The University of Colorado - Boulder

Date: Oct 19 2005
Major: Philosophy (This Major's Salary over time)
For most majors, the first year or two will be spent almost completely in large lecture halls. Be comfortable with this, if you come here, or you won't be happy. That said, I've had some of my best professors in such an environment, and I don't think it really hurts my educational experience as much as some (outsiders) suggest. Some like their hand held, however, and struggle with taking the initiative… This is an apt metaphor for the entire school, actually; you are not going to be handed an amazing undergraduate experience / education. But if you really take advantage of what CU has to offer, which is quite a lot, you will get a great education in return. The faculty is excellent, but you often need to do your own work to access them (e.g. taking grad seminars as an undergrad, honors courses, independent studies, etc.).

The student body is subject to a lot of stereotypes. It is no more or less a party school than any other large state school. There are really very few hippies at the university, but the city is full of 'enlightened' 30-something yuppies. There is an overwhelming majority of students here from California, for whatever that's worth, and none of them seem to be here for the educational experience.