University of Colorado Boulder Top Questions

CU Boulder has a beautiful campus. The dorms are nice. The dinning hall food could be better. The variety of classes is wonderful, you will be offered a variety of opportunities. The professors are passionate, although, the class sizes can get rather large. The study abroad program is full of choices and there are many alternative break options as well. There are tons of clubs and activities, and you are sure to find your niche.

CU has two reputations, neither of which are completely accurate. One is that it is a party school, and the second is that it is full of "granola type" hippies who smoke pot all day. It is easy to see how these reputations would come about, but I personally think that the attributes of the school that are misconstrued into stereotypes are quite positive. First, there is tons of school spirit, huge turnouts for football games, and the hill area where most students live is active and alive every night. Pearl street, which is full of bars, restaurants, and shops, is also very close by. The mountain setting lends to many opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, skiing, snowboarding, and dirt-biking to name a few. The proximity to the Boulder Reservoir as well as many lakes also affords students the opportunity to swim, tube, and kayak. CU is a large school, but joining a sorority has made it seem a lot smaller. It is almost impossible to walk between classes or around the hill without running into at least one person I know. Mostly everyone I've met has been extremely friendly and I'm never lacking a friend to accompany me in doing whatever it is that I want to do; whether its studying, shopping, ice climbing, or going to a party.

The classes are great, and the atmosphere in Boulder is very much that of a college town. However, some students care too much for the partying lifestyle, which can sort of belittle the very reason for going to college.

Personally, I enjoy the campus' environment and the overall feel of a college town. There are around 27,000 undergraduates here at CU, but neither the campus or town make you feel lost. The college town atmosphere is a big plus because all of the students live in one area right across from campus known as "the hill", and you are able to walk to the bars, other houses, class, food places, events, music shows all within five-ten minutes. Whenever I share with others that I attend CU, they get very excited and say that they hear nothing but great things, especially with the college social scene. The administration is very friendly, and once you start taking courses applying directly to your major, you begin to have classes with familiar faces and are allowed a smaller classroom environment with 20-30 person classes. I feel that our administration and students hold a certain sense of pride, and represent Colorado in clothing, sporting events, and other shows or meetings on campus. There are not many controversies on campus, however there are times when groups or individuals practice freedom of speech dealing with controversial subjects such as religion and abortion. The students here are willing to get involved in asking questions or refuting these displays, and sometimes it can cause a mini scene.

Overall, the University of Colorado at Boulder, CO is a great platform for anyone who is willing to fully engage him/herself within an environment that offers its students an/the opportunity to apply course materials to real world situations. While some courses are designed to teach students the basic(s) of certain theories and/or models depending on the curriculum, other courses afford the opportunities for students to explore beyond the classroom environment(s). From a student perspective, one thing I would like to see changed is the parking. For instance, I pay approximately $130 per semester for parking. However, the location of my alloted space is on the other end of campus from where the majority of my classes are. I understand that the campus is divided between departments and can only afford to have so many lots for visitors, staff, and students. So this is not necessarily a major complaint, just an observation to consider. Another thing I have noticed throughout my tenure at CU is that the library, Norlin library, definitely is not using its space efficiently nor does it have enough resources available. For instance, there are not enough computers available, not enough study rooms, and not enough wall outlets for students to utilize. Some areas (i.e., the "stacks") where shelves of books are stored take up a great amount of space, where students could otherwise use as study and research platforms. When I tell others of/about CU, their reactions are usually two-sided; some admire the fact that I attend a prestigious university, while others hold to their own assumptions (e.g., a school full of trust fund 'hippies'). While on campus, I usually spend most of my time either at the University Memorial Center (UMC) or Norlin library. The campus itself is relatively small in my opinion, and does not offer too many alternatives that are geared for students' study habits. If the UMC and/or Norlin are too crowded, I usually have to walk to various buidlings and hope to find a quiet hallway or vacant classroom with a wall outlet to use. For some, this may be acceptable, but for others like myself, this is an inconvenience. I only have limited knowledge of CU's administration. In the past, I have experienced issues with certain departments. For instance, because I am a student veteran (non-traditional student), I make every effort to keep open lines of communication available between myself and the Student Veterans Affairs Office (SVAO). What I have noticed, however, is that other offices (located in the same building) do not always maintain similar levels of contact with the SVAO. For instance, during the start of one semester, I visited the Bursar's Office, and was informed that I could apply for what is known as the College Opportunity Fund (COF) as an in-state statused resident due to my status as a student veteran. When I took my semester bill downstairs to the SVAO, a senior representative from the office informed me that I was not entitled to receive COF funds, which he was correct about. Frustrated, I was told that eventually, the funds (approximately $800 in value) would have to be returned on my account. Luckily, student veterans now are entitled to receive COF funds, so this matter no longer poses as an example of misinformation between offices and students/recipients. Overall, however, the administration has been and remains to be a great resource for me, especially the Student Veteran Affairs Office. Recently, there have many a number of student government protests on campus about the Occupy Wallstreet movement. Here is an articles that was written posted on the DailyCamera's website (Boulder news source) on December 9, 2011: Occupy CU-Boulder will be holding a "teach-in" this afternoon and evening to talk about economic inequality and the development of the Occupy Wall Street movement. A series of speakers, including economists, historians and sociologists, will be in the Glen Miller Ballroom in the University Memorial Center, starting at 3:15 p.m. Barry Clark, an economist, will talk about the causes of the Great Recession. Geography Professor Elizabeth Dunn will talk about Solidarity and what Occupy Wall Street can learn from the movements that brought down communism. Joseph Bryan, also a geography professor, will discuss the importance of occupying public space as a tactic for social change. Sociologist Colleen Hackett will talk about the role of state repression in radicalizing protest movements. The students at the University of Colorado at Boulder, CO are very demonstrative with varying levels of student pride. As such, it is rare to not see students wearing CU apparel on campus (e.g., sweaters, hats, sweatpants, etc.) The CU bookstore inside the UMC has a full stock at relatively affordable prices of clothing for all genders. Football games held on CU's campus represent another form of student pride, as many will arrive with family and friends for pre-game festivities wearing CU apparel. So it should be evident by now that student pride is one thing that CU is not short of. I think it is a little unusal that nearly all the buildings at CU are made of Lyons sandstone, which makes visits for newcomers rather challenging without a tour guide. Other than that, I am not aware of anything else that presents itself as being unusual. One experience I will always remember will be the acceptance letter I received from the University of Colorado at Boulder, CO. Due to my eight year break from school as I was an active member of the United States Army at the time, CU was concerned whether I still had the academic drive to continue. Therefore, I had to enroll in a few course at a different institution to provide evidence for CU that I was indeed serious about my education. Prior to being accepted to CU, I was attending Colorado Technical University Online (CTU), and held a 4.0 GPA. Although my attendance at CTU was a little cumbersome, I will never forget that it proved to CU as well as me, that education was still something to be valued.

CU-Boulder is truly a unique and amazing school. I love waking up every morning to the beautiful flatirons and not to mention our beautiful campus. I personally love the size of campus, I love being at a school 30,000 students; it has been an exciting time in my life. Typically, I spend a lot of my time on campus at Norlin Library in the winter or outside on the Quad in the spring and fall. I love the pride that CU students have at sporting events as well as in their day to day activities. It is always nice to see a lot of people sporting CU apparel whether it is a sweatshirt or a notebook. I am currently a junior here, but I will always remember my freshmen year in the dorms. My roommate from the dorms still remains one of my closest friends, so much so that we are living together next year! The relationships that I built with friends in the dorms have remained to be some of the best experiences of college thus far. I cannot say enough how happy I am that I am a CU Buff; it is a family tradition from the time that my dad and aunt attended here.

The best thing about Boulder is the atmosphere. Boulder has the atmosphere of a college town. With the beautiful mountains in the backdrop and the beautiful buildings where you will attend your lectures. The school is not too small it's just right. Students study in the library, sleep on the lawn on warm afternoons. Students study hard but at the same time enjoy the college experience of going to the football games.

CU-Boulder has made a great impact on me since day one. I have made life-long friends and I have grown a lot through this expirence with the University. The University has made me think more independently and logically. The best thing about the school is probably the community that you are able to make. Even though the University has a lot of people, you are able to find many organizations that will enlighten your interests. When I tell people that I go to CU-Boulder, I get two different responses. One, "Oh, so your going to a hippie school. Are you going to recycle all of your corn-based forks? HUH?" Two, "OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG Boulder is the best school ever! You are going to love it there. I love the campus, its so beautiful. The school is so much fun. Go to the football games!" Of course the second one was either a graduate or a student. There is a lot of school pride in one school. The one thing bad about the school that I myself and other graduates and students will agree on is the buff bus. I live at Williams Village, which is about 5 to 10 mintues away from main campus and I highly depend on the buff bus. However, the buff bus can be your best friend or your enemy. They do give you the bus schedule but the schedule is never right. Sometimes I will be late. There are some perks though. I don't have to walk to the UMC (where I hang out all the time) because the bus stops right infront of the UMC. The buff bus wouldn't be a problem if you live on campus.

The best thing about the University of Colorado Boulder is the College atmosphere and the location. The campus is nestled right up to the base of the flatirons of the Rocky Mountains and the view is spectacular! The college atmosphere is just great in the way that town rallies around the University and the students take full pride in their school and teams. To put it bluntly, everyone is proud to be a buffalo. If i could change one thing about the school, it would be the reputation that it has gotten from Playboy magazine last year about it being the biggest party school in the United States. I mean, sure if you are going to come to Boulder during 4/ 20 there is bound to be the largest crowd of marijuana smokers you have ever seen. I mean sure, boulder has great parties, but the student body here has more of a balance and handle on it than people have made us out to have. I would say that University of Colorado Boulder has just the right amount of students if you want a big campus. It is a large University so if you are looking for one on one time with each of your teachers all the time, this may not be the school for you. When I tell people i go to CU, I get these responses. "Wow i love colorado, you must love it." "Boulder is an awesome town," " Wow the skiing and snowboarding must be a blast!" "That's awesome you guys just joined the pack 12 right?" and of course, "RALPHIE is the best mascot in the entire nation! your so lucky!" Boulder is such a college town. Pearl street, which is located below campus just a few blocks away, is such a great place for entertainment, shopping, and food. The Hill, which is located right on the outskirts of campus, is also a chill place to be where there are little local dining areas and hang out spots that the college kids take over and also work at. I can honestly say that the people at this school are one of the reasons i love it best. You are running around in a crowd that has so many different stories, yet so many humble and all around kind people. It is not about how much money you have or where you are from, but just who you are now in college and what you want to be. It has been incredible joining greek life here, watching football games in our incredible stadium, watching Ralphie run and seeing the student section go wild, watching the first snowfall and seeing all of campus come out of the dorms to have the biggest snowball fight ever, taking hikes up all the different mountain trails, eating bomb food all the time, walking through a campus that can be described as a brick version of Hogwarts, waking up to see the rocky mountains outside of your window, homecoming weekend parade down on pearl street, going to seminars with noble prize winning speakers, and being able to call myself a BUFF.

The best thing about this school is the amount of people and the variety in things to do. It has a college town surrounding it with amazing restaurants to eat at. There is also a lot of shopping around the campus. I feel like this school is just the right size if you want to meet a lot of people, but lectures can get very large. Professors are easy to reach though, so don't be intimidated by size. People tend to respect CU Boulder and say it's a "good school" and it's true. I love to spend my time in the library and in other buildings that host free events. Everyone who goes here has tremendous school pride and proud to be a Buff. I always get emailed about opportunities and there is a botomless pit of resources that are offered online and by advisors! You can do anything you want here and have a great reputation and experience of doing something meaningful.