Greetings from the Campus of…Colorado State University in Fort Collins, CO!
(originally written 4/13/09)
CSU is just a “nice” school. Fort Collins is a medium-sized, bucolic, historical town and students and residents alike just love living there. Most upperclassmen prefer to live in easy-to-find, off-campus student rental houses and apartments. There seems to be an easy relationship between students and residents as CSU overall does not seem to be a big partying crowd. Students of age enjoy the bars in the “college town” area of Old Town Fort Collins, but this is not a defining characteristic of the school. Most students are focused on their studies, and community service is a big part of the character of the school. The dominant form of transportation in the town and on campus is by bicycle, so you better enjoy riding your bike! If not, an excellent bus system will get you to/from campus, although cars are allowed for everyone. Freshmen are required to live on campus and dormitory options vary. Honors College and Engineering College students have the option of living in the Living/Learning communities in the brand new, environmentally green-built Academic Village.
The very large, sprawling campus is comprised of an eclectic myriad of buildings, from the horribly 70’s style era Arts & Sciences building that holds many of the required large General Ed freshmen lecture halls to architecturally beautiful new buildings including the new library, computer science building, and a new visual and performing arts center. In the “old” part of campus, from the days when CSU was known as the Agricultural and Mechanical (A&M) University, is the beautiful “oval” area with the many majestic buildings from the early 1900’s. It is an area where many students like to relax or play Frisbee on the lawn, as well as attend classes. There is also a beautiful lagoon, with sloping lawns, where many students like to study. The lagoon also hosts summer concerts for the town.
Overall, CSU evokes a sense of friendliness, happiness, ease of life and commitment to academics. To the west is a beautiful mountain view. During the day, students were studying all over campus – in the library, the student center, or out on the lawn. By the afternoon, they filled the vast, intramural fields to play sports. They spoke of the many concerts and other fun nightly activities available on campus or in town – no one seemed bored. Skiing is two hours away, so it is not as much as a distraction as it may be at schools closer to Denver. Greek life is also a significant part of CSU for the 7% of students who are interested. The Greeks take their role on campus seriously and focus on community service and philanthropy. In general, CSU Fort Collins seems like a nice, safe place for a quality education.
Please view my photo album at http://picasaweb.google.com/maritasurace/ColoradoStateUniversityFortCollins02# and visit my web site at http://www.collegeapplicationadvisors.com/
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