is not a respectable science or engineering school, how can one explain Alumni such as the co-creator of the Ipod, with a M.S. Computer Science degree from CSU (Jon Rubinstien), the numerous NASA Astronauts from CSU? Colorado State Universitys students have a >90% pass rate on the FE Exam, pretty much consistent with CU Boulder students. Keep in mind the national pass rate average is 79 percent, and CSU is in the 90s.</p>
<p>I have read that some people think CSU isnt even in the same league as CU, but from a different web site. I would like to remind everybody that both universities are Tier One Public Research Universities, and both are not for profit. One may point out CU s Notable faculty such as the nobel prize winners, and I would point to Dr. Temple Grandin of CSU or Dr. Brian Jones.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that I am not saying Colorado State University is better academically than CU Boulder, but I am trying to persuade college people that both schools are comparable and similarly respectable. Nobody trying to higher say a bicycle engineer is going to look at a Resume with a Degree from Colorado State and laugh at it. It would be a competitive resume, honestly. Trust me, if I didnt think CSU was a good school, then why would I have committed to it?</p>
<p>Lastly: The CU joke Everybody at CU got into CSU </p>
<p>Here are the stats, it is a small difference exaggerated in a smug way:
Colorado State University:
-Average High School GPA: 3.6
-Average ACT: 26
University of Colorado at Boulder:
-Average High School GPA: 3.7
-Average ACT: 28</p>
<p>In my view, the Atmospheric and Meteorology research, Biomedical and Veterinary sciences with breakthroughs in biomedicine and infectious disease research , and such at CSU should be just as highly respected as CU Boulders research in Atomic and Particle physics, Aerospace and spacecraft engineering and design, or astronomy. Are breakthroughs in Biomedicine to cure severe and deadly illnesses or the research of Atmospheric Research relating to Global Warming and climate change not just as vital to society as Particle physics and Aerospace transportation and space exploration?</p>