Fort Lewis College - Durango

[baylorbear134]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

You should be worrying about getting a quality education, not living in a beautiful place. If you can manage both, great, but know that in this economic environment, second-best education probably means "no job" afterwards. When I went to college, it was in a similar economic environment. I went to a small state college, but it then had a national reputation for excellence in my field of study. That education has served me very well.

Fort Lewis is an OK college, I suppose, but I don't think "OK" is very good investment of money (especially out-of-state tuition) for what you are likely to get. The days of having a degree assuring you much of anything in the job market are about over, especially a degree from a college that does not at least have an admirable reputation regionally. Thanks to Colorado's underfunding of education for a lot of years now, that less than sterling reputation pretty much encompasses all of the state colleges, with the exception of Colorado School of Mines. It didn't used to be that way, but that's pretty much the way it is now.

As for Durango, that's been covered many times. It is an expensive resort town, with few jobs available and lots of people looking for them.

Thanks for the insight. I do have a quality education as my priority. However, I plan on going to law school, so I am seeking a good college that I can get my undergraduate at. And FLC seemed like a good fit. I have fantastic grades and know I could receive a substantial amount of scholarship money wherever I go.

In all honesty though, the real reason I would ever consider FLC is to play football. Im looking at several different DivII and DivIII colleges that I would have a chance to play at and obtain an athletic scholarship at, and FLC fits the criteria for me.

What colleges do you recommend in Colorado with better academic reputations?

[vegaspilgrim]

Among my family and friends at least, the "respected" options consist of CU, CSU, DU, and Mines. Honorable mention for Colorado College.

I agree with you that Ft Lewis is one of the most beautiful college campuses I've ever seen (and I've seen a LOT of them). I also agree with jazzlover that the school's reputation .... isn't so great.

How do athletic scholarships work? Do you have to apply to individual schools and apply/ see if they offer you a scholarship, or will schools come out of the blue and find you, offering a scholarship as an incentive to recruit you on their team?

If you like Ft Lewis/ Durango, another school you should take a look at is NAU (Northern Arizona University) in Flagstaff.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by baylorbear134

Thanks for the insight. I do have a quality education as my priority. However, I plan on going to law school, so I am seeking a good college that I can get my undergraduate at. And FLC seemed like a good fit. I have fantastic grades and know I could receive a substantial amount of scholarship money wherever I go.

In all honesty though, the real reason I would ever consider FLC is to play football. Im looking at several different DivII and DivIII colleges that I would have a chance to play at and obtain an athletic scholarship at, and FLC fits the criteria for me.

What colleges do you recommend in Colorado with better academic reputations?

None, other than Colorado School of Mines. I would strongly suggest that you consider the University of Wyoming. It has a pretty reputable law school--especially for water law, which is a good field if you hope to stay in the Rocky Mountain West. Their football program is also pretty good--they can at least hold their own in a league with teams from colleges with 3 or 4 times the enrollment. Now, no one will call Laramie a garden spot--but it has some beautiful mountain country nearby that far less overrun with development and crap compared to most places in Colorado. Though I did not attend UW ("U-Dub" if you live in Wyoming), I have numerous friends and co-workers who did, including some absolutely first-rate attorneys who are quite successful. I would pick it today over any public Colorado college, excepting maybe Colorado School of Mines, in a heartbeat.

[baylorbear134]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

How do athletic scholarships work? Do you have to apply to individual schools and apply/ see if they offer you a scholarship, or will schools come out of the blue and find you, offering a scholarship as an incentive to recruit you on their team?

If you are a good player with national recognition, a school will recruit you first. Schools usually search their immediate area/state for talent. To draw interest from a school out-of-state, the student-athlete would need to grab the school's attention through camp performances, stats, and game film.

[baylorbear134]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

None, other than Colorado School of Mines. I would strongly suggest that you consider the University of Wyoming. It has a pretty reputable law school--especially for water law, which is a good field if you hope to stay in the Rocky Mountain West. Their football program is also pretty good--they can at least hold their own in a league with teams from colleges with 3 or 4 times the enrollment. Now, no one will call Laramie a garden spot--but it has some beautiful mountain country nearby that far less overrun with development and crap compared to most places in Colorado. Though I did not attend UW ("U-Dub" if you live in Wyoming), I have numerous friends and co-workers who did, including some absolutely first-rate attorneys who are quite successful. I would pick it today over any public Colorado college, excepting maybe Colorado School of Mines, in a heartbeat.

Yes, university of Wyoming is a great university. So whats this about Colorado School of Mines being a good school? I wasn't aware. I passed over its name on the Rocky Mountain athletic conference site because it sounded like some sort of technical/mining school to me. Guess I was mistaken.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by baylorbear134

Yes, university of Wyoming is a great university. So whats this about Colorado School of Mines being a good school? I wasn't aware. I passed over its name on the Rocky Mountain athletic conference site because it sounded like some sort of technical/mining school to me. Guess I was mistaken.

Mines is first, last, and always an engineering/geology/natural resources school. Unless your grades, especially in math and science, are stellar, you probably wouldn't get admitted. Their flunk-out rate is very high, too. It has one of the highest reputations--even worldwide--for many of its disciplines. A good number of its students are foreign. In most energy or mining company headquarters, you couldn't swing a dead cat over your head without hitting a Mines graduate. It is one of the few colleges in the country where a degree almost assures you multiple job offers, even in this sick economy.

And, no, football is not the school's high priority, but the team is OK for a small college conference.

I did not attend Mines, but I lived for several years just a few blocks from the campus, so I knew it pretty well.

[CAVA1990]

And don't they serve Coors in the dining hall?

[baylorbear134]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

Mines is first, last, and always an engineering/geology/natural resources school. Unless your grades, especially in math and science, are stellar, you probably wouldn't get admitted. Their flunk-out rate is very high, too. It has one of the highest reputations--even worldwide--for many of its disciplines. A good number of its students are foreign. In most energy or mining company headquarters, you couldn't swing a dead cat over your head without hitting a Mines graduate. It is one of the few colleges in the country where a degree almost assures you multiple job offers, even in this sick economy.

And, no, football is not the school's high priority, but the team is OK for a small college conference.

I did not attend Mines, but I lived for several years just a few blocks from the campus, so I knew it pretty well.

Interesting. Well i'll take your suggestion and research university of Wyoming. I may just end up staying in the south. <sigh>