UCCS and CU Denver (Colorado Springs, Aurora: real estate, schools, universities)

[Josseppie]

I was just wondering what people up there thought about those schools since they are part of the CU system.....

[McGowdog]

Why don't you ask people who commute to the Auraria Campus in Denver about UCD and the people in Colorado Springs about UCCS?

Just wondering.

When I went to Metro State, some of my Calc and Physics classes were on the Campus and actually taught through UCD in that new (at the time! Early 90s) North Classroom north and east of the Library. If anything, it bumped up the status of my BS degree. Calc II and III and Calc based Physics II with lab went like any class, be it from Metro State or UCD (U of C at D); there were about 125 students at the beginning of the semester and by the time finals came around, it was whittled down to 15 people. I got A's in math but could never get better than a B+ in Physics. Always got an A in all the labs. All of my friends and family thinks a Physics is what happens when you go to the restroom.

Add: So Joss... what do YOU think of them? Why do you ask?

Flashforward to Joss's response. Oh... now I'm sorry I asked. Why would someone look down on a college/university in another city? Nevermind.

[Josseppie]

I was just wondering if they look down on those schools since they are the main campus or if they see them as equals in a just different city.

[iknowftbll]

I am a graduate of CU Boulder, but attended CU Denver when I started school. I did not look down at CU Denver, nor do I look down on any other University or even Community Colleges.
Unfortunately, I think I may be an exception to the norm. It seemed to me that people in Boulder/students and faculty at CU Boulder think extremely highly of themselves.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by iknowftbll

I am a graduate of CU Boulder, but attended CU Denver when I started school. I did not look down at CU Denver, nor do I look down on any other University or even Community Colleges.
Unfortunately, I think I may be an exception to the norm. It seemed to me that people in Boulder/students and faculty at CU Boulder think extremely highly of themselves.

Now I don't want to start a war here, or anything, but CU-Boulder is the "flagship" university. As such, it has a certain status. While I am aware that UCD and UCCS have masters and even doctoral programs, the preponderance of such programs are at Boulder.

That said, the majority of the health science programs are in Denver (actually Aurora, which is now considered part of UCD). I don't know if UCCS has any programs unique to them. I think most people get out of college what they put in, so in the long run, it doesn't really matter which campus of CU that you attend, as long as you are putting forth your best effort.

[McGowdog]

My cousin and her daughter (2nd cousin is actually my age) got their degrees where I did, Metro State. The former was the focus on a story by Life Magazine as she was considered the 3rd most successful female in the State of Colorado at that time. She's a prime example of doing all that you can do with a simple BS/BA degree. Her daughter is set to retire by the age of 45.

You can go to School of Mines, CU, DU, etc., but as Kat says, what's important is what you do with that degree.

I don't ever remember seeing a class called, How to get and stay rich 101. I think a big part of taking advantage of the education you obtain is applying yourself as soon as possible via internships and such... before you finish your degree, the sooner you get exposure to your field, the better.

I'm not at all impressed by someone who went to CU-Boulder and is asking me, with my BS from Metro, "So, do you want fries with that?"

[iknowftbll]

You guys are reinforcing my points. Just in an indirect manner. I guess what I was trying to say about CU Boulder is that they tend to look down on other Universities, even within the CU system. Now as the flagship of the CU system, there certainly is a degree of "status" involved, but it doesn't make them better than anyone. What they fail to realize is that somewhere up the food chain of higher education are faculties and students of other universities that consider CU a bunch of uncultured barbarians.
So it's true, it isn't about where you go to school, it's about the work you put into it. Furthermore, if you study anything within the Liberal Arts, college does little to nothing to actually prepare you for the real world. Try telling your boss that you're only coming to work on the day of a big corporate meeting, and if you perform well at the meeting everything will be ok! Yet many of my professors ran their classes this way, requiring attendance only when there was an exam.
I am glad to be a graduate of CU, despite how critical I am of the school. I proudly sport my Buffaloes gear, and have a lot of fond memories of my days on the campus. But I do not miss the inflated opinions of self-worth touted by many in the academic community. If they were truly as enlightened as they think they are, they'd be able to recognize that they are simply a tool used by people, just like any other college or university, and that it's the efforts of the individual that determines his own success.

[Scott5280]

I took a break from the CU campus for a semester because I had been on academic probation there, so I needed to get my GPA up quick..I had failed a few classes there--mostly due to partying and missing classes--any way I decided to attend UCD..for a semester..commuting there from Boulder to get caught up...It was pretty much common knowledge at that time that UCD classes were typically not as challenging--I am not bashing UCD..but I thought CU-BOULDER was harder as I took the same exact economics courses and finance courses at both schools..this may have been just a fluke,but I noticed the difference--my course load at UCD was over all much easier than CU-Boulder--that was my experience any way...Since graduating from CU--in 93...I have taken several real estate related courses both at CU-Boulder and UCD..found them to be very similar--I really like the Auraria Campus..I am planning on getting my masters through UCD...It's what you do with your degree that of course is most important...One of my most successful friends is one of the country's most respected and sought after financial portfolio managers and he didn't go to Harvard,Yale..he went to Metro State College...

[subsound]

Go for CU Denver, they are larger and better rated for most things. Better Profs and more resources. I think better then CU Boulder for professional degrees myself, have gone to both (Boulder Undergrad, Denver MBA).