Colorado College Tour
After the 2022 International ACAC conference, UES Education had the amazing opportunity to visit eight universities in Colorado! We mentioned two of these,
Colorado College
and
UCCS
, in our previous
blog
on Colorado universities, and this blog will focus on a few more.
In & Around Denver
Denver, Colorado--known as the mile-high city and a former Old West metropolis—has a population just over 700,000 and is a bustling tech hub boasting art centres such as
Meow Wolf
and the
Space Gallery
. With world-class sports and the Rocky Mountains on its doorstep, Denver also offers students ease of travel around the city and suburbs with a light rail public transport network and an international airport with direct flights to London.
University of Denver
The
University of Denver
has two campuses: one green oasis a stone’s throw away from downtown Denver, and a second Mountain Campus where students can escape the city to explore meaningful academic programming such as writing and leadership workshops. DU is known for its strong academics, vision, and opportunities for students to try out new experiences while striving for public good.
All classes are taught by faculty, and students can explore their interests in fields such as Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Mechatronics and Robotics, Game development, Sustainability, Psychology and many other subjects in the liberal arts. With over one hundred majors and minors, undergraduates are spoiled for choice as they join a collaborative and passionate student body.
CU Denver
CU Denver
is a public research university in an urban setting.
It features a
central campus, a wide range of majors for students to choose from, and a vibrant, unique location in the city centre where three universities are located on the same campus:
MSU Denver
(with a student body comprised of 97% local students),
CU Denver
, and
Community College of Denver
.
Regis University
Regis University
, located north of central Denver, is a Jesuit institution with a central campus and strong values. They encourage students to question everything, seek more, and focus on contemplatives in action and the ‘Cura personalis’ (care of the whole person: mind, body, spirit).
Although the student body comprises primarily local students, the college is amazingly diverse, welcoming students of all faiths and none. Merit-based financial aid is offered for international students.
Regis has interesting collaborative academic features, including a dual-degree engineering programme with
WashU in St Louis
.
Creighton University
, Regis’ sister school, offers a programme in Occupational Therapy taught on-site at Regis.
Colorado State University
CSU
, located in Fort Collins--a small navigable college town near the larger city of Denver--has a lush green campus, a population of 28,000 undergraduates, amazing facilities, and an incredible variety of majors.
CSU is incredibly supportive and welcoming for international students. A-Levels and IB can allow students to gain advanced standing, and that will be reflected on the offer of admission. Additionally, international students can stay on campus over holidays, or attend homestays. There are even in-house immigration lawyers who can help students with applications to stay in the US after study!
CSU also offers some interesting and unique majors, like Equine Science, Fermentation, Animal Science, and Natural Resources. It is also a great option for students interested in research: CSU is a Carnegie-tier institution involved in world-class research where professors encourage students to participate in research, and undergrads can start researching in their first year!
Outside the classroom, there are also great opportunities for students to enjoy nature, including hiking and cycling around campus on weekends, and skiing and mountain biking; there are ski slopes around 1-1.5 hours away, lots of ski clubs, and buses that transport students to the slopes. Sport is also a big part of university life, with Division I games open to students for free in a 41,000-seat stadium.
Colorado School of Mines
It comes as no surprise that
Colorado School of Mines
, located near Denver, has amazing mining facilities: the school has its own mine--with a maze in the mine to simulate and practice--and a mine rescue club! But CSM isn’t just about mining: its focus is on earth, energy, and environment, and it welcomes students who live and breathe their enthusiasm for engineering.
As with the majority of US universities, CSM requires students to take classes in other humanities areas, like foreign languages and global issues. However, the humanities core courses are adapted to a more STEM-based audience, so it’s a great opportunity for students to learn more about subjects they might find intimidating, in a way tailored to them. There is a wide variety of courses on offer, and lots of new, innovative content, as seen in classes like robot ethics and history of engineering! Learning at CSM is very hands-on, and students complete a capstone project before graduation.
A great option for students invested in their professional future, CSM offers six majors that can lead to starting salaries of over six figures. Petrol giant BP has said that when they look at applicants, they sort CVs into two stacks: those who went to Mines, and those who didn’t! 95% of CSM grads are hired upon graduating, or attend graduate school.
UC Boulder
UC Boulder
’s motto is
Be Boulder
, and it boasts modern and innovative facilities nestled under the majestic beauty of the Flatirons. It has amazing facilities including an ice hockey rink, basketball court overlooking the mountains, and even a buffalo-shaped pool!
UC Boulder places a strong emphasis on engineering, so is a great option for students looking for an excellent education in that area. Particularly stellar are its programmes in Aerospace, Chemical, and Environmental Engineering, and nineteen of its alumni have gone to space as NASA astronauts!
It is also a great destination for students interested in studying business: its
Leeds School
(which is open to undergraduates) is well-respected and selective, and ideally located in Boulder, which more than doubles any other US city in tech startup density; nearby Denver is also a quickly-emerging economy.
Another option is the
College of Media, Communications, and Information
, which emphasises project-based learning and offers majors including communication, information science, journalism, media production, media studies, and strategic communications, to which project-based learning is key.
UC Boulder’s BA and BS in Computer Science are also excellent and hyper-selective, with an admit rate around 10%.