Are these colleges any good? (Denver, Boulder: credit, loans, job market)

[Fai0607]

Hey guys, I want to go to college in CO in the worse way possible and I know for a fact I don't have the grades for School of Mines and Boulder and most likely Ft. Collins as well.

However the colleges I'm looking at are: UCCS, CU-Denver, Metro State of Denver, Ft. Lewis and Ft. Collins. I'd really really like to get into Colorado College but again, the grades and even the money.

Are they reputable schools and are there any other schools that you'd recommend? I know this isn't the place for my grades and chances but I have a 2.9 GPA, 3 years of math (non geometry, but algebra 1) and 1370 SAT composite (860 C.R and Math) with Math being the lowest and I have an IEP.

Thanks in advance, searching for colleges diligently.

[vegaspilgrim]

Maybe go to community college first, improve your GPA, then transfer to a 4 year school?

[Idunn]

It is possible to attend a community college, and then with improved grades—and money—transfer to a university such as CSU.

You may end up in the school which will take you. If the choice, Fort Lewis in Durango might be a good option. Do consider what your interests are, as it did and probably still has a focus on Southwest studies. Yet as a stepping stone to a university any of these accredited schools should do. I'll add that Fort Lewis has a fairly small and intimate campus, one enjoying a great setting above Durango with superlative views. If so attuned, it might be a great time.

Your more pressing problem may be money, as out of state students are welcome, all the more as expected to pay handsomely for the privilege. If on something of a budget, look into the time and measures necessary to qualify for in-state tuition.

[wong21fr]

All have their strengths and weaknesses, but your choice should come down to what kind of lifestyle you're looking for and what what kind of program you're interested in. Than a better recommendation can be made.

[McGowdog]

Give Metro State a chance. I started off there with a pre-calc class which will be a good refresher to algebra and trig. Geometry is what you do to play a good game of billiards. All calc is is the application of trig and algebra... in fact it makes math easier.

Within the Auraria Campus you can move down to CCD (community college ) or up to UCD University of Colorado at Denver.

I was going to go to Boulder but MSCD was so affordable and they accepted me on my junior act scores. Two of my cousins went to there and became parol officers making 6 figures and retiring pre-50. Nothing wrong with Metro State. I have another friend who graduated with an EET like I did, then went to School of Mines for graduate work.

Good luck and have fun. Remember that you can take a bunch of social/behavioral and humanities courses before you have to start taking your major courses, if that helps.

[wong21fr]

^Give your alma mater a little credit McGowdog: it's now MSU Denver.

Or MSUD, or Metropolitan State University of Denver, or Metro State. So many name variations.

[NoDoubt1993]

I was valedictorian of my high school (650+ students), ranked #1 in my class, 1500 out of 1600 on the SAT, 32 on the ACT, National Merit scholarship winner, perfect 4.0 unweighted GPA, accepted to every college I applied to in Colorado (Regis, DU, CSU, CU Boulder, Mines and CU Denver). Every single college offered me a scholarship. None were full rides, but all were generous offers. I had my choice of schools to attend. In the end, I chose CU Denver (it shares a campus with Metro and CCD). I absolutely LOVE CU Denver. They have an excellent reputation, especially regarding their pre-health curriculum (I'm pre-vet), and I love the small campus, the proximity to downtown, and every single professor and TA I have had thus far has been outstanding. I am SO happy with my choice. I'm also in the University Honors and Leadership program there, and the extra opportunities afforded to us through that program make CU Denver that much more appealing. I toured campuses and spoke to faculty and students at the other five schools. Regis and DU seemed very pretentious. CSU Boulder was far too much of a party school for me (and the liberal vibe in Boulder doesn't fit well with my conservative Republican views lol), Mines actually SCARED me (some very, very strange students there...and with a ratio of 4 guys to every girl, I feared for my safety, haha). CSU was my second choice. It's a good school, but they didn't have anything to offer that CU Denver didn't, and I liked the overall feel of CU Denver much more.

[McGowdog]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

^Give your alma mater a little credit McGowdog: it's now MSU Denver.

Oh yeah. I forgot. I've been in the workforce so long I haven't paid attention.

NoDoubt, I agree with everything you say, but you seem to lack confidence. Hope you land a killer job with 6+ figures.

Doing college/university is great, but I know a guy who got the exact same degree as me and went on to Sunnyvale and became a software/hardware consultant for some computer firm (prior to dotcom fiasco of course) and could pretty much sign his own paycheck making way into 6 figures... then I knew a gal who graduated Mines who never could transform all that education into the engineering field. I understand her struggles. But truth be told, it's a LOT easier for women and minorites to get hired and thrive in their small business self-owned-company endeavors via loans and grants. What I would have liked to do if I could have it to do over was take some special courses in college, such as: How to get and stay rich 101, Paycheck-math, Stay-out-of-Debtology, and When A Family Member Asks You To Come Work For Them You Say "NO!" 101.

[NoDoubt1993]

Originally Posted by McGowdog

NoDoubt, I agree with everything you say, but you seem to lack confidence. Hope you land a killer job with 6+ figures.

I hope the confidence comment was sarcasm, lol...sometimes it's hard to tell. I'm not too worried about the paycheck, since as a large animal vet, I'll be working for myself.

[jazzlover]

Originally Posted by NoDoubt1993

I hope the confidence comment was sarcasm, lol...sometimes it's hard to tell. I'm not too worried about the paycheck, since as a large animal vet, I'll be working for myself.

Well, I know a lot of large animal vets in Colorado. The job market here is saturated. A fellow that I know who is a veterinarian in another state tells me that Colorado ranks almost dead last in the ability of large animal vets being able to make a decent living here. Why? CSU pumps out veterinarians right and left, and many of them want to stay in Colorado. As a result, there are so many practicing in Colorado that there are just not enough clients for all of them to make a living. In my community, nearly every veterinarian--most with decades of experience and established clientèle--are struggling to make a decent living. A couple have left the field for good. One went to work for USDA out of state, another retired about 10 years early and now works other jobs to make a living. Of course, the folks promoting the veterinarian schools won't tell you that.