University of Denver vs Colorado College

I got accepted into Colorado college and the University of Denver. I got a huge scholarship from DU but only a small one at CC, making DU about $10,000 cheaper per year. DU would obviously be the much better choice financially.
However, CC is my dream school. It is more of what I want in a school; it is much more selective and highly ranked, and it is a liberal arts college, whereas DU has a high acceptance rate, is not very highly ranked, and is a large research university.
I’m going to tour Colorado College and DU again soon, but I wanted a comparison on the two in terms of:

  1. is a degree worth more from DU or CC?
  2. Employer recognition of each school?
  3. Opportunities (networking, internships) at each?
  4. Dorms, student life (I am not big AT ALL on partying, sports, sororities, etc. I would much prefer an academics-focused culture of intellegience).
  5. which do you prefer/ would you choose and why?

Thank you!

Depends upon what you want to study. If business, then the decision is clear.

What are your thoughts on the block plan at CC ?

Your #4 from the list in your original post in this thread makes me wonder whether either school is a great fit for you.

Are these your only options ? Did you apply to other schools ?

P.S. I would consider these schools if I wanted to spend time participating in & watching winter sports, and enjoy outdoor activities. If you do not enjoy partying, then these may not be great options for you. DU is fine for business majors.

@Publisher I actually want to study Science (environmental) and possibly history. I LOVE the block plan at CC—it is actually one of the main aspects of CC that draw me there.

For #4, could you please elaborate on this? When I was touring CC, the guide made it a point to say that a lot of people are focused on studying as opposed to partying; was this as exaggeration or untrue? (I know Greek life isn’t a big thing at CC, which again I am happy about). As for sports, I meant I’m not a fan of traditional college sports like football (skiing and stuff is okay).

These are not my only “options,” per se, but they are my two main options (at least at the moment) for a few reasons:

  1. I’m kind of an introvert and need to be close to home (I need to be able to come home to my family once in a while, like for a weekend, if I get homesick); DU and CC are both close to home (DU being about 45 min to an hour closer).
  2. my college counselor said that I wouldn’t be academically challenged at any of the state schools in Colorado, so I only applied to private schools, with DU being my safety. DU is, of course, the best decision for me financially but I think I would be very unhappy there, and having visited campus, I honestly cannot see myself there in the way that I can see myself at CC.
  3. the other schools that I would consider either have not released their admissions decisions yet (for regular decision) or are just too expensive (such as, for example, the University of Richmond, which gave me a scholarship but would still be MORE expensive than CC, unfortunately).

If you love the block plan, then Colorado College is the choice. Plus, as an introvert, having the same class everyday with the same students should help you to socialize with those students.

As for partying, the long weekends between the end of one class & the start of another can be used for ski trips / road trips rather than staying on campus & relaxing.

Both schools have hockey teams, and while popular, they don’t dominate the student culture. Both schools are in major urban areas. Skiing is 1.5-2 hours away. A lot of students ski, but a lot don’t.

I respectfully have to disagree with your counselor. No matter how smart you are, CU and CSU can provide plenty of challenge. It’s up to the students to challenge themselves with course selection and by taking advantage of the opportunities offered.

If you want to study environmental science, DU offers a program. CC offers environmental studies. I don’t have first hand knowledge of these programs, but in general, environmental science is typically more rigorous than environmental studies. I suggest you research those programs because that could be a distinguishing factor between the two. Look at both history departments - degree requirements, classes offered, professors areas of expertise.

They are both good schools for undergraduate study, but they are very different. Only you can decide which is a better fit or if they are just a different fit. And, only you and your family can decide if CC is worth an extra $40k. If you truly want to be academically focused, start now by comparing their academic offerings in your fields of interest. When you tour, ask about graduate placement and internship opportunities. No matter what school you go to, you can find students who party and students who abstain. It’s up to you to choose how to make the most of the next 4 years. Congratulations on your acceptances and enjoy your visits.

Well I don’t think your counselor knows very much about Colorado colleges. School of Mines is a public school and most find it pretty challenging. CU is tops in several departments (Aerospace engineering, Environmental studies, biology) and CSU has fantastic science and agriculture departments, including environment courses.

But those aren’t your choices. CC is much smaller than DU, and Colorado Springs is smaller than Denver. Both have hockey, but CC plays in D2 (except for hockey and women’s soccer) and DU is a D1 school, often with ranked teams in skiing, lacrosse (M/W), and competitive in gymnastics, swimming and basketball. The students really do support the teams and hockey and lacrosse are usually sold out games. The athletic facility are pretty nice and of course the student get to use them for skating, swimming, working out, etc.

DU does have Greek life but it is not wild partying all the time. Some of the groups have houses scattered around the campus but others use old dorm buildings as their headquarters. I know a lot of the women in one house and they are not wild party gals. They take school very seriously and with only 10 weeks in a quarter, don’t have much time to waste.

CC has the block system and DU has quarters. I know a lot of students who have gone to CC, but most go on to grad school somewhere so employers don’t look at grads the same way. I don’t think many students at either school are going home on weekends.

OP. - I want to emphasize a point I touched on above. Google environmental studies vs environmental science and spend time understanding how the two compare and contrast. They can be very different courses of study and put you on very different career paths. When you have an idea of where you want to go, look at both CC and DU to see the specifics of their programs (look at the graduation requirements for the degree you will be pursuing and look at the on-line course catalogs to read course descriptions). Both environmental science and studies are interdisciplinary and newish disciplines so there aren’t set standards for the curriculum, but there are generalities. Each school will offer something different, so it’s important to understand what you are signing up for.

Here is an example of the difference from a career perspective from the University of Wisconsin:

“For example, imagine an oil spill in a lake that was caused by an equipment malfunction.

In this case, an Environmental Sciences major might examine this situation by asking questions such as:

How much oil was spilled?
Where will this oil go, and how will it quantitatively affect chemical, physical, and biological environmental systems?
What is the environmental risk of this oil spill to humans, animals, and habitats and how can we assess it?
What will be the long-term outcome of this spill on environmental systems, and how can we prevent this from happening in the future from a scientific standpoint?
Conversely, an Environmental Studies major might examine this situation by asking questions such as:

What are the economic and social impacts of this oil spill?
What policies, laws, and regulations are in place that were/were not followed in this situation? If there aren’t any policies, regulations, or laws in place, how can I work with my local government to improve this situation?
How can I educate my community about this oil spill and its effects on the environment?
How can my community prevent this from happening again? And if not, how can they prepare?”

https://envirosci.wisc.edu/environmental-sciences-vs-studies/

Sent from my iPad

If you’re enthusiastic about the Block Plan, then there is no better alternative to CC for that.
If you’re keen on outdoor recreation, but also want to enjoy a nearby urban experience, then there are few equally good alternatives (esp. among LACs, and considering the value of the long “Block Break” weekends). It has a balanced, work hard / play hard atmosphere.

So for someone who checks all the “good fit” boxes, is CC worth $10K/year more? Hard to say. That amount is near the limit of reasonable “self help” (student loans, work study, summer employment). If that extra $10K fell entirely on your own “self help” shoulders, would it be worth it to you? DU has areas of strength (such as business and IR) and many people surely would prefer Denver over Colorado Springs these days.

Our son toured both schools with his father, and then I took him to the 2 day accepted student day at CC, so I cannot compare the 2 personally. I can say that my H was very impressed by both, but came away feeling more of an intellectual vibe present at CC. I would highly recommend doing the accepted student day (including the overnight at CC) at both. As a parent, I was favorably impressed with the student panels during the CC visit, the very cheap access to outdoor recreation equipment, the political activism, and the close faculty-student interaction.

Marijuana smoking is a big thing at CC (don’t know about DU), though I’m sure plenty of kids do not partake. It just so happened that our son’s host and his friends partied during the accepted student overnight, telling him it was part of the CC experience, and that turned him off of the school (only because he was worried he might be tempted too much). I have a younger daughter who is very outdoorsy, politically active, a leader, and not into the drinking/drugs scene, and I think the school would be a great fit for her.

I’d say if the major CC has is what you want, and you can afford it, it’s a great and unique school that its students love.

CC is more expensive, but is it affordable for your family - ie., can your parents pay for it from income and savings + your own income from your job (if you don’t have one right now, get one) + 5.5K federal loans?