<p>I want to be in a location, I guess. I want to wake up and look out the window and not be depressed.
Anyhow, I might be able to get into the honors college at CU Boulder, maybe not so much UVM. Originally was going to apply to Colorado College, but that's never going to happen, but kind of want to be in CO (live in NJ--must go FAR away)
Anyhow, which is the better school...academically?</p>
<p>Me:
Female
1900 SAT
3.6 uw, 3.76 w
Kind of interested in film/media (would like CO b/c action sports and the like)
Kind of interested in AFROTC (boulder offers)</p>
<p>Boulder is an amazing place to live. The landscape is awe inspiring. Even 15 years later, I am profoundly grateful that I get to live here. </p>
<p>That said, I’m reading between your lines and it sounds like you are going through a tough time at home. Mountains and clear blue skies are not going to fix those problems or problems of underlying depression. CU can be a very isolating place. People here are super busy with their oh so active lives. They are always out and about: hiking, biking, climbing, skiing, boarding, playing club sports, doing music or theater etc. All of the parties are off campus. I know a number of students who are profoundly lonely in the middle of all there is to do here.</p>
<p>Academically, CU’s strongest programs are in the sciences. The film program seems focused on experimental film. I don’t know anything about the AFROTC program, but it likely has good ties to the Academy in the Springs.</p>
<p>Thanks cbrand–your answer was immensely helpful. I think I came off a little wrong in my op, haha…
I love hiking, am getting into climbing, etc. Of course, that’s not the reason I should be going, but it’s a factor I think.</p>
<p>Also, just wondering if anybody reading this has experience with the honors college? I get the feeling it’s a stretch for me, but just wondering…</p>
<p>Academically they are roughly equal. Colorado is almost three times the size of UVM, which probably means more variety at CU.</p>
<p>You should consider how important AFROTC is to you. This is a career level decision, and not to be taken lightly. If you are serious about possibly serving in the Air Force then you owe it to yourself to attend a school with a unit, and also figure out how your interests compare with what Air Force needs. The Air Force is not likely to be interested in film, but does list “mass communications” as one of their acceptable majors. So, it is not likely that you would ever get an AFROTC scholarship, but you still could become an officer.
<a href=“http://www.afrotc.com/scholarships/schools”>http://www.afrotc.com/scholarships/schools</a></p>
<p>we went thru the same thing with wanting the scenic mountains. We narrowed our list down based on tuition costs …the prettiest schools we found were CU Boulder and CSU in Ft Collins. Next on our list was Appalachian State in Boone NC and UNC Asheville. Tuition is decent for all and not to difficult to get the in-state tuition rate. NC you can adjust it after a year. We were originally going to do the community college feeder programs (Front Range CC colorado , Caldwell CC Boone, AB Tech for Asheville) to keep tuition down until state residency req met. Since it sounds like your main college goal is to get away from home these are all pretty scenic and its very easy to transfer within the state systems (i.e. start at ASU and transfer to UNC Chapel Hill (Arts) or NC State (sciences) ). If you will need to support yourself then csu is cheaper than boulder.</p>
<p>You do realize that Boulder likely will cost you 53K next year?! They might offer you 5K in support, but that will be it. Similarly, UVT will cost you 52K. Go to CSU. It’s an absolutely lovely plains town that sits at the bottom of the Big Thompson and Cache la Poudre canyons, just north of Loveland and Boulder. Denver is an hour in good traffic. You’re an hour from Rocky Mountain Natl Park. The climbing opps in Fort Collins are good; check out CSU’s climbing and hiking clubs. The fishing is outstanding, altho the Big Thompson trout fishery took a pounding from the reconstruction efforts after the flooding of last year. The town has some really great homes, some of which students can rent. Good downtown bars and micros; it’s an outdoor-lover’s heaven. I graduated from Boulder, but I’d love to retire in Ft. Collins. </p>
<p>I agree that an OOS student who has to watch a budget doesn’t belong at CU or UVM (UVM was the second most expensive OOS a year ago with only NH beating it, but now the UCalifornia schools took most of the top spots; still expensive). If it is beauty you want at a reasonable price, look at Utah, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming. Utah is easy to establish residency. Wyoming has ROTC.</p>
<p>Thanks all. Aid is not a concern for me but thanks for the tips anyhow, really helpful
In regards to film, chances are I wont study that, it will probably end up being a developed hobby on the side. I’ll probably go into IA or something of the like</p>
<p>If you can handle the out-of-state tuition, then maybe UC Santa Cruz would be a good fit - not a lot of skiing, but some beautiful wilderness areas. Humboldt State or UC Merced give you similar access. Whitman College might be a bit of a reach for you, academically, but worth a try - and far from NJ. </p>
<p>UC Merced is in the middle of farm land. To do any outdoors activities other than swimming in the lake, a student would have to drive at least 30 mins. That’s a pretty far cry from either Boulder or Burlington.</p>
<p>Unfortunately I really doubt you’d be invited to the honors program at CU. You’re SAT is a little lacking, and your GPA is well below the curve. Regardless, I think CU is definitely the more reputable school overall. I know nothing about film programs so I won’t speak to that. </p>
<p>If you are interested in film you should really consider Montana State in Bozeman. The tuition will be comparable to (if not less than) Boulder or Burlington with amazing skiing, climbing, hiking, fishing. Fantastic location and MSU has a really good film school to boot.</p>
<p>I live in Colorado, however I am thinking about UVM as well as CU Boulder. Boulder is more well known for their engineering and business programs. I have heard that some people really love Boulder and some people hate. It depends I guess what you choose to be involved in and with who. I know numerous people who go to Boulder and they seem to like it. I do know that it is quite costly out of state. From researching UVM a bit, it seems similar to Boulder. It depends what you are looking for and where you want to go. I would also check out Colorado State University. Fort Collins is a lively town and the school is great. </p>
