University of Colorado - CU (reviews)

I love that CU is so outdoorsy and you can see the beautiful flatiron mountains every day you go to class. It’s a beautiful setting. However, the teachers aren’t amazing. My STEM classes are really poorly taught. I’m not sure if this is just to weed out the weaklings, but it doesn’t give me a sufficient amount of preparation to continue to other more difficult STEM classes. Also, the school is really big which has its perks and downfalls, but it can be kind of hard to find a group of friends.

CU Boulder is a very pleasant place to study, but in my experience, the actual quality of the courses could be improved. For the most part, professors are helpful and responsive to student needs. However, a number of classes are taught by graduate TAs who often don’t have extensive knowledge of the subject, and are not experienced or available to help students. Overall, the language and humanities courses that I have taken haven’t been very difficult, and my Japanese language classes, in particular, are taught largely in English and at a slow pace. However, most of the students I have met have been very friendly and welcoming, and non-academic support is good. I’ve used the career services office at CU many times and have developed a really helpful relationship with one of the counsellors there. In terms of reputation and career prospects, my overall impression is that it is fairly good, but for my field of study, it isn’t the strongest or most well-known program so I feel like I’m at a bit of a disadvantage compared to universities that specialize in foreign languages.

Don’t get me wrong, I loved every class I took in the English department. I had the opportunity to delve deeply into literary works with the experienced guidance of excellent professors. I took some unusual courses like Tolkien 101 and The Literature of Motherhood, which greatly enriched my worldview.
The CU campus is breathtaking with brick buildings and views of the mountains. I found a great community as a student there.
My complaints lie with the academic advisors and the curriculum as a whole. I felt like each time I signed up for classes I was told something different about the requirements, as the university did change said requirements every couple of years. I was always having to check whether I was grandfathered in under the old rules and stressing about whether the classes I took were going to count. Sometimes I couldn’t help feeling like it was all a money-making scheme.

It is a great program for business students that offered a lot of opportunities to join academic clubs and trips to further your education and get first-hand experience in your field.

Advisors did a great job tailoring to my needs as well. Walked me through the transferring process, studying abroad, and adding a minor.

I would recommend CU to anyone looking for a university in the states. Specifically, though, the digital design program here has been amazing. Our profs are in the industry and help us in every way possible. They are not only teachers but natural mentors. I loved my classes here!