Durango vs Colorado Spings? (student) (Denver, Colorado Springs: how much, transfer to, neighborhood)

[earth_2_ren]

I'm in the process of looking at colleges to transfer to next year, and so far I have Fort Lewis and Colorado College on my list. I'm just looking for a little insight into the pros and cons, and possible similarities of each town. I'm 25 so I'd be living off campus and spending most of my non-class time around town. The only part of Colo Springs I've "been" to is the 2-3ish mile radius outside of Garden of the Gods upon coming from Denver. I wasn't a huge fan of what I saw from that part of town- lots of fast food and gas stations, but very congested. I've never been to Durango, but I've been to Telluride (the only mountain town in CO I've visited) and I love it there. I like hiking/backpacking and camping, and hope to get into action sports once I move out of Chicago, but I'm pretty unpretentious about the outdoors. Also any insights about the schools if anyone has any would be great!

[bluescreen73]

Going from Chicago to Durango has the potential to be a huge culture shock. Durango is beautiful, but it's really isolated. It's 200 miles to Albuquerque, 300 miles to Denver, 400 miles to Salt Lake City, and 450 miles to Phoenix.

The wilderness isn't as easily accessible from the Springs as it is in Durango, but you can still get to it. The Sangres are nearby (big plus), and Denver's just up I-25 if you need a big city fix.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think CC is probably more highly-rated than Fort Lewis.

[earth_2_ren]

I've been planning to move out of Chicago for awhile, but yeah the culture shock of some place much smaller is something I've been thinking about. I was hoping Ft Lewis and the presence of college kids would make up for the isolation, but I guess I won't know until I visit. I don't mind isolated so long as there are some small pockets of culture to involve myself in- art, music, etc. Do you know how Durango compares to Telluride as far as culture/size?

[maciesmom]

While I like Durango - it is convenient to nothing. As a college student that might be limiting.

There is a pretty big price tag delta between CC and Fort Lewis. I would agree that CC probably has better out of state recognition and reputation - is one of them better for your major?

If you are moving to attend college - I'd focus more on the college than the local entertainment.

[otowi]

One of the unique things about Colorado College is the way you take only one class at a time, but you're totally immersed in that one class. I think each one takes a little less than a month. There are definite pros and cons to that style. Have you considered whether you might like learning that way better than in a more traditional format?

In general, Colorado College has the better academic reputation but that doesn't mean Fort Lewis is bad, though. I have the same question as the previous poster about what your major is, and would also concur that the college itself is more important than the city it is in when making the choice of where to study. The two have around the same number of students. CC is probably a little more expensive but also probably has better financial aid - which one will be less expensive for you? Have you looked into how much housing will cost you in either place? How many students at each school are in your major? What do you intend to do with your major upon graduation and what school has professors that might have more connections and insight toward your career goals?

CC has a very walkable campus and is in downtown so that would be good for your plan of walking around town when not in class. I don't know about Fort Lewis.

In general Durango is comparatively quite isolated and small compared to the Springs. You'd have a lot more options of things to do and places to go from the Springs. Both have good access to outdoor recreation but Durango's part of the state is less populated overall.

If you go to Garden of the Gods in the height of tourist season at the prime time of day, yeah it is going to be congested. Durango will also have some places and times that are pretty effected by tourist traffic.

Durango has a population of nearly 20,000, and 10%+ of those are the college students. Telluride has a population of only about 2000. Colorado Springs is much larger, with a population of nearly 500,000 and nearly 750,000 in the metro area. Durango is going to have some culture, but some pretty specific feels - southwestern, etc. Colorado Springs would give you a lot more variety and options for culture but at the expense of a lot more people/traffic in general. If you haven't visited Durango, I think you should before deciding to go to college there, if at all possible. It is in a very drought-stricken part of the state and pretty high risk for wildfire in that area, although the entire state has some drought issues and you may notice some effects even in Colorado Springs. Things will not be wet, humid and green like in Florida.

[vunderbar]

I can't think of two more dis-similar colleges!

CC is a private, selective intellectually oriented LAC with a challenging block curriculum that is something you either love or hate. Many of its students are politically active, pursue graduate school, go to Peace Corps and study abroad. Fort Lewis is a relatively low ranked public school popular with ski and snowboard partiers. It has a very high acceptance rate and rather low (under 40%) graduation rate.

Why these two schools would both appeal to the same person is a mystery to me.

[Mike from back east]

I hear CC is very expensive.

[maciesmom]

Originally Posted by Mike from back east

I hear CC is very expensive.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/the...es-in-america/

Colorado College charges $74,760 annually.

[Wyoprairie]

Wouldn't have normally noticed this, but your title....Durango vs Colorado Springs for a student got my attention. Here is sort of an accidental perspective. Albeit from a while back. I'm sure you are already gathering the hard data type stuff.

I graduated from Colorado College in 1989. My dad earned a degree in Agriculture from Fort Lewis College. Fort Lewis had been an A&M but was expanding into a broader liberal arts college. The campus is up on a hilltop above Durango and when he went there, the campus was relatively new, having been moved from the little town of Hesperus. He had completed his tour of duty in the Air Force, married my mom, and they moved into the married student housing at Fort Lewis.

Fort Lewis has a unique characteristic in that Native American students attend free of charge. Nearby tribes include Apache, Ute, Navajo, and Hopi, but students of any tribe may enroll at no expense. Fort Lewis has both a more ethnically and socio-economically diverse student body than Colorado College.

What comes to mind for me is that at 25, are you less interested in campus social life type stuff? When I was at CC, only maybe 15 students were "non-traditional" or "adult learner". Other than classes, they didn't seem to do much on campus. CC has a little over 2k students. Enrollment at Fort Lewis is over 3k, so it is a larger student body, and has more variety of ages and backgrounds. In the 80's there was a popular book called The Official Preppy Handbook. It was a humorous book- a send up really, but some people took it seriously. It listed Colorado College as one of the Preppiest colleges. And indeed, most of my classmates came from privileged backgrounds. The acceptance rate at Colorado College is 14 percent. At Fort Lewis, it is 91 percent. Tuition at CC is 60k with total expenses about 80k. Fort Lewis out of state tuition is about 20k. CC has fraternities and sororities, but they aren't a major emphasis. Some off campus housing in the neighborhood.

CC has changed since I was there. It is much less conservative. I still get The Bulletin and other alumni stuff, and well, I think the students don't have as much fun as we did. I initially did not like Colorado Springs, but I was coming from a rural setting. Over my time there, however, I came to enjoy and appreciate the town. There isn't a college town feel to CC, it is just a few blocks north of downtown, and other than a few places on Tejon St, not much in the way of college hangouts. A nice campus, but basically in the middle of town. Fort Lewis is sort of self-contained, just above Durango, but still not far from the center of town. Durango is a nice town with plenty to offer but at a much smaller scale than Colorado Springs. I think you would find plenty of outdoor/action sports enthusiasts at either.

[NW Crow]

Durango has visual artists. I don't know much about that scene. But there are makers and buyers and a small art center.

Music, you got a decent variety of local acts doing shows at restaurants & bars (over & over), a few national acts at the community theatre on campus per month or season (mainly oriented to middle aged and older listeners) and the Animas Theater which gets some hip-hop, jam, electronic and rock acts for the college crowd, mainly from front range. A few festivals including bluegrass and classical and other niches. A small outdoor venue just across NM border. There is also a church that brings in some niche acoustic and vocal acts. Some people organize small shows for friends. Farmington gets some country and hard rock / metal shows.

There is a film festival and some theatre. Occasional small-time comedy nights. Used to be some open mic nights, maybe again some day.

There are about 55,000 people in the county and twice that in Farmington NM area. Add in neighboring CO counties and the broad region has about 200,000 people. But very spread out and fairly low key.

Isolated, but hop on a plane and you can go to Denver, Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, LA or elsewhere. Maybe drive to Grand Junction, ABQ or Flagstaff.

Works for many. But there are also folks who stay 6 months or a couple years and move on. You got to evaluate for you, knowing you or the you that you want to be.


What you want to study is important. If you intend to go to graduate school, I wouldn't really recommend FLC, though if you are super self motivated and can distinguish yourself to them, maybe. If you just want a bachelors degree and think you want to settle in a western town / city, ok. Pick something practical.

Various other state schools of different sizes you could consider, depending on program and budget. Including UC Colorado Springs.