Colorado College
Reviews

Not Much Need

Student who don't have a car at school do not really suffer at all because Colorado College has an incredibly small campus. Most things you'd need downtown are easily within walking or biking distance, and the weather is usually wonderful!

Colorado College also provides a shuttle, Campus Safety, and Safe Ride to transport anyone around Colorado Springs and the Colorado College Campus. They're all free- it's wonderful.

Students can bring a car, parking is easy, and it's pretty inexpensive.

Good Personal Package

Despite the minimal socioeconomic diversity (80% of students pay in full!) I received a very appreciable package that fit my needs, and was better than all 6 other schools I applied to

Most Overlooked Party School

Work hard, play hard mentality. Students excel academically, but know how to blow off steam as well, if not better than many nationally ranked party schools

Pretty Decent Computer Labs

The labs arent huge, but there are lots of them around campus (including in each of the main dorms) and its easy to find a free computer. Unlimited printing is free across campus and available in almost every building. Wireless is available everywhere, but occasionally cuts out. Most people have personal laptops, but its not absolutely necessary.

Only Because...

Only because of Colorado Springs' mountain biking am I giving it a B+. It's easy to leave from campus, ride some spectacular trails, and ride back home. Otherwise, this "city" is merely suburban sprawl with too many chain restaurants--it's a dismal cultural black hole, the painfully sharp consequence of having vibrant Denver is only 60 miles north.

Most townies dislike CC students, and vice versa. Most townies also perpetrated a shameful act of conservative ideological purity when--in the face of $12 million in potential cuts to the budgets of police, fire, public transit, and parks--they voted down a minimal property tax that could have saved what limited public services we had. Now there are none.

The Garden of the Gods is close and fun for biking, climbing, shenanigans. If you are into military bases and megachurches, there are plenty of those too!

Computer Labs, Printing, Wireless

The computer labs that are PC are incredibly slow. The computer labs that are Macs are fast. There are only 3 Mac labs on campus. Printing is always reliable wherever you are. The speed of the network wireless is not particularly fast. It is fast on individual computers, especially not when a lot of people are using it (i.e. 1 pm-4 pm.)

All Campus Events

A unique feature of Colorado College is the fact that the student body is small enough to allow everyone to attend an all-campus party or a Division 1 hockey game at the World Arena. We have all-campus events almost once a block; Halloween, Ice Age, Drag Ball, Llamapalooza to name a few. The community is able to interact with each other on a level that a bigger college or university is unable to.

Convenience

Off-Campus housing is only offered to students with Senior standing. Many students live very near the campus (1-2 blocks off campus). The housing is affordable, a good change from apartments and dorms, and is usually conveniently close to classes.

Network Reliability and Speed

Computers are available for student use in every building on campus. There are printers that are connected to the computers in each building and you can connect your personal computer to the network and college printers. The network is very unreliable, which is the downside. I have a good connection to the network on the West side of campus and terrible connection on the East side. This is consistent with some of my peers as well.

Rich Experiences

Colorado College is for independently motivated students who like to try new things and get involved. There are a great variety of courses offered, and a number of incredible people and opportunities. It is easy to get overwhelmed by the block plan and the social scene—but being overwhelmed in college every now and then isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Drinking Is Pretty Popular

You can drink any night you want, school events even allow drinking for 21 and up. Only seniors live off campus so they host the parties and put together senior party calendars for 1st and 8th Block. Coke is big in certain crowds, but if you aren't in those crowds you won't know people do it. Otherwise people smoke pot, just like at any other college. Probably in similar amounts to schools like CC. I don't do drugs and didn't find it a problem either way. But I drink and found opportunities to have fun and also nights where I could get away from it.

Near the Mountains

It is a fifteen minute drive to the base of a 14er and the incline where you can do a quick but tough hike up part of Pike's Peak. There's tons of biking, hiking, and walking through cool areas like canyons and Garden of the Gods. Ski areas are not that close but close enough, Breckenridge is about 1.5 hours away. The thing about Colorado Springs is that you have to seek out cool stuff to do, but if you do it is a nice break from the campus. In the small but close-by downtown area there are restaurants, art museums and other museums, funky shops and theaters. The Pike's Peak Center and World Arena have some big hit concerts, esp country and the Black Sheep is a smaller concert venue about 5 minutes away. The Broadmoor and its restaurants are a nice break and fun for an occasional night out.

No Public Transportation, but There's Safe Ride

Downtown is within walking distance, but in Colorado, no one wants to be walking outside when it's ten degrees. However, to get around campus at night, there is a school sponsored "Safe Ride" program that will take you within a five block radius of campus for free. It runs from 9pm-2am on the weekends and from 8pm-1am on weeknights.

We Create Our Own Party!

There are a lot of school-sponsored late-night events at CC, and they're really fun for the most part. Free food, dancing and beer are all you need for a good time. After the party it's the waffle house...nah. But there are house parties galore. It's a tradition that as freshman, you mooch off of the seniors but it is your responsibility as a senior to throw parties for the freshman. Nightlife is for the 21+ crowd. There are many deals to be had at the bars downtown including Ladies Night at the Thirsty Parrot where girls drink free from 8PM-12AM.

Lax

Campus strictness at CC is pretty lax and understanding, but they have legitimate rules and punishments when things go wrong. Drinking is allowed on campus and punishments with drinking and smoking can usually be avoided if one is smart and savvy.

The Best School Ever

My experience at Colorado College does not seem to compare to any of my other friends at other schools. The level of education, the quality of people and the closeness of the school all create a great atmosphere where you can find at no other school!

A Midsize Town With Lots of Variety

downtown Colorado springs may not seem like the most vibrant place, but there are plenty of fun and different places to go if you put some effort into it. Plenty of outdoor activities: hiking, fishing, Pike's Peak is the best part about the springs.

The Food Is Soooo Much Better Now!

Ever since Bon Appétit took over the catering at CC, the quality of the food has increased tenfold. There's still a limited number of options, but there is definitely consistent quality and really, when you think about it, quite a few options for the size of our campus.

Varsity Sports Enthusiasm Is Average

As a varsity athlete and someone who knows athletes at other schools, I feel that enthusiasm for sports at CC is very much average. Basketball draws a modest crowd, soccer is a little more celebrated, and smaller sports such a Cross Country and Track and Swimming are typically not attended. We don't have a football team. We do, however, have a Division I Hockey Team that is very popular.

Small School Means Everyone Lives on the Same Few Streets

Houses are pretty much the only off-campus housing option people pursue. There are a lot of houses that leasers rent out solely to CC seniors every year, and those are all within two or so blocks from each other. Pricing is reasonable.

Computers at CC

Just about everyone has their own laptop. However, there are printers and computer labs available all over campus so it is not necessary to carry one's laptop around. Some of the labs (like the one in the student center comprising just three working computers) are old and need to be replaced. Others are brand new and state of the art, equipped with beautiful, fast-working Macs or PCs.

Drinking and Drugs Are About Equal

Mostly just smoking is done here. it's pretty big here. drinking usually happens on the weekends.

So Much to Do...So Little Time

We have a great Campus Activities Program. It's mostly student run, so things happen that we want to make happen. Students have a lot of freedom in planning events - and there are so many clubs on campus. If we don't have it, you can start it. We also have the ORC (Outdoor Recreation Club), which is great if you're the outdoorsy type. There are so many things to do around campus—and the Campus Activities Office is a great place to start!

You're Never Going to Drive to Class, So You Really Just Need a Place to Park Your Car Between Ski Trips

Campus is tiny, so you never have to drive anywhere. There are plenty of lots available on campus, so you can park close to where you live. But you shouldn't need your car until the weekend anyway! Permits aren't that expensive, but tickets are—so make sure you park in the correct lot!

If You're Not Obnoxious, You'll Be Ok

Rather than ruling out drinking completely, the alcohol policy at CC teaches responsible drinking. That is, if you're in your room having a beer with a couple friends and no one's vomiting and no one's a hot mess, you'll be fine. If you can keep it in check, it's not too strict. Students are given a lot of personal responsibility and we're in charge of holding each other accountable. Marijuana is not tolerated in the dorms, although sometimes people get away with it. Hard drugs are obviously not tolerated at all.