University of Colorado- Boulder: Sun, Snow, and Solid Academics

Students run with Ralphie, the team mascot, at the start of a CU- Boulder football game. (Photo by Glenn Asakawa/ University of Colorado)

Tree-shaded walkways, winding bike paths, open spaces and an incredible view of the dramatic Flatirons rock formation make the University of Colorado-Boulder’s campus a haven for students in America’s snowy Mountain West region.

A bevy of scholars’ programs, learning communities and academic neighborhoods give the 600-acre campus a community feel, and students choose from a solid menu of academic programs, including research experience, service learning and honors classes and programs.

With more than 300 days of sunshine a year, is it any wonder students here are a contented lot?

Entering freshmen and transfer students choose from three colleges, two programs and one school: the College of Arts and Sciences (with 70 percent of students), the College of Music, the College of Engineering and Applied Science, the Program in Environmental Design, the Program in Journalism and Mass Communication, and the Leeds School of Business. Each has different entrance standards and requirements.

With more than 300 days of sunshine a year, is it any wonder students here are a contented lot?

General education requirements for those who enroll in arts and sciences are designed to provide a broad background in the liberal arts to complement their major specialization.

“My courses are challenging but not overwhelming,” says a sophomore.

CU–Boulder offers more than 3,600 courses each year in approximately 150 areas of study. Outstanding departments include astrophysics and planetary sciences, biochemistry, biology, business entrepreneurship, engineering, English, geography, music and psychology. CU–Boulder is consistently among the top universities in the country to receive NASA funding, leading to unparalleled opportunities for the design, construction and flight of model spacecraft—and to 18 alumni having worked as astronauts.

“In my experience, professors and graduate student instructors alike have taken a keen interest in students’ progress, success and learning,” says one freshman, “making themselves available to students as a valuable resource for extra assistance with class concepts and assignments.”

CU–Boulder has tried to make its large campus seem smaller through “academic neighborhoods” (specialized living and learning environments) focusing on topics such as leadership; diversity; natural or social sciences; international studies; engineering; sustainability and innovation; music; and history, culture, and society. In these programs, students take one or two courses, each limited to 25 students, in their residence halls.

“The Residential Academic Program for freshmen is essential for gaining a well-rounded experience at CU,” advises a senior.

"My courses are challenging but not overwhelming"

Sixty-three percent of the student body comes from Colorado. Hispanics comprise 10 percent of the undergraduate population, Asian-Americans 5 percent, and African-Americans 2 percent.

“My experience at CU has led me to be around students more like myself: academically focused and socially aware,” offers one freshman. “It is such a large, broad campus that just about any sort of student can be found.”
First-year students are required to live on campus, where rooms get mixed reviews.

“The dorms on main campus are currently pretty run-down, but very close to classes,” says a biochemistry major.
Generally, students say campus is safe, helped by the availability of emergency telephones as well as walking and riding escorts at night.

“Although there is plenty of socialization on campus (numerous coffee shops, performances at the university theater, and various on-campus events), I would say most students go off campus for social interaction,” says one integrative physiology major.
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For the culturally minded, the university and the city of Boulder offer films and plays, the renowned Colorado Shakespeare Festival, art galleries and museums, and concerts by top rock bands. Denver is only 30 miles southeast, reachable by a free bus service. Day trips to ski resorts like Breckenridge and Vail largely replace weekend getaways here. Eleven percent of men and 17 percent of women go Greek.

​Physical exercise is a popular extracurricular activity. The CU–Boulder club sports program is ranked among the top three in the nation for both the athletic and academic performance of its teams. The newly renovated and expanded Student Recreation Center includes indoor and outdoor pools, a state-of-the-art climbing gym, indoor turf gym, basketball and tennis courts, an indoor running track, ice arena, five fitness studios and 10,000 square feet of strength and cardio space.

Varsity teams compete in the Pac-12 Conference, and the Buffaloes have won more than 30 team conference championships. Ralphie, the live buffalo who acts as CU–Boulder’s mascot, doesn’t miss a game—and neither do many students.

“CU–Boulder is energy. Every student, teacher and department always has something new and exciting going on,” says one senior. “It would be very hard to get bored here.”

​Adapted from Fiske Guide to Colleges 2016

© 2015 FGC Associates, LLC. Used by permission of Sourcebooks.

Fiske Guide to Colleges is available as an online program at www.collegecountdown.com/store.