Why should someone consider Colorado College?

[Anonymous]

I believe all classes are 3 hours a day from 9-12. I mean the one class that students take at a time is from 9-12. Some people with ADHD might like this consistency and not having to juggle multiple classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I believe all classes are 3 hours a day from 9-12. I mean the one class that students take at a time is from 9-12. Some people with ADHD might like this consistency and not having to juggle multiple classes.

That would be a nightmare for my ADHD kid (and my ADHD self). 3 hours is way too long to fully focus!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I believe all classes are 3 hours a day from 9-12. I mean the one class that students take at a time is from 9-12. Some people with ADHD might like this consistency and not having to juggle multiple classes.

That would be a nightmare for my ADHD kid (and my ADHD self). 3 hours is way too long to fully focus!

I asked my ADHD kid if she'd like this approach when we were researching colleges. She said no way. Agree the 3-hour block is too long and she didn't like that she'd have to focus on one thing for each block because that could be great if it was a topic she liked but impossible if it was something she didn't like.

[Anonymous]

The drugs thing I'd be tempted to dismiss as - every college has a drug problem. But a friend of mine from HS with drug issues did actually attend Colorado College and died age 30 of drug related problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:acceptance rate is 14.3%

obviously popular for more reasons than locale.

Beautiful location. My guess is that a primary attraction is the "block plan" schedule in which students take just one course per 3.5 week term followed by a long weekend break that allows students to pursue individual interests such as winter sports or camping & hiking.

To the best of my knowledge, the only other US college that utilizes the block plan is Cornell College in Iowa.

I have to say, this seems like a good reason to rule it out immediately. I think there is value in working on a particular subject for more than 3.5 weeks.

You can learn a lot by intensively focusing on one thing for 3.5 weeks--and it suits the people who like to immerse themselves deeply in one thing at a time. But I agree, there are some assignments that just need more time to develop. Also, I think any sickness really is disruptive because you're sick for 3-4 days and you are out a significant portion of the course. I think the schools that operate on quarters/trimesters are a more reasonable version of this--you take 3-4 classes for 10-11 weeks--still intensive and focused for those who find the juggling of 5-6 courses in a semester to be less conducive to learning, but not so concentrated.

I can't imagine that system for classes that build on other classes where you have unrelated classes in between. If you're a compsci or math major, you may go a year in between classes if you are also taking humanities courses

No you wouldn't. You would set your schedule to not do that. After an intense 400 level math class it would be nice to have a 3.5 week break before you go into a programming class that is basically 24x7 type of class.

[Anonymous]

Another concern is the difficulty of having a foreign language as a second major because it is difficult to master a foreign language without continuous study of that language.

I suspect that Colorado College attempts to address this concern in some manner; hopefully, someone familiar with Colorado College's handling of a foreign language as a second major will post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is a great LAC in a part of the beautiful part of the country where it truly has no peers.
It is one of the few LACs with a location downtown in an actual city, which is also nice.

+1 As someone who ended up going from DC to a SLAC in the northeast, I knew I wanted an SLAC but wasn’t sure I wanted to be as close to home as I ended up. There really aren’t a lot of them in other parts of the country and Colorado is beautiful and popular.

[Anonymous]

My sibling went because of the block plan; not ADHD, but struggled some with executive functioning and had less stress only having to manage the work for one class at a time. Also loved mountains, hiking, and nature so that was a big bonus. Executive functioning matured big time in mid-20s with real life experience, went back to school for a PhD and is now a tenure-track college professor himself. I personally would hate the block plan but it works well for some people.

[Anonymous]

They do very well (#18 including both LACs and universities) when you look at a ranking that focuses on student satisfaction, classroom experience and diversity.

https://lesshighschoolstress.com/blog/6/

[Anonymous]

I live in the Denver area so I know some alums. Every single one of them comes from a well off family. Most have homes that don’t match what do professionally so I assume there’s some family money. DS doesn’t want to go to school in-state so not looking into it. But we found the block plan not easy for STEM majors. I guess it’s not a big concern to students since I think a PP was right, they don’t really focus to much on careers. Lots of future ski patrollers, art gallery workers, and non profit professionals.

[Anonymous]

It's kind of a weird status symbol, because it shows off the fact that your student is never (ever) going to need to hold down a well-paying job. If you can't promise that to them, it would be cruel of you to send your DC to Colorado College, and those years at school will be the happiest of their lives.
Otherwise, look at CU Boulder if they want to go to college in the Rockies.

[Anonymous]

The campus is beautiful, and the dorms and food are excellent. It really comes down to what you think of the block plan. Some love it; some hate it. Think about cramming Calc 3 into 3.5 weeks. Some burn out on studying math alone for that time, while others thrive focusing on one course at a time. On the plus side, students can travel for their blocks. You can spend your block in France, the Antarctic, or Bhutan. The field trips are incredible. You can also trade blocks with other block colleges like Cornell College in Iowa or Quest University in British Columbia. Lots of opportunities to travel. Students like the "block breaks." They get a "long weekend" between each block, meaning they can, for example, go on a ski trip or visit family. If your DC wants to try out Colorado College, high school students can live in the dorms over the summer and take a block or two for future college credit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The campus is beautiful, and the dorms and food are excellent. It really comes down to what you think of the block plan. Some love it; some hate it. Think about cramming Calc 3 into 3.5 weeks. Some burn out on studying math alone for that time, while others thrive focusing on one course at a time. On the plus side, students can travel for their blocks. You can spend your block in France, the Antarctic, or Bhutan. The field trips are incredible. You can also trade blocks with other block colleges like Cornell College in Iowa or Quest University in British Columbia. Lots of opportunities to travel. Students like the "block breaks." They get a "long weekend" between each block, meaning they can, for example, go on a ski trip or visit family. If your DC wants to try out Colorado College, high school students can live in the dorms over the summer and take a block or two for future college credit.

Correction to my previous post: Quest University, which also had the block system, has closed due to insufficient funding. I visited three block schools (Quest, Colorado College, and Cornell College) with DC some years ago, but DC ultimately decided the block system was not for him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:acceptance rate is 14.3%

obviously popular for more reasons than locale.

Received only 7500 applications.
Doesn't sound popular.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:acceptance rate is 14.3%

obviously popular for more reasons than locale.

Received only 7500 applications.
Doesn't sound popular.

That's a lot for a small slac--they have a very small number of slots to fill. Colorado College is known for having one of the highest number of people who come from the top 1% incomes.