Colorado experts, please help narrowing down colleges for an East Coast kid!
 

Hi all,

My son has his heart set on going to college somewhere in Colorado so he can snowboard on the weekends! :) However, having never been to Colorado, we are trying to narrow down colleges to visit. I'm assuming U of CO in Boulder is the closest to mountains, but I'm not sure. I'd also like him to visit colleges anywhere between Gunnison and Ft. Collins. Is it true Denver is about 4 hrs from Gunnison? I think it's important to be near an airport so he could easily fly home (Providence or Boston) in an emergency.

We have been doing the College search boards, but decided to turn to Fodor's for some advice. Oh yes, he's interested in pursuing a business/marketing degree! Thanks!!

Has your son looked into DU (University of Denver)? They have a beautiful campus, great business programs and a convenient schedule for hitting the slopes. CU and CSU are about 2.5 to 3 hours to Vail or Summit Co. All of these schools have good websites where you can really get the skinny.

Colorado College is a really good liberal arts school.

I am an independent college consultant. Your best bets at CU-Boulder and University of Denver. Both have excellent business programs and are near the Denver airport. Colorado College is a wonderful school but it's really for the liberal arts. Business is a more pre-professional major not always found at liberal arts colleges. Also, you need to consider the chances of your son's acceptances to theses schools and it is hard to gage that without any GPA or SAT/ACT statistics.

Thank you SrFlojo, mah1980, and Abby43! My son is a good student and could probably get into these schools, however he has not yet taken SATs.

Still, it looks like we'll be taking a trip to Colorado within the next year to tour these colleges.

You've gotten good recommendations. I'm assuming you are not worried about cost? DU and Colorado College are pricey for even in-state students.

As a CO native, and graduate of CU Boulder, I can say he will have a good experience if he chooses Boulder. However, nobody has mentioned our rival to the North yet. Let me pre-empt this by saying, go Buffs! Now, you should also consider CSU. Though farther away from the skiing, they have a good business program as well. What you'll get in Ft. Collins is a down-home Colorado-feel, which(and I may get flamed for this), in my opinion, you will not find in Boulder. I won't say more than that... but do consider CSU as well.

Your really have a choice between two groups of colleges/universities. You have the mountain colleges -- Gunnison, Durango, Adams st, etc and the front range colleges --- CSU, CU,DU,Greeley, Colordo Springs. Denver Univ and CO College are private and cost the same for instate or outofstate students. CC is liberal arts with no business program. CSU (Fort Collins) and CU (Blouder) have a several campus as a part of their system.

I hope that the decision is based on something else other than closeness to snowboarding. However, if that is a major consideration, the principle ski area in CO is Summit Cty (Breckenridge, Copper, Keystone, Loveland, A-Basin). The further you move north or south of Denver the further you move from this ski area. CU & DU would be the closest of front range colleges with 1.5 hour drive to Summitt Cty. CSU would add an hour. There are smaller ski areas closer to all of the schools but more students prefer to ski in the Summitt Cty area.

It is at least 4 hrs to Gunnison and could be five. There are no easy or direct route from Denver. Gunnison has air service.

Good luck, Frank

A quick nod to CU (really, every weekend? when will he study!?); Eldora is a nice ski area that is very close to CU, and they have regular bus service. www.eldora.com

Thank you for such valuable information!!!

Yale,
Yes, I realize how pricey these colleges are, but we're from the Boston area, so costs are comparable. Not that I'm thrilled having to continue working a million hours to pay for college, but unless he chooses a MA state school or university, he will graduate with loans and we will continue to be poor for 4 more years! Another son is graduating from U Tampa this year, thank goodness!!!! (His thing is baseball!)

fmpden,
Thanks for explaining the distances between the colleges! Of course his education is first, however, he lives to snowboard and it's a great stress reducer for him. He's also checking out CA and Utah colleges! East coast ice verses West coast powder!!!

sylvia3,
Snowboarding every weekend? Well, that's his plan, however it's mandatory for the grades to be kept up if Mom and Dad are going to pay!!!! :) Thanks for the Eldora website!!! He'll enjoy it!!

I know he's looking at Colorado, but what about Montana State in Bozeman with Bridger Bowl 20 minutes away and Big Sky 40 minutes away. Or the University of Montana with Snowbowl 15 minutes away and Marshall Mountain 20 minutes away?

Skiing and school will be cheaper in Montana, and we sure don't have the lift lines that Colorado has. :)

kureiff,

Funny you should post this as I was just looking at the Montana State at Bozeman website! It was recommended in one of the Snowboarding magazines. Does the school have a good reputation????

Montana SOUNDS so far away from MA, though! What airport would he fly into and how far away is the airport from the school? Thanks so much for your help!!

Montana State has a great engineering department.

He'd fly in and out of Bozeman (airport is about 15 minutes from the school). The downside is that while tuition and skiing are cheaper, airline tickets are not. It's expensive to fly in and out of Montana.

Good luck in your school hunting! Maybe plan a visit to Bozeman and Missoula and Yellowstone to see what you think. :)

Thanks again, kureiff! My son just did some research and is very excited to check out Montana!!! We are going to have a very busy year touring all of these colleges!!!

Jayneann - We have been going through the college search process with my daughter who is a senior, decision still pending, has to be made by 5/1. We live in Colorado & looked both in & out of state. Deleted Colorado College early because of its block program. Anecdotal evidence-most of her friends seem to be going to CSU. Have not heard of any going to CU. My daughter is leaning to DU, between there & Santa Clara in California. DU has a very good business school & I would seriously consider it. What about Utah?

BetsyG,

Thanks for the information! Yes, Utah is another possibility, but I'm not sure we will have the time to be flying to Colorado, Utah, Montana, etc during the next few months. He might need to choose only one or two states and tour the colleges there. Lots of decisions ahead of us, but very exciting!!!

Good luck to you and your daughter with her decision! One of my close friend's daughter goes to Santa Clara and loves it!!! And, she's from MA! She made the adjustment easily since she had her heart set on college in California a couple of years before she actually went!

To say that a liberal arts degree is not a business entry is nonsense:
My son (AB - international relations/creative writing @ Johns Hopkins U) and his cousin (AB - History Summa/Phi Beta Kappa @ Columbia College) are only two examples.
Both are multilingual and hold/have held senior positions at Millennium; Lehman; Merrill, etc.
M

Jayneann - My daughter decided on Univ. of Denver after doing an overnighter there Sunday. I think she wants to stay in Colorado, friends, weather(even after our last winter), snowboarding, family(?) & the scholarship was better. I know about the college visits, I made her limit her choices to the top 5, we managed to visit Ohio & Pennsylvania over fall break then took a weekend to California. Did not make it to Brown.
Try & let us know if you make it to Colorado. I would seriously look at paying out of state tuition at a state school vs cost of a private school with a possible scholarship, comparing class size, etc. Good luck!

Mike, did something get deleted here? I don't see where anyone said a liberal arts degree is not a business entry, only that not all liberal art colleges have business programs..

Any major can be a business entry. Over half of my daughter's engineering school grad friends have been hired on Wall Street...

Give CU at Boulder a serious look! Our daughter is currently in her 3rd year there and loves it. The buisness school is national ranked and CU has just opened a new law school. The rockies are a natural attraction for kids from all over the country. Your son should easily balance his outdoor activities with a quality education. Each time we visit we are amazed at the quality of life. Boulder is a unique city that has so much to offer your son and your family. Fabulous restaurants,shopping,and hotels. The Denver airport is about 40 minutes away. I could go on and on!

It's surprising to me how DU is not more widely recognized and appreciated for it's academic value. Dig a little deeper.