Colorado College Admission
Colorado College Undergraduate Program
Colorado College Application

The Facts

Colorado College utilizes a unique semester system called the Block Plan. The plan divides the academic year into eight three and a half week blocks. Students take only one class at a time, and professors teach only one class at a time. Some classes can last for one or two blocks, and consequently, students and teachers develop a unique bond that is nearly impossible to find in any other type of academic setting. Students are expected to be highly active participants in class, and a huge part of their grade relies on participation. Most students say they either love the stringent system or loathe it; there really isn’t an in-between.

The school is home to approximately 2,000 students, and class sizes are limited to a maximum of 25 students. Admission is increasingly competitive; last year, over 4,000 students applied and 1,575 were accepted while only 593 actually enrolled.

The academic environment is very rigorous and students are quite self-motivated and take control of their own academic careers. The school emphasizes interdisciplinary studies, and the program includes American cultural studies, Southwest studies, and environmental studies. Many classes take advantage of the school’s Rocky Mountain location, and other classes travel to more exotic locations such as the Carribean. Despite the seemingly unorthodox nature of the curriculum, students are required to take distribution requirements in areas including the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and foreign language. In addition, over 50% of students study abroad and participate in community service while 40% take part in independent study programs and are often awarded grants to collaborate in faculty research.

The Class of 2004 had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1160 to 1360 and an average cumulative ACT score ranging from 24 to 30. Over 77% of admitted students were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class, and took part in extensive community service and extracurricular activities.

The Social Scene

CC’s beautiful 90 acre campus is located in downtown Colorado Springs on the front range of the Rocky Mountains. The city offers plenty of social activities, and the larger city of Denver is about an hour away and easily accessible by car. Housing is guaranteed all four years, however, many students choose to live off-campus.

The social scence is floushing, and many students take advantage of both the urban offerings as well as they many outdoor activities nearby, such as rock-climbing, camping and skiing. There is no Greek- life to speak of at CC, but it doesn’t seem to bother the notoriously liberal student body, who find their own ways of having a great time.

There are over 10% more women than men at Colorado College, so guys, don’t worry about slim pickings.

What's Good

“Everyone is really liberal and chill here. They don’t bug out over little petty things.”

“The housing is really nice and you have a good amount of space for the price.”

“The block schedule lets you really focus in on one topic instead of being overwhelmed by several.”

What's Bad

“The block schedule can be really annoying, especially in a class you are not terribly thrilled with.”

“A lot of kids pretend to be really liberal and cutting edge, but you see them driving around beamers anyway.”

“The sports here suck. There is really not a drop of school spirit.”

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