Jesse
Professors: yes, I feel I know all of my profs. pretty well. Favorite class: heavily based on discussion, poli sci mixed with shakespeare and drawing on xenephon (really interesting), challenging exams that forced us to think differently about the subject we were being tested on. Least favorite class: I've liked them all, but I guess I got a bit bored in antrho when we'd spend an hour or so of class in a lecture-like state. The prof. was a visiting professor though and I really liked the class anyway. Class participation: yes, it's the basis of most classes at CC and a large part of many classes' grades. Intellectual conversations: yes, all the time. Competitive: Not really...everyone is here to learn and not all the concerned about their grades as long as they took something valuable from their class. most unique class: civilizational collapse--an anthro class in which we studied the effects of global warming on civilizations and how climate change and other environmental factors (along with political and cultural) often caused collapse (ex. maya, easter island, chaco canyon). Major/Dpt: n/a. Time w/ prof: I haven't yet other than going in for chats or help during office hours. Academic Req's: I think they cause you to take a wide spread of classes but are loose enough that you can still take what your interested in. I'm a big fan of how math isn't a core requirement. Education geared toward: I think it depends on the department, but at least to some degree I believe that all departments here are primarily concerned with educating for the sake of knowledge and becoming a rounded and intelligent being.
Lucy
CC's academics is defined in two words: Block Plan. It's the only academic structure of its kind in the country and is the primary reason kids come here. Here you take one class at a time for three and half weeks and you meet every day, Monday through Friday, for three hours. Classes are divided into 8 'blocks' separated by five 'Block Breaks', winter break, and spring break.
Do not be fooled, the Block Plan is intense. Really intense. There have been many nights where I've had to read an entire book one night and write a thesis paper on it the next. Most classes end at noon, which leaves you plenty of time for all sorts of activities but also means the professors know you have at least 12 hours to do their homework. All classes are strictly capped at 25, unless team-taught with two professors in which case the most is 32. This makes for a great discussion-based atmosphere and you are guaranteed to get to know your professor personally. However, it also means tough competition for some classes. For example, Intro to Physical Geology and Intro to Psych, both capped at 25, have waitlists upwards of 50 students for any given block.
The biggest advantage to the Block Plan is that it offers experiences impossible at any other school. When I took an environmental science class, I went on a field trip to the Wet Mountain Range in the Rockies, hiked a mountain, took tree samples, hung out with my class, and got to goof off in a real wilderness setting. I've also gone to the school-owned cabin and know plenty of people who have gone on week long trips to Baca Campus, a beautiful swath of land in southern Colorado which houses a few CC classrooms and a dorm. There are also countless international blocks, which are classes offered in other parts of the country or overseas. My friend went to Chile for a block where he studied Latin American literature. Because of the Block Plan you can easily take a block abroad, jetting off to another country for three and a half weeks. Built into the tuition is also a 'wildcard' summer course. The summer courses here are extraordinary, the most popular being a classics course where you sail around the Eastern Mediterranean going to the actual places mentioned in the Odyssey. I am personally am taking a six week intensive Italian language and culture course in Florence and the Tuscan countryside. My friend is learning about and working the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver. Another friend is going to Eastern Africa to learn about Hemingway's travels there.
Sciences at CC is huge deal. I would recommend any student interested in science at a liberal arts school to seriously consider CC. For the most part science goes right over my head, but the lab class I did take was both the hardest and most intellectually stimulating course I have ever taken. On top of the three hours every morning, labs usually occur at least three times a week for at least two hours. This sounds overwhelming - and it is - but it's incredible to learn something in the morning and actually experience it an hour or so later. The Geology department is famous for it's incredible week-long fieldtrips, CC is the smallest college to have a fully operating cadaver lab, and every intro class is infamously guaranteed to kick your ass.
However, beware. If you do get gypped and end up in a not-so-exciting class, you will have to trudge through it for three weeks without reprieve. Skipping class is largely not an option; not only will your absence be very much noticed, your professor will probably email you about it, and you miss the equivalent of a week's worth of 'normal schedule' information. On top of that, three absences in any class is an automatic fail. Motto of the Block Plan: never get sick. Visiting professors can also be a blessing or a curse; they will never know how to handle the Block Plan so you end up getting either a class with barely any work or a class in which you drown from readings.
Casey
All my professors remember my name and greet me when they encounter me around campus (and one even came to my dance performance!). My advisor knew me by name and sight after one short meeting. Favorite class: Advanced Fiction Writing. Least favorite: Intro. to Shakespeare. I have never seen so many people studying outside as I did when the weather was warm. 10 to 15 percent of the grade of every class has been based on participation. I have had countless philosophical, literary analyzing, gender-related, and futuristic conversations with friends and other students outside of class. Students tend, on the most part, to be more supportive than competitive, but it still happens. Most unique class: Theory and Literature of the Borderlands. My major is creative writing, which is essentially the English major plus creative writing classes. Includes two to three creative writing blocks, introduction to poetry, intro. to lit. theory, Shakespeare, 19th century lit., 18th century lit., minority lit., and a few more. The department is filled with helpful and amazing teachers and staff. I actually had a visiting teacher for my advanced fiction class: bestseller Jeffrey Lent. I go and visit my professors outside of class when I need help or clarification about class topics or discussions. Academic requirements: I love that the curriculum is diverse, but that one can choose which class in the division one can take (you can choose which science, which foreign language, etc.). I feel that most learning is for learning's sake, but that basically just applies to my interests anyways.