(CSU-Fort Collins) CSU really is a mixed bag now that I

How this student rated the school

Educational Quality	B+	Faculty Accessibility	A+
Useful Schoolwork	C+	Excess Competition	C+
Academic Success	F	Creativity/ Innovation	C
Individual Value	B+	University Resource Use	A
Campus Aesthetics/ Beauty	B+	Friendliness	A-
Campus Maintenance	B+	Social Life	A+
Surrounding City	A+	Extra Curriculars	A
Safety	A+

Describes the student body as: Friendly, Approachable Describes the faculty as: Friendly, Helpful

Male

ACT:29

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Quite Bright

Lowest Rating Academic Success	F

Highest Rating Faculty Accessibility	A+

He cares more about Academic Success than the average student.

Date: Aug 23 2008
Major: Other (This Major's Salary over time)
CSU really is a mixed bag now that I look back on it. I received my degree in May of 2008 in Apparel and Merchandising. I'm originally from Missouri, and transferred to CSU from Miami(OH). (where ben roethlisberger went). I came to CSU after applying for transfer from Miami, and after refusing to apply to CU. Don't get me wrong I love the town of Boulder and have a few dear friends there, but on the whole, the kids there are arrogant and rude, and very reminiscent of Miami (which is commonly called "J.Crew U"). After being accepted as a transfer at CSU, I chose to attend without EVER having seen the school or town. After graduating, I've taken a job with DC Shoes in Northern San Diego.

The good:

I love Fort Collins! there's so much to love; Breweries, huge bike lanes, heaps of trees, horsetooth reservoir, and excellent restaurants. The town has lots of activities designed for the town, but frequented by students such as brewfest, New Belgium bike in movies, the Tour de Fat, and others. The town and students seem to vibe really well together. I would honestly live in FoCo for the rest of my life… raise a family, and do the whole nine.

CSU students; The kids are what makes CSU what it is. We are about 82% coloradoan (even though I'm out of state), and that makes us truly THE colorado university, and definitely lends itself to a true Colorado experience. Without the students, CSU would be just another school.

The Ramskellar: We have a bar in our student center. Nuff' said. Did I mention that we also sell beer at our football stadium?

The outdoors! Horsetooth Reservoir, Rist Canyon, Red Feathers… what's not to love. Don't forget about snowboarding too.

Proximity to Denver: Need to get out of the Fort? No problem. Denver is an hour to the south.

The Bad:

Campus buildings: Save the Oval, CSU is aesthetically unpleasing. The only redeeming factors are the oval, morgan, and the foothills in the distance with our beloved Aggie A.

Campus Police: This seems to be a problem with every school. Overzealous cops and especially bicycle offers make daily commutes and life tough. You almost feel like you're consistently being watched.

Apathy: Seems to plague any state school. Kids just don't care. This extends to coursework, local issues, and national issues… It seems too much just to check cnn.com or anything for that matter in the morning.

Level of prestige/academics: I don't know how to say this. I'm truly not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but it just seems more oft than not that I'd be talking about a national or local issue, or even class material… and only see blank and confused faces staring at me. It breaks my heart to know that my little brother had a good ACT score and didn't get in, compared to some of the dreadful scores my fellow classmates had yet still got in.

Mediocrity: Athletically we are just AWFUL. It seems as though our school may turn the page with a new, young, and hungry AD and football coach. I love college sports and the whole gameday atmosphere…but part of that comes with winning games. This is where CSU lacks.

Money: CSU lags behind many universities in money for academics, athletics, etc., which has really left us behind, but I can see us turning a corner with some news buildings etc.

In Summary: I had my heart broken when I didn't get into Notre Dame, and thought college just didn't matter after that. CSU changed all of that. I will FOREVER be proud to be an alum of CSU, and love both the school and town with unrelenting passion and fervor. Go to CSU. get past the aesthetics, and you'll find something truly unique and special. My biggest mistake was picking a school based on aesthetics (Miami). Go Rams!

If you have any questions, feel free to Email me.

Responses

Hi…i'd be interested to pick your brain a bit about Ft. Collins and CSU. I'm a midwest transplant also in San Diego and considering a move to the mountains for grad school/family.

Thanks!

Awesome posting, I would say the exact same thing!

Why did you choose csu over cu boulder? just out of curiosity.

Hi! I also was wondering..if csu would be a better choice than boulder? i loved both but at this point im concerned about making genuine friends as well as having good academics!

Are there pretty girls?

Hey, I just got admitted to CSU and until reading many negative comments on this site I was very excited about attending. I'm interested in Business management and haven't heard very many good reviews about the department or professors, I was wondering if you had more info on that, and also about the people. I want to go somewhere that I can have an intelligent conversation, explore all topics and really connect. Not getting that vibe from CSU, am i wrong?

Thank you for your review! It has helped me take many things into consideration! And I realize it's been almost exactly 3 years… but hopefully you might be able to help me a bit.
So you work(ed)/live(d) in San Diego now?
I live in San Diego, and my main issue concerning college at CSU is the idea of a pretty much polar opposite life style. While I desperately want to leave San Diego, I love the lifestyle I'm able to have here (anything available downtown, always something to do, interesting/diverse people). And while I love the outdoors, I'm not sure how I feel about skiing and snowboarding being the main source of entertainment because I'm used to having a night life of sorts.

I'm also not comfortable with what I've heard about the type of people, and I was hoping you'd be able to clarify for me. Being a San Diegan, I'm used to the diversity in both attitudes and socioeconomic backgrounds that SoCal has to offer. While many people here are rude and arrogant, not to mention ignorant, there are also the people that are generally open. I've heard that many people at CSU are from small town backgrounds, and I'm really not sure what that means when it comes to the way people treat you/ act.
While I'm not looking for somewhere equivalent to San Diego when it comes to social accommodations, I'm not sure I'm ready for a 'small town' population either.
Thank you for taking the time to read this three years later! -Caity

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