<p>Besides differences in cost (out-of-state for both) and weather, anyone with firsthand knowledge of these schools have any other thoughts? DD is a highly gifted student/slacker with 3.4 GPA (college prep courses with a few honors courses) and 29 ACT (33 English, 28 Math). At U of Colorado, she will probably major in communications (Math grades through pre-calculus were B's with a couple of C's, so was not admitted into Business). At U of Arizona, she will major in Pre-Business/Marketing. We will be visiting both schools next week.</p>
<p>I live in Colorado, so I can give you a little perspective on CU-Boulder. Our daughter is a senior and she is also considering attending CU as well.</p>
<p>The campus itself is physically striking. All of the buildings are made from this red Colorado-mined stone and are in a similar style. Boulder is a great college community. It's located in the foothills and it's a great setting for a college campus. You can shop on "the Hill" or the Pearl Street Mall. There are also free shuttles that take you from the CU campus to Flatirons Mall (newest one in the Denver metro area; big and beautiful), to Denver, and to Denver International Airport. </p>
<p>Academically, it seems to have a pretty good reputation. The biggest downside is that there are SO many things to do (skiing, hiking, shopping, sporting events, partying, etc.) that some kids forget to study. So you have to make sure that you're disciplined so that you don't flunk out!</p>
<p>Most freshmen live on campus. They start to move off sophomore year and beyond into apartments. The dorms are beautiful on the outside, so-so on the inside. They do not have wireless internet access in the dorm rooms, although everyone has a plug-in connection.</p>
<p>As for the University of Arizona, my daughter has 2 classmates that will be attending there next year. I spoke with the mother of one, and she said that the campus is absolutely beautiful. I love Tucson, so I believe her! I don't know anything about the school other than by reputation. Academically, it's supposed to be "tougher" than Arizona State. But we have a friend whose son goes to ASU and he disputes that!</p>
<p>Hope this helps. If you can think of any other specific questions, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>Thank you ColoradoMomof2 for your reply. My impression is that the two schools are pretty similar except for the weather. DD will need to decide whether or not she wants to escape the cold winters/snow (we've lived in CA snow country for the past 2 years). She would still be able to snowboard here over winter break if she decides to go to Arizona. I've heard that even though the snow melts pretty quickly in Boulder, the winters can be very cold.</p>
<p>Hi Camom</p>
<p>"Cold" is relative, I guess. Actually, Colorado winters are pretty mild for the most part (highs in the upper 40's usually). Of course, we do have our below-freezing times as well, although I don't recall Boulder being hit particularly hard with that.</p>
<p>We have our occasional blizzards, but they usually occur 4-5 times per year. We get the most snow in February, March, and April. In my opinion, spring is the least pretty time of year around here because we get snow, then rain, then mud, then snow again. Then everything turns green and all of a sudden, it's summer.</p>
<p>I love the summers and falls here. One of the best things about Colorado is the sunshine - we average 300 days of sunshine a year. It is VERY noticeable when it's cloudy.</p>
<p>Best of luck to your daughter in her decision. Have a safe trip to Arizona and Colorado.</p>
<p>We were in the same postion last year. My D's classes and stats are practically identical. We are from So. Calif. so D is not at all interested in "weather". U of A was an easy choice. Freshman year has been great. Classes have been challenging enough- some more than others. U of A was more generous with merit $. Also even for out of state it's substantially less the CU/ out of state. Beautiful campus, although I understand the CU area is breathtaking. Gotta love the Tucson airport- clean, modern and easily accessible. Good luck on your visits.</p>
<p>I am familiar with both and they have a lot in common. Colorado is a bit better for overall academics, but the OOS tuition is much higher. You can count on some extra expenses for lift tickets. Boulder definitely has winter weather - maybe not long periods of bitter cold but there are Chinook winds that can lift you off your feet. Both schools are well-know for having lots of activities including parties. I suspect neither environment is likely to stimulate an intellectual awakening for a smart kid who is a "slacker."</p>
<p>The Denver airport is also architecturally striking and there is a shuttle from Boulder. We visited CU last month, in particular the College of Engineering. One thing that impressed me was the close attention they seem to pay to their freshmen. Engineering students have the option of living in an engineering dorm, where they will likely have roommates with a similar workload. One faculty member in the department we visited receives the math and science test grades of all their freshman students, so they can spot problems with coursework before they get out of hand. I believe he said students meet with their advisors a minimum of twice each semester. I also liked the "clickers" which make it easy for profs in large lectures to know if the class is with them or they need to spend more time on some material. The area is beautiful. The buildings were all built with the local sandstone, but over a period of more than 100 years, so they are diverse and interesting. The dorms seemed adequate. There seemed to be something for everyone in the way of activities; I particularly liked "Sleep to the Slopes"-- busses that run early Saturday and Sunday mornings to Breckinridge and Keystone. While the winters are cold, they do boast 300 sunny days a year.</p>
<p>Thank you for all your responses. I'll let you know what she decides. Edad, it's a personality thing and up to DD how much time and effort she is willing to put into her studies. Since we will be paying full freight for 2 kids next year (S1's tuition/fees will be $34,196 next year not including books, housing. travel, etc), we may require her to maintain a 3.0 GPA for continued financial assistance as an incentive to study. U of Arizona tuition minus a small merit scholarship will be less than half the cost of U of Colorado but we will let her decide where to go.</p>