I know that these 3 schools are so different, but these are the 3 finalists for my son. Anyone else debating between any of these 3? He is planning on majoring in history, minoring in French, and would love to join the equestrian team/club, play intermural ice hockey, and study in a friendly, diverse community where the academics are challenging but not cut-throat. He’s a quirky kid with some diverse interests but is graduating in a class of 27 seniors so hasn’t had the “big school” feel at all. Any thoughts would be helpful, thanks!
The CU hockey team is a club team (competitive) and I’m not sure they have intramurals or what is available for horses. There are certainly stables and barns around Boulder County, but not so sure about what’s close to campus which is in a city. The history and French depts would be small so I think he’d find them friendly.
My daughter just graduated with a history degree from a small department on a bigger campus and she like it a lot.
@horseymom, Boulder is not diverse. Neither the school nor the town, and the whiteness of both is often poked fun at. Your son would get a fine education in history and French (although all languages, including French, are sort of dying in almost all American universities.) The campus has the reputation of a party school (although a lot less than in the past) and there is a lot of rich kids (many from California and the East Coast) there for the skiing/sunshine/outdoors. Still it’s large enough that most people can find their tribe, no matter how quirky.
I can’t speak to the larger schools, but Denison is a diverse, welcoming community, about 20% first gen, 20% Pell grant eligible and almost 20% international. Academics are challenging but supportive, not cutthroat. Hockey is a club sport, I know it is a successful team but don’t know how to compare it in terms of competitiveness to play. I’m not sure about equestrian options. With 2200+ kids, after a graduating class of 27, it just might feel big enough! Also, easy to fly in and out of, as Columbus airport is less than 30 minutes away.
I didn’t know they had a hockey team. I hope he either loves or hates it when we visit. He is having a tough time deciding!