University of Colorado at Denver? (Aurora, Boulder: appointed, credit, transfer to)

[lovethewest]

Hi, I am currently a freshman at St. Louis Community College at Meramec, and am seeking out schools to transfer to. I am thinking about going into advertising or secondary education, but would still like my school to have a film program as that's my passion. Meramec is a really good community college and has a good film program, and I have always planned on attending Webster University, which is a small liberal arts university with a good communications department, but the tuition is outrageous! So, I started to look at other schools, and since I'm originally from Wyoming, I checked out the U of Wyo (and actually got accepted with a decent scholarship), but they don't offer what a really want, so I decided to check out Colorado schools, and low and behold, University of Colorado at Denver seems to be the perfect match, and is cheaper than Webster even out of state! So, after that very long story, could anyone give me any info about the school, particularly in my area of interest? Thumbs up or down as a whole? Thanks so much!

[vegaspilgrim]

There's nothing wrong with UCD. I almost went there myself. However, I don't think the school is worth it on out-of-state tuition prices.

[DenverLawGal]

I finished at UCD last year. I think it is a great school. I really enjoyed my time there. The teachers are very good, they really care. The administration is also very good. If their tuition is cheaper than Webster, and you don't mind paying those fees, I think UCD would be a good choice.

I finished w/a B.A. in Sociology and at one time considered going back for my Masters there. I would have definitely gone back if it weren't for the fact that me and my husband want to move. I don't know a lot about their film program, I did notice that theater and art is huge there.

[EastSideMKE]

If you're looking for the real college experience, then I definitely wouldn't recommend going to UCD. Trust me, I moved to Denver in 2004 just to attend the Music Industry Studies Program at UCD and I just recently moved back to Milwaukee after 4 miserable years in Denver.

The film program at UCD is done in conjunction with the Community College of Aurora and requires that you attend CCA for the first 36 credits of your degree. You would have to commute to Aurora everyday for class for the first 2 years of the program. Once you get to Auraria you may be very disappointed, I know I was. The campus is shared by 3 schools and has 40,000 students, yet lacks the sense of community and school spirit you find at other universities. There isn't a traditional college neighborhood near campus where you will find fellow students or businesses aimed at young people, so don't expect to find any college parties or cool places to hangout.

[DenverLawGal]

I agree with jj that this is not a traditional college with any type of "campus". I think it's good that he pointed that out. I forget about stuff like that because I've always worked and for me, UCD was awesome in that I could take online classes or easily get classes after 5pm. I really didn't have the option of going to a traditional college as I have no one else to pay my bills.

Anyway, I'm sure many think about attending UCD and are disappointed because they don't realize it's a city college. I heard CU at Boulder is much more campus-like.

I also missed the OP's statement about Webster being a small, liberal arts college. I went for one semester at Ft. Lewis in Durango, and that's exactly what Webster sounds like to me. So if you like that, then yeah, UCD is totally out.

[JHG722]

No offense to UCD people, but it's not exactly known for film. I know a good amount about film schools, but UCD isn't a place for film.

[RangerDuke08]

check out www.studentsreview.com cool place for reviews or to review schools.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by RangerDuke08

check out www.studentsreview.com cool place for reviews or to review schools.

I would also suggest the counseling office at your present school.

[lovethewest]

Well, thanks for the info, everyone. I guess UCD isn't quite what I'm looking for, but who knows? I'll still look into it. Does anyone know of any other schools that fit my criteria? Thanks.

[goldenplover]

I hope you've looked into scholarships and grant money; Coincidentally, I know about both schools- my SO went to webster and one of my best friends went to UCD for film (and to give you an idea...he's still there). UCD isn't a traditional college campus, and quite frankly (as someone from denver), I don't think it's worth the out of state tuition. Webster is a good school because you'll have smaller classes (always a plus- and it IS a liberal arts school) and you'll have a better chance to get to know your teachers, making it easier to continue and get a job in the real world when you graduate. (SO went to the campus in st louis btw). If you're going to go somewhere, why not go to the best you can? Don't waste money going somewhere you hate- because you may just find yourself wishing you hadn't made that decision in the first place. Also, if you maintained your wy residency, you qualify for the w.u.e. scholarship- you get to go to almost any school in the western u.s. for in-state and a half tuition- which could mean the difference between staying and going. If I were you, I would look into something in CA, maybe san francisco.