<p>CU is better than DU in every aspect. Boulder is way better than South Denver. Business ranks higher. Law ranks (much) higher. The sciences rank higher. CU in general is ranked higher (USNews CU-79th, DU-85th). Heck, the school is cheaper (even though CU offers less scholarships). The student body is more varied. </p>
<p>In CO, it's widely accepted that top students either go out of state or to CU. Mediocre students w/ rich parents usually end up at DU.</p>
<p>79th versus 85th isn't exactly much, but otherwise, I agree with you.</p>
<p>That's true: 79th isn't much higher than 85th - I kind of backstabbed my argument there. But let's face it, CU is probably a little bit underrated, and DU is probably a little bit overrated. </p>
<p>For example, let's look at the rankings of some individual schools, which is what matters anyway:</p>
<p>2008 USNews undergrad B-schools:
CU: 41st
DU: 71st</p>
<p>2009 USNews grad Law:
CU: 32nd
DU: 88th</p>
<p>2008 USNews undergrad Eng.:
CU: 33rd
DU: LOL (unranked)</p>
<p>Moreover, Boulder is the ultimate college town. DU is on the brink of Aurora, Colorado's butthole.</p>
<p>For what it's worth, US News' crappy rankings consider my school 'third tier'. I think it's a better school than DU, and has a better business school than DU. But yeah, CU is definitely better than DU.</p>
<p>If anything Denver is underrated. How can a school with business classes of 400+ students offer a better education than a smaller school with an equally prestigious business school with classes of 20-30 (denver). The rankings are a load a *<strong><em>. Anybody who uses the rankings to determine the school they want to attend is downright stupid. A denver student could easily finder a better job and live a more prosperpous life than a harvard student. It all depends on what you put into it. To use the rankings to tell which school is "better" is not the correct method. And come on 79th compared to 85th who gives a flying *</em></strong>kkk about 6 spots. Anything out of the top 25 are all similar anyway.</p>
<p>Skiersrecs... you keep trying to convince us -- people who KNOW -- about the superiority of DU vs. other schools. It just isn't going to work, bud. Rant about ratings. Convince yourself all you want. But none of that will change the fact that DU isn't a top tier school. It's a nice little school in a nice mid-sized city. It has SOME very good programs, mostly graduate. It has SOME renown faculty members and many very very good faculty members. It has SOME outstanding intellectual students who will go on to do big things. And it has A LOT of very average students whose parents can shell out 45 grand, plus.</p>
<p>If you're still thinking about going somewhere from out of state, think twice about Colorado. We're number 47 in funding for education (that means that places like Alabama, Mississippi, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota, Missouri and on and on have more funding than Colorado) I would also be weary of going to a school that separates its sciences (biomedical) into a separate campus in Aurora, which as some poster mentioned, is in fact the butthole of colorado. DU is super expensive, more than the price tag would indicate. Rent around there will set you back 800 a month. If you have the nation to choose from, go somewhere with a stronger educational commitment, a cohesive campus and maybe even an affordable cost of living.</p>
<p>"Aurora being the butthole of Colorado"</p>
<p>LOL</p>
<p>Not that I disagree.</p>
<p>From what I've heard, financial aid for OOS students is notoriously ****ty, and most of the OOS students attending CU are two of the following three: 1) super-rich, 2) Californian, or 3) aspiring ski bums. Woohoo, stereotypes.</p>
<p>I really like Boulder, though, despite all of the flak. It's a very respectable school imo, especially for sciences.</p>
<p>Thats why I am attracted more to Private schools..... Lots of kids coming from all around, not big groups of high schoolers.</p>
<p>What attracts you to DU and CU? If you're looking for a great education in the state of Colorado, I suggest you take a look at Colorado College. Yeah, it's in Colorado Springs, but...!</p>
<p>Colorado College is DRAMATICALLY more selective than DU... Frankly, it attracts a whole different type of student (ie academic, intellectual, accomplished.) It also doesn't offer the kind of greek scene OP wants.</p>
<p>and drunks, and potheads</p>
<p>ohh wait never mind I thought you were talking about boulder. I looked at CU and loved it but could not fathom paying 45000 out of state when I got into many others of the same caliber with scholarships. Colorado college is completely different from both cu and du</p>
<p>Skierecs7, I agree -- unless you're talking something like Berkeley with a definite INTERNATIONAL renown (and I'd question even Berkeley) I don't think it's worth to pay full OOS at a large public when you can stay in state at your own large public which is likely very good -- or when you can go private with financial aid.</p>
<p>Oh, I know that Colorado College is completely different - I just wasn't sure what kind of school the OP was looking for because I have poor reading comprehension. Boulder and Denver are certainly preferable to Colorado Springs, but each of the schools has a distinct student body character. Colorado College is definitely more hippie intellectual than CU-Boulder or DU, though (in my experience).</p>
<p>CSprings is awesome too.</p>
<p>Does Boulder have that huge college feel or is it small enough (or feel smaller than it actually is)</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>boulder has 25,000 undergrads but it feels like a little less because the campus is more compact than other huge schools. Don't get me wrong the place is still enormous and completely different than a school of less than 10,000 ungergrads. When I went to visit boulder they told me that my introductory business courses which was like 12 different ones could have 500+ students in them which was a major turn off for me. They try to make the actual campus feel smaller by different groups and organizations but academically people say it feels like your classic major public university</p>
<p>lammeee i was hoping it would feel smaller..</p>
<p>i just don't know if i can deal with 25,000 undergrads. looking for something sub like 12,000</p>