Colorado College Top Questions

CC is awesome, that's all there is to it. The block plan, though it can be rough, is the best way to learn- Whenever I visit my friends at other schools and remind them about the block plan and the style of learning at CC, they all wish they went here.

CC is an excellent school for someone who wants to learn, enjoys class discussion, enjoys taking one subject at a time, and who enjoys having a good time as well.

Colorado College is a great, social school that allows almost any niche group to flourish. Students find things that they already loved and things that they never knew existed. This creates a vibrant community of outdoors folks, artists, musicians, athletes and so on. The school is expensive and in a Colorado, which cuts out a lot of socio-economic and ethnic diversity. The administration is currently fighting to clime the hierarchical ladder that is US News college rankings which draws mixed feelings between the students and the powers that be. Overall growth and change but some feel that the school is currently losing some of its once distinguishing characteristics that allowed to be seen differently than some of its counterparts: Whitman, Middlebury, Vassar etc. Overall this Colorado College is engaged in a multitude of ways which in turn makes it very exciting to be in and a part of.

There are things to do in Colorado Springs; plenty of places to eat, karaoke bars...mega churches... The general liberal view of the college and the very conservative view of the city are somewhat at odds. The downtown is close to campus and pretty nice. I think the administration does a great job. Some people complain that the president is too much of a businessman, but I have a lot of respect for what he does, how much gets done, and the amount of feedback the administration wants from the students.

The professors are the best thing. I would change the lack of minorities and racial/socioeconomic diversity. School is just the right size, but I'd be ok with it being bigger. Most people think I go to a community college or a Colorado State school, never having heard of CC. I spend most of my time in Palmer, or in my dorm. The town is pretty boring and most people spend most time on campus I feel. I don't know enough about the administration to have an opinion. The recent controversy has been derogatory graffiti directed at our gay/lesbian population. There is a fair amount of school pride, especially against DU. The unusual thing about the college is the block plan. I don't have an experience I'll remember. Cafeteria food is a big complaint, although my biggest complaint is the lack of diversity.

the block plan kicks butt.... a good class is a sick 3.5 weeks of a cool class... if its impossible and you hate it before you know it your half way through and you only have another week and a half so its pretty mucha a win win. I think it could be a bit bigger but nott to much maybe another 50-100 kids a class... Most people dont really not much about cc but the people who know who know think that its pretty sweet.

The best thing about Colorado College is the block plan. I would change our dining services. My school is just right. People often think Colorado College is some random state school or community college in Colorado, which is quite annoying. I spend most of my time either in my dorm, the student center, in class, or in the Music building. The CC administration is kind and respectful, but I wish they were more lenient with respect to underage drinking and use of un-harmful illegal drugs. The biggest recent controversy is an anonymous paper placed in several bathroom stalls, called "The Monthly Bag;" it is a paper made with the focus being to debunk perceived myths on racial and gender issues, and providing "manly"-type information. There is a lot of school pride, especially in the hockey team. The block plan is quite unusual about CC, and the student body is more liberal than most college campuses, especially with reference to environmental issues. I will remember forever the experience of prospie weekend my senior year of high school, and smoking weed on top of Honnen ice rink. The most frequent student complaints are over acts of perceived discrimination and environmental issues.

The block plan is a godsend for those that can handle it. The beauty of the block plan is that with no other classes to worry about, a geology course might go backpacking in the San Juans for two weeks to learn about volcanic rocks, or a world music class may go to an Indian reservation in Oklahoma to see traditional powwow music in practice. If you have a hard or boring class, it is over in one month. It isn't for everyone though, because we are essentially compacting a semester' worth of course material into one month, so students often find themselves unable to plan anything outside of the one month timeframe. Block breaks are about the best thing on the planet; every month we have four days off to ski, hike, travel, hang on campus. First block break this year I went backpacking near Aspen, second block break I went to Boulder for three days, and fifth block break went skiing for four days straight at Vail and Beaver creek. Colorado Springs gets 300 days of sunshine a year, so all year long you can look at Pikes peak, and even in the dead of winter it will be bright and sunny out. The weather just rocks, period. There isn't much I would change about CC. The food is decent, but can get repetitive, and I would prefer a bigger focus on the performing art, especially music, in the course offerings. CC is a good size for me, but if you want to be able to meet new faces all the time, it's going to be small. If you are social and proactive about meeting people, you will know your entire year by face or name by winter break. One thing about the school that you will notice is its relative obscurity for being such a high ranking institution; it gets mistaken for other Colorado schools quite often. I would say three out of four people that I tell I go to CC ask "oh, and how do you like Boulder?" The few who know CC are always impressed by the name drop though. CC has a wealth of things to do. I usually find myself spending time in the freshman dorms, which are always beehives of every activity imaginable, or down by Herb N Farm, our organic food place which has a terrace that overlooks Pikes Peak and the front range over the athletic fields. When the weather is warm the quad is awesome. Campus does a great job of bringing in bands and speakers, and you can always find a pickup game of soccer or ultimate, or maybe a drum circle. Colorado Springs is unfortunately no great shakes. It is a typical largely blue collar town with a small downtown and lots of sprawl. The downtown is becoming significantly more trendy recently, however, and cool towns and things to do are right outside of the city. Manitou Springs and Pike National Forest come to mind. College administration is friendly and efficient. The block plan creates difficulties for them, but they handle everything superbly. Discipline-wise, they are not quick to judge and are very willing to give second third and fourth chances, to an extent. They deal seriously with serious issues, however, as does the rest of campus. Recently homophobic messages were written on a gay RA's door, and the entire campus justfiably went into an uproar for weeks following the event, as it goes so strongly against CC's accepting and socially aware nature. The biggest complaints I hear on campus are about the rigor of the block plan and the cold of the winters. Colorado Springs is quite windy so when November hits, the temperature drops and everyone bundles up. Colorado weather is fickle though, so right after dumping six inches of snow on campus you can have a week straight of 60-degree sun in the middle of January.

the school is a little bit too small. People don't generally know about colorado college, but that doesn't bother most of the people who go here. In recent years, the schools has become more "prep" or "ivy" like and less original and unique. The town sucks, a lot. There isn't a ton to do (unless you REALLY like the outdoors) and the city is so ridiculously conservative that it makes it hard for the college and the town to coexist. However, with the "northeastification" of the school in recent years, the student body is slowly becoming more conservative. The biggest recent controversy on campus is now crystallized as the "black face incident". While I won't go into too many details, a bunch of hockey players dressed up in "black face" and didn't really understand why everyone got so upset. The most frequent complaints are about food service, but that is being reviewed this year.

The best thing about CC is, without a doubt, the block plan. It truly is an incredible way to learn, and it affords CC students with so many opportunities that would be lost at any other school. The campus feels a bit small sometimes, but people rarely complain because the walk from your dorm to class always is a bit longer than you would think. Colorado Springs takes a lot of flak from the CC community (and, in turn, CC takes a lot of flak from the C. Springs community). And while Colorado Springs is definitely a less-than-ideal city, I have come to appreciate a lot of aspects about it. And there is never an absence of interesting people that one can meet downtown.

As a freshman, I'm a relatively new addition to the CC community but I've quickly developed a love for this school! Not to be cheesy, but I adore it. CC met my wildest expectations and made coming to college a smooth transition from high school. I was considering other small liberal arts colleges such as Whitman College and University of Puget Sound but certain things set CC apart from its competitors. For instance the students here are very welcoming and I think its a great size, though it could be too small for some people. I spend a lot of time on the quad when its sunny, which is often. Coming from overcast Oregon I'm very impressed with how even if its cold outside, for the most part we're graced with clear blue skies. One of the frustrating parts of the CC experience is the somewhat dull town of Colorado Springs. Its kind of a small city surrounded by suburban barf, a result of lack of urban planning. Although C Springs is disappointing, there are so many activities provided on campus that it usually makes up for not having a good metropolis nearby. Although its important to remember that Denver is only about an hour away so if you become desperate for a concert or event to go to, thats the best spot. Also amazing ski spots, Keystone, Breckenridge, etc. are a mere 2-3 hours away. As soon as ski season starts, tons of CC students go up to the mountains on the weekends.

Best thing: discussion based, small classes. Change: I'd like it if adjuncts could be worth more credits. Size: could afford to be a little bigger, but i like the size. Outsider's reaction: "Oh, CU-Boulder?" College town?: The area of CO springs directly off campus (aka wooglins deli) is nice, but once you actually get into Colorado Springs, there's a huge disconnect between the citizens and the students. We're all "liberal hippies" and they're all "Right wing, religious militarists..." or so it would seem. Administration: not enough financial aid--70{4a082faed443b016e84c6ea63012b481c58f64867aa2dc62fff66e22ad7dff6c} of my class pays full tuition. They've been recruiting students from much richer areas...it's like they look at our wallets first before accepting us. Controversy: Homophobic slurs written on the sophmore dorm RLC's door. Pride: Especially at hockey games, yeah. Unusual: The block plan, how we're very much a bubble within the completely opposite urban sprawl of CO springs, everyone is extremely extremely nice Experience: My FOOT trip organized by the ORC--It was my first time above 14000 ft and it was with really encouraging and inspiring peers that made me realize that college is completely different from HS. Complaints: Rastall--The food in the main dining hall is pretty bad: many students have an almost immediate reaction to the food in their bowels, yayyy!

Colorado weather is amazing, as is Colorado in general. You just can't beat it. We have the most sun of any state - yes, including Hawaii - averaging at about 300 days a year. When it's not sunny, it's snowing. However, mountain weather can be crazy. Just this past week it was sunny 60 degrees one day and dumped three inches of snow the next. However, temperature stays pretty mild and I'm not trudging to class in four feet of snow. I see it as the best of all possible worlds: balmy temperatures, seasons, constant sun, and a good amount of snow. The best way to describe Colorado is a playground. If you're into the outdoors, Pikes Peak literally looms over the campus and Garden of the Gods is 15 minutes down the road. Outside of Colorado Springs, all the major ski resorts (read: best skiing in the country) are 1 to 4 hours away. Skiing is extraordinarily affordable and accessible for students; I got a season pass to four major mountains for only $260 and $10 buses go to various mountains every weekend. There is also the mind-blowing geological phenomenon of the Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado, a visit which is a rite of passage for many students. Not into the great outdoors? No big deal, a $7 bus ride gets you to Denver and another short one right to Boulder. In general, there's endless opportunities during the all-important Block Breaks. CC is a small school, approximately 2000 students. The campus, thus, is also very small. This can be an advantage and a disadvantage. From walking out of my dorm, it takes me - at most - two minutes to get to any class and there's always someone around to hang out with. But there is the running joke of the "CC bubble". This is because CC is a haven of liberalism in the ultra-conservative Colorado Springs. The city is the evangelical center of America, home to Focus on the Family, Young Life, and countless other megachurches. It's also proudly the home of the Air Force Academy. Needless to say, Colorado Springs is not the most welcoming of CC's liberal mentality and there is a strained town-gown relationship. Furthermore, aside from a few restaurants, movie theaters, and any super-store you can think of, Colorado Springs doesn't have a lot to offer. Because of this, many students prefer to stay on campus, which can make one feel pretty claustrophobic sometimes. School pride is pretty much reserved for the hockey team, which is one of the best in the nation. Even Colorado Springs supports the team. But even then, it's a certain group of kids who go to every home game (aside from the big DU rival game) and it isn't a huge deal among the student population as a whole. For all the stereotypes, CC isn't really a campus of controversy or politics. There aren't protests being held, they're aren't rallies, and even the presidential hopefuls - though a common conversation topic - aren't publicly supported. However, there was a recent occurrence of racism and bigotry in one of the big dorms on campus, which led to a hugely supported sit-in. People here are more than happy to just go with the flow, but are still willing to support a cause and make a change when needed.

Best thing: Block plan creates strong academic and personal bonds with other students. One thing I'd change: more organization within organizations on campus. CC is the perfect size. Reactions: Very positive, or they have never heard of it. Most of my time is spent in the lounge of my dorm building, or in Herb 'N' Farm, an organic restaurant on campus. Down town definitely has a college-town feel, but it is just a small part of CO Springs. The rest of it is not a college town at all. The administration is very helpful, but, from what I've heard, the president is a little crazy and not that helpful; dean of students is very supportive. Recently, homophobic and anti-semetic grafitti was found in one of the dorm buildings. There is school pride, especially concerning the girls' soccer team and the hockey team. Unusual: