University of Colorado Boulder Top Questions

Being a transfer student from the University of Arizona, I have had the opportunity to experience other campus environments andI now have a better understanding of the variety of schools our nation has to offer. The University of Colorado is an unbelievably beautiful school. The campus is located at the base of the Flatiron Mountains, which make every photo taken of the school breath taking. The facilities here are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and when one walks onto campus after the first snow, many are taken aback at the sheer magnificence that is this campus. While the scenery is spectacular, this true college town also promotes a drug culture. Marijuana dispensaries are frequently emerging on "The Hill" as well as various drug paraphernalia stores. 4/20 is an event that inspires 40,000 of Colorado's finest to peacefully inhale on the Norlin Quad. While many find comfort in the acceptance of Marijuana in Boulder, not all students find the need to participate. Although greek life is no where close to the intensity found in the south, sorority and fraternity members are abundant within the student body. With the latest sorority pledge classes averaging around 70 members, greek life here at CU is growing in size and influence. It is clear that school pride is clearly evident at sporting events, it doesn't help that our football team is lackluster. Football games give all of CU an opportunity to tailgate, sing our fight song and then leave at halftime due to the frustration that is CU football. Many say CU is a drinking school with a football problem and I can agree with this on many occasions. Being the social chairman for my sorority I've witness first hand how the CU party culture can affect it's students. If you have the desire to drink every night of the week, there will always be a place to accomplish this. Drinking has caused problems within greek life specifically in hazing rituals which now have a been heavily banned by the sororities. Because the fraternities are not recognized by the University, their hazing rituals have been decreased but not eliminated. The University of Colorado is a huge school but I guarantee you that you will find 100 other students who are from the same high school, hometown or general area that you come from. If you participate in greek life, you will find twice as many people that end up being that neighbor you grew up with but didn't know their name. With that said, diversity at CU feels non-existent. Nine times out of ten if you are not from Colorado, you are from California. If you are looking for a school with a plethora of worldly individuals, this is not your school. While I can't promise that you'll meet students from around the world, I can promise that in your time here you will find great friends, make lasting memories and probably have the best time of your life.

The best quality of the University of Colorado is the community that surrounds the campus. Boulder is a gorgeous town nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains. The community is extremely active and very centered around the "go local" movement. Downtown features tons of local shops, restaurants and bars. Fantastic ski resorts like Breckenridge, Vail and Beaver Creek are only an hour and a half away from Boulder. Also, Boulder is very pedestrian-friendly. The public transportation in the town is easily accessible and there are plenty of routes to get you where you need to go. The CU campus is arguably one of the prettiest in the nation. The Flatiron range is visible from all points of the campus and the buildings showcase similar architecture that fits with the surrounding environment. The campus is relatively small and it will rarely take more than 15 minutes to walk from point A to point B. Though Boulder does see a fair amount of snow throughout the year, it is very nicely balanced with mostly sunny days. The winter is long, but the sunny, 60 degree days intermingled throughout January and February are a nice reprieve and help break through the winter scene outside. Boulder also offers a flowering spring, a mild summer, and a fall filled with red and gold leaves. The University of Colorado is a fantastic school for those seeking a college experience set in a beautiful town that offers a great music scene and tons of outdoor activities like hiking and skiing.

Boulder is epic. The thing I like best is the location. Love to snowboard? Eldora is less than an hour away and world-renouned ski resorts including Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin, Vail and Keystone are only 1.5 hours away! Love good music? Colorado is a hot spot for all types of musicians. With the Fox Theater located directly on 'The Hill', expect to see whoever you want to hear stop by during the year. The school is big. But not too big. I remember my first day as a freshman when I anticipated how big this pace really was. It freaked me out! How was I ever going to find a close group of friends or become close with any of my teachers? Luckily, the school size seemed to shrink every day. You start to realize that you will see the same people on campus, and you will run into friends everywhere you go. Although the large numbers often scare newcomers looking for a smaller student population, don't be worried. It's really easy to adapt to. Boulder is a college town with real-life going on to. You get to experience 'life in a bubble of Boulderites' if you want, but leaving campus and The Hill quickly emits you into a quick paced, vibrant city filled with humans who are not just here for the University. Campus is unbelievably beautiful. For anyone who has come, they can tell you how amazing it is to look up at the Flat-Irons every morning on their walk to class. Campus is big, but it's easy enough to walk from one end to the other in less than 15 minutes. Personally, if I'm on campus, I'll be in class or the library. Norlin library is one of my favorite parts of campus. It is centrally located and big enough that you will always find a spot to do your studying. The coffee shop downstairs has numerous yummy goodies to keep you filled in between classes and there is plenty of space to work with groups and discuss out loud or escape into your own realm of silence.

I am just finishing up my first semester of my sophomore year here at CU. I absolutely love it here! Coming from a small high school where my graduating class was only 46 people, I was a little nervous making the transition into a large university. Since CU has over 30,000 students, I was afraid that the school would be way to big for me. I was so wrong! Going to a big university has such great benefits. There are tons of areas to study in, many different on campus activities, and over 300 student run organizations to choose from! For example, I am a student ambassador for CU Boulder. This is just one example of the many different types of clubs and organizations offered. I give tours around the campus to prospective students and there families. Walking around campus every week and expressing my love for the school is one of my favorite things to do. In addition to being a student ambassador, I am on the Boulder freeride club. The freeride club is a ski and snowboard club on the CU campus! One other great aspect about CU is the school spirit we have. Even though all sports games are fun here, the football games are amazing!! Everyone dresses up in gold and black and cheers on our football team! At the beginning of a football game and at halftime, we have a live buffalo (our mascot Ralphie) run around the field. The crowd goes wild!! Even though there are such great things about CU Blulder and I could go on and on, there are a few things I would change. My biggest dislike about CU Boulder are the dinning hall hours. I wish it would be open later than 8pm. Sometimes I don't finish my homework or still studying in the library till after 8 and the dinning hall is closed by then. Besides that, there isn't really much to complain about!

The University of Colorado at Boulder is a college town. Once entering Boulder, you can automatically feel the atmosphere of a fun college town, but at the same time a working atmosphere present when it counts. The best thing about this school non-academic wise is the transportation systems. You can either walk everywhere you need to go or use the many transportation systems that are provided. The school also provides you with a bus pass, in order to make your transportation needs a reality. While the school inhabits over 30,000 students, you still get the small school feel. When starting out in your first year, most of your classes will be large lectures. However, after the first year your classes begin to get smaller and you end up seeing many of the same people that you will remain with for the rest of your time at the school. A good point to remember about your classes is that if you go to office hours and stay in constant contact with your professors, even a class of 500 can become personalized.

I am in love with this school. Not only is it breathtaking to be surrounded by the Flat Iron Mountains, but the Boulder campus is absolutely gorgeous. I have always desired the east coast feel of Harvard, Tuft's University, or George Washington. While I realized those places were completely out of the budget, Boulder became my east coast. The school boasts some 35,000 students, enough to overwhelm a person coming from a small town with a high school graduating class of 100. However, the campus has such a small feel, as you can walk from one side of the campus to the other in just under 15 minutes. There is also nothing like "The Hill" at any other school I have seen thus far. The Hill is where the majority of college students at CU live. All of my best friends live within a 3 block radius of my house and I rarely catch myself driving to anyone's house on the weekends. The Hill is located across the street from campus, which makes for just a 10 minute walk to most buildings for class. I am also in a sorority and on the CU Equestrian Team. These organizations help people view what some may see as a big school, feel smaller. School pride is more amazing now than ever. Currently, we just entered the Pack 12, and as a result, game days start at the break of dawn and last all day. This is what makes me proud to be a CU Buffalo.

The University of Colorado at Boulder is a college town. Once entering Boulder, you can automatically feel the atmosphere of a fun college town, but at the same time a working atmosphere present when it counts. The best thing about this school non-academic wise is the transportation systems. You can either walk everywhere you need to go or use the many transportation systems that are provided. The school also provides you with a bus pass, in order to make your transportation needs a reality. While the school inhabits over 30,000 students, you still get the small school feel. When starting out in your first year, most of your classes will be large lectures. However, after the first year your classes begin to get smaller and you end up seeing many of the same people that you will remain with for the rest of your time at the school. A good point to remember about your classes is that if you go to office hours and stay in constant contact with your professors, even a class of 500 can become personalized.

I am just finishing up my first semester of my sophomore year here at CU. I absolutely love it here! Coming from a small high school where my graduating class was only 46 people, I was a little nervous making the transition into a large university. Since CU has over 30,000 students, I was afraid that the school would be way to big for me. I was so wrong! Going to a big university has such great benefits. There are tons of areas to study in, many different on campus activities, and over 300 student run organizations to choose from! For example, I am a student ambassador for CU Boulder. This is just one example of the many different types of clubs and organizations offered. I give tours around the campus to prospective students and there families. Walking around campus every week and expressing my love for the school is one of my favorite things to do. In addition to being a student ambassador, I am on the Boulder freeride club. The freeride club is a ski and snowboard club on the CU campus! One other great aspect about CU is the school spirit we have. Even though all sports games are fun here, the football games are amazing!! Everyone dresses up in gold and black and cheers on our football team! At the beginning of a football game and at halftime, we have a live buffalo (our mascot Ralphie) run around the field. The crowd goes wild!! Even though there are such great things about CU Blulder and I could go on and on, there are a few things I would change. My biggest dislike about CU Boulder are the dinning hall hours. I wish it would be open later than 8pm. Sometimes I don't finish my homework or student in the library till after 8 and the dimming hall is closed by then. Besides that, there isn't really much to complain about!

Boulder has so much to offer! It's the perfect place to attend college. Don't have a car? Don't worry about it! Public transportation is impeccable! You can walk almost anywhere or take a bus if you don't feel like hoofing it. The weather is amazing, 300+ days of sunshine prevent those winter blues. There are so many potentials- hiking, skiing, boarding, golfing, trail running, long boarding, you name it!!

One thing I love about CU is it's really hard to be bored. There's always something to do, and if not your classes are sure to keep you occupied. The food is pretty good, but the C4C gets pretty crowded because it's so popular. Because CU is getting more and more popular each year, you'll do a lot of waiting and you'll deal with a lot of big crowds. Coming from a teeny private high school with 50 kids in my graduating class, I haven't had too much trouble adjusting to the size difference. I actually like the fact that if you want to avoid someone, chances are you won't see them unless you have a class together. I love the fact that it is a college town and (besides the occasional harassment by a homeless person) I feel genuinely safe here. People my age always ask "You go to CU? Soo... how much weed to you smoke?", which is funny the first couple times but gets old after a while. However, I've noticed that a lot of older people really wish the went to CU. When it's nice out, a lot of people do homework or play frisbee on Farrand Field. Now that it's cold, coffee shops are the place to be to study.