Colorado School Of Mines Admission - Colorado School Of Mines Undergraduate Program
Colorado School Of Mines Application

The Facts

Colorado School of Mines is a fairly small, public college located in the town of Golden, Colorado, and is home to over 2,500 undergraduate students and approximately 800 graduate and part-time professional students. Despite its strange, specific name, the Colorado School of Mines doesn’t really have much to do with mining anymore. The school was founded in 1874 as a place to study the science of mining and ore in general, however, because those studies are no longer nearly as relevant as they were then, the school has become a wonderful institution for those wishing to pursue the sciences. The Colorado School of Mines offers its students a wide variety of scientific majors in many disciplines; some of the most popular choices are in the areas of chemical engineering, geological engineering, petroleum engineering, general engineering, chemical engineering, and mathematical and computing sciences.

Admission to the Colorado School of Mines is not that competitive, but is becoming increasingly more so, as increased attention is drawn to the unique programs. Most of the applicants are Colorado residents, but the number of multinational students has been steadily increasing. Last year, over 3,000 students applied for admission to the school, approximately 2,420 of those students were accepted, and about 700 matriculated. The admitted students had an average combined SAT score ranging from 1245 to 1322, and an average comprehensive ACT score ranging from 25 to 32. Additionally, over 80% of those admitted were ranked in the top 25% of their high school graduating class with an average high school GPA of about 3.8.

The Colorado School of Mines has a student to faculty ratio of 15:1, and most students say that they are very satisfied with their professors' accessibility and willingness to help them. It is rare to find any class with more than 20 students, and the majority of classes are very hands-on and in laboratory settings, where students work closely with one another on various projects.

The Social Scene

Despite the stereotypes, CSM students are not all geeks who hang around in their rooms tinkering with various contraptions... ok, well, maybe there are a few of those, but there is a surprisingly vibrant social scene at CSM. There are actually quite a few fraternities and sororities that are quite popular with students, and over 10% join a Greek organization at some point or another. The town of Golden itself is quite small, and doesn’t really offer students very much in the way of entertainment, but students seem to be pretty good at creating their own ways to have fun right there on campus. Drinking is a popular mode of social interaction, but not nearly as much as at other state schools.

The dating scene is quite good if you are a lady; there are far more men at this school, so this may just be your lucky day!

What’s Good

“The scientific programs here are excellent, and you have plenty of opportunities to get valuable hands-on experience.”

“People here are all really supportive, and I felt taken care of since day one.”

“The facilities here are really state-of-the-art, and you never feel like you don’t have the right equipment.”

What’s Bad

“The guy-to-girl ratio here is pretty unfair, and the general on-campus population is extremely homogenous.”

“A lot of the introductory classes are just a lot of review of what we did in high school, which gets very annoying. It can take awhile to get to your major.”

“There is nothing to do in Golden besides check out the local 7-11. Slurpee anyone?”

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