Suggestions on colleges and neigborhoods (Denver, Fort Collins: apartments, transfer, neighborhood)

[chizzle07]

So I'm going to be moving to Denver, planning on attending Metro State College of Denver. My question is, is MSCD a good decision? I've read that older students attend there. I'm 22 and can pretty much do without the whole campus life experience. If MSCD isn't a good choice, then what is? I was pretty much looking for a school with a cheap out of state tuition, and just less expensive in general. Also, if I do attend MSCD, then what is a good neighborhood to live in thats near there? Or if theres a better college out there, then what is a good neighborhood to live in for that college?

[DenverLawGal]

I'm not a fan of Metro at all -- but... my husband is in IT and for that Metro BLOWS. They keep cutting funding and it's really affecting their classes. There are a bunch of changes going on there so it might be good for some, bad for others.

What are you wanting to do there? Major? Career?

[DRocKeR]

I went to Metro and it was a pretty good school. You're right in that it does have a general 'Community College' atmosphere and there are students of all varities there, young and old. You're also right in that you won't get the traditional 'College Experience' there, but single in Denver at your age; you'll have a good time. LawGal is right in that Metro really shines with certain fields of study.. and others not so much, so it kind of depends on what you're going for in order to say how good a fit it would be, but I think that overall it is great bang for the buck (note that supposedly they are raising tuition). I have a lot of friends who came to Metro from out of state and really loved it.

One great thing about Metro is that, at least when I went there, included in the tuition was free use of RTD and the light rail, and the light rail drops you off right at the campus. So really you could choose to live anywhere near the lightrail in Denver or the suburbs and be able to get back and fourth to school for free, which is huge. I used it all the time. It's totally worth it since, like with most college campuses, parking is a nightmare. Metro is pretty much in the heart of downtown, which would be a cool place to live if single, but is pretty pricey. The school offers some off-campus housing I think, but I couldn't tell you how good it is. If I were you, I'd look around Englewood near Hampden and Broadway and near the light rail station there. In fact, there are some apartments literally right on the Light Rail station area there, but I couldn't tell you how pricey they are. That would be an incredible and safe spot though.

[DenverLawGal]

Drocker brings up some good points, the RTD pass is still in effect - but you do have to be registered for at least 2 classes to get it.

Metro is definitely raising tuition, I heard about it in a press release.

Also, they are changing their name - and will soon if not already be offering graduate degrees.

[chizzle07]

Originally Posted by DenverLawGal

I'm not a fan of Metro at all -- but... my husband is in IT and for that Metro BLOWS. They keep cutting funding and it's really affecting their classes. There are a bunch of changes going on there so it might be good for some, bad for others.

What are you wanting to do there? Major? Career?

I'm actually going for a degree in math and become a math teacher. Is Metro a good school for that? If not, then what is?

[vegaspilgrim]

CU Boulder, CSU Fort Collins, University of Denver (DU), Colorado School of Mines (engineering) and Colorado College (small liberal arts school in Colo Spgs) are known as the best schools in the state, with CU Boulder being the leader of the pack.

Not that it's right or wrong, but alumni of schools like CU, CSU and DU tend to snub their nose down at Metro State... just sayin.

I think CU Denver (which is at the same campus) would look better on your resume than Metro state. Although I did have a math teacher in high school who was a metro state grad.

UNC in Greeley has a reputation as being a good school for teaching.

If you're going to spend all the money on out of state tuition just to go to school in Colorado, then go to the best school you can get into. If you're just trying to get your degree as cheap as possible, then go to school in the state where you live now so you can get in-state tuition. I just plain don't see the value of moving to Denver to pay out of state tuition at Metro.

[ColoWeb]

Went to Metro (for core classes) and then tarnsfered to CU. Had great experinces in Metro and since Metro, UCD, and DCC are all on the same campus sometimes the teachers are the same as well (for core classes like math, etc....).

As others said, you do not get the 'college' atmosphere but I did not care for that nor did I need a live-in campus. Loved commuting via light rail right on to campus and - at that time - I worked downtown so it was a great experience.

If you are going to stay in Colorado, no issues with Metro but if you plan on moving later on, 'university' may be better on the resume. I'd still say start with Metro for the basic classes then transfer.

Hope this helps.

[JHG722]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

CU Boulder, CSU Fort Collins, University of Denver (DU), Colorado School of Mines (engineering) and Colorado College (small liberal arts school in Colo Spgs) are known as the best schools in the state, with CU Boulder being the leader of the pack.

AFA, CC, and CSM are the three best. CU is just the most well known because of sports. It's a very good school, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't call it the 'leader of the pack'.

[DenverLawGal]

To answer OP's question - I do not know about math at Metro. I know they are heavy in math, so that might be a good thing. I echo Vegas' comments, and not just because I am a CU of Denver alumni
but because I truly believe it's a better school.

It took me forever to get my act together, and I have attended all three schools at Auraria campus. There are definite levels of standards at these schools - in this order: Community College of Denver, Metro State, and then CU of Denver.

I don't think UCD or CU (in Boulder - same school) are considered top notch just because of sports. One would have to live and work here to understand this hidden attitude - many hiring employers here tend to have more respect for CU, especially in my field. And so it does look good on your resume.

I do know that Metro tends to have better programs for things like nursing, and probably teaching too. Just keep asking around. One important thing to keep in mind with Metro is you won't get the same type of service you'd get at a university. You are pretty much on your own to understand policies and procedure. Don't just sign up thinking all your classes will automatically transfer. There are transfer programs - but again, you really need to figure it out before just jumping in and paying a bunch of money.

When I finally did get my act together, I went to CCD, signed up for their transfer program, took all of my general requirements, and then transferred seamlessly to CU of Denver where I finished taking my major requirements.

[Katarina Witt]

^^Just to clarify, Metro's nursing program is only for people who already have nursing credentials, e.g. a diploma from a hospital program or an AAS from a two year college. If you want to do direct entry into nursing, you need to go to CU, Regis, UNC, UCCS, etc. That's about the order of the strength of the programs, to be frank. I know this is a tad off-topic, just wanted to clarify.

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I agree that CU is not just considered top notch b/c of the sports. There are many programs, particularly in science and engineering, where CU is at the head of the pack. They have the Nobel Prize winners to prove the strength of their programs in physics and biochem.