Thoughts on UC Boulder

[Anonymous]

It’s like many state schools.

Some good programs, some lackluster. Engineering is clearly a good one.

Economic diversity, wealthy kids there to ski, other kids on scholarships.

Parties and football on the weekend in fall, skiing in the winter/spring.

The big difference is the outdoor culture. It really is unique and right out the door of your dorm/house.

Plus lots of sunshine even in winter.

Just depends what you want. But engineering is no joke. The posters who categorize the entire school as one way seem to miss this.

[Anonymous]

The kids we know who went there were OK students, but not top, even in engineering. The boy we know in engineering is struggling, but he also struggled in high school. There is a lot of partying and that can be a challenge for kids who aren't good with balance. The frat scene is weird in that many of them are not associated with the school.

[Anonymous]

But, the view of the mountains is pretty cool

[Anonymous]

Love it, very popular at our New England public

[Anonymous]

Great location!

[Anonymous]

I have a kid at Leeds, they’re thriving. It’s been a fantastic experience for them this far. The “weed “talk is stupid as I see posts from DC all the time complaining about how the city smells like weed. That hasn’t been my experience. Kid is going Greek which they don’t expect but dirty rush and a pre bid convinced them. Also: instate.

I’ll admit it’s pretty crazy to pay OOS tuition for a state school IMO but that’s just me.

Mines is where an engineer should go.

[Anonymous]

PhD alum who still lives in Colorado commenting on undergrad experience. The university has a wide mix of kids, but it is not as racially diverse as the DC area. It’s only slightly more in-state than out-of-state, and in-state kids come from wider socioeconomic backgrounds. Lots of opportunities for outdoors activities, some kids plan their class schedules so that they can go skiing on certain weekdays. There’s Greek life, but plenty of people don’t join.

The engineering school is great, would be thrilled if my kid attended. The posted acceptance rate is around 80%, but the out-of-state acceptance rate is lower, and engineering is even lower. Lots of people end up getting into Exploratory Studies vs. Engineering and some people get upset. They assume since CU has an high posted acceptance rate, they deserve to get directly in. Unless they changed it recently, you basically just need a B average in pre-req classes to get into Engineering from Exploratory Studies.

I would also look into Colorado Mines because it may end being similar in terms of admissions difficulty and is also a great school. Colorado State and Denver are not as strong in engineering and I would not recommend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He needs to be ok with the smell of weed.

The campus looked great. The town was nice too.

The campus newspaper was absolutely full of weed ads.

[Anonymous]

This is anecdotal, but in a session on campus, we were told direct admission to engineering was 25%-30% and slightly lower out of state. So anyone confusing the overall admit rate with engineering should re-check. Did not end up enrolling but the facilities were impressive.

I think a lot of the snark is 1) location, 2) over-emphasizing drugs which are now everywhere, and c) the rep of the school from 20-30 years ago. Are there still kids who party? Of course, but like any state school, a portion of the student population does not represent the total.

It is probably even more unusual for people here. We have family in Colorado and visit often. Comparing the more formal, less outdoorsy and gov't centered focus of DMV to the vibe of Colorado in general - you are bound to have a reaction.

[Anonymous]

Decent school and lots of fun

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We know a kid there and he is enjoying Colorado, but struggling with the transition. This may be an individual thing, but he was struggling to keep up with his work starting about two weeks in. He had some personal issues with friends and girlfriend at other schools. Greek life also seemed more important than classes. There seems to be a lot of partying.

For engineering or in general?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is anecdotal, but in a session on campus, we were told direct admission to engineering was 25%-30% and slightly lower out of state. So anyone confusing the overall admit rate with engineering should re-check. Did not end up enrolling but the facilities were impressive.

I think a lot of the snark is 1) location, 2) over-emphasizing drugs which are now everywhere, and c) the rep of the school from 20-30 years ago. Are there still kids who party? Of course, but like any state school, a portion of the student population does not represent the total.

It is probably even more unusual for people here. We have family in Colorado and visit often. Comparing the more formal, less outdoorsy and gov't centered focus of DMV to the vibe of Colorado in general - you are bound to have a reaction.

What? DMV outdoorsy too --- Shenandoah, Blue ridge, Old Rag, Sugarloaf, Potomac river, Rock Creek Park, countless trails

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is anecdotal, but in a session on campus, we were told direct admission to engineering was 25%-30% and slightly lower out of state. So anyone confusing the overall admit rate with engineering should re-check. Did not end up enrolling but the facilities were impressive.

I think a lot of the snark is 1) location, 2) over-emphasizing drugs which are now everywhere, and c) the rep of the school from 20-30 years ago. Are there still kids who party? Of course, but like any state school, a portion of the student population does not represent the total.

It is probably even more unusual for people here. We have family in Colorado and visit often. Comparing the more formal, less outdoorsy and gov't centered focus of DMV to the vibe of Colorado in general - you are bound to have a reaction.

What? DMV outdoorsy too --- Shenandoah, Blue ridge, Old Rag, Sugarloaf, Potomac river, Rock Creek Park, countless trails

You have no idea. People in boulder go rock climbing at lunch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is anecdotal, but in a session on campus, we were told direct admission to engineering was 25%-30% and slightly lower out of state. So anyone confusing the overall admit rate with engineering should re-check. Did not end up enrolling but the facilities were impressive.

I think a lot of the snark is 1) location, 2) over-emphasizing drugs which are now everywhere, and c) the rep of the school from 20-30 years ago. Are there still kids who party? Of course, but like any state school, a portion of the student population does not represent the total.

It is probably even more unusual for people here. We have family in Colorado and visit often. Comparing the more formal, less outdoorsy and gov't centered focus of DMV to the vibe of Colorado in general - you are bound to have a reaction.

What? DMV outdoorsy too --- Shenandoah, Blue ridge, Old Rag, Sugarloaf, Potomac river, Rock Creek Park, countless trails

You have no idea. People in boulder go rock climbing at lunch.

Fine we do that after[i] work not at lunch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is anecdotal, but in a session on campus, we were told direct admission to engineering was 25%-30% and slightly lower out of state. So anyone confusing the overall admit rate with engineering should re-check. Did not end up enrolling but the facilities were impressive.

I think a lot of the snark is 1) location, 2) over-emphasizing drugs which are now everywhere, and c) the rep of the school from 20-30 years ago. Are there still kids who party? Of course, but like any state school, a portion of the student population does not represent the total.

It is probably even more unusual for people here. We have family in Colorado and visit often. Comparing the more formal, less outdoorsy and gov't centered focus of DMV to the vibe of Colorado in general - you are bound to have a reaction.

What? DMV outdoorsy too --- Shenandoah, Blue ridge, Old Rag, Sugarloaf, Potomac river, Rock Creek Park, countless trails

You have no idea. People in boulder go rock climbing at lunch.

Fine we do that after[i] work not at lunch

You live in the dmv and go rock climbing after work? Where?