UVM or CU Boulder

so im gonna see if you guys can help me with this one. i strongly like both of these colleges and i know my grades will easily carry me into UVM or CU Boulder... but which one do i want! i want to major in science, i want to ski a lot, i want to meet a lot of people, and i want to have a great time.

can anyone give me some 411 on either boulder or burlington?

can anyone give me any idea which resorts are closest to boulder? how is that terrain... completly sick?

is CU Boulder unbelievably cold and not fun during the winter?



and just as a side not i was wondering if this scenario worked... granted, i live near boston in massachussets; therefore i am not going to get instate tuition fees considering they are state universities. albeit, once im accepted to one of these schools can i defer payment for a year, claim residency in that state and pay siginificantly less tuition fees? im hoping this would work, but not sure.

any other info on these two schools would be friggen sweet!!

What are you planning to study?

i had the the same choice a few years ago. The answer is easy, CU hands down. Hotter chicks, better weather, better skiing, longer skiing season, Big 12 football, access to a major city (think concerts, pro sports etc) and far better weather and hotter chicks.

Also CU's best programs are science and engineering. They are oe of the top 10 research institutions in the country and receive a ton of federal grant money for projects.

Boulder doesn't get cold at all during winter (well maybe a day or 2 per year). It is very mild, cold winters are probably the biggest misconception about Colorado. As for skiing, Eldora is very close to Boulder (about 20 miles I think, but I've never skiied there). A-basin, Loveland and Keystone are a little over an hour from there.

Hope that helps.

Boulder will have a better year round climate than Burlington. As far as skiing, you are at least an hour away from skiing either place. Closest to Boulder is Eldora, but you would be better off going up to Winter Park, Loveland, or Scummit county areas. They have cheap passes and way more terrain.

The out of state tuition secnario won't work if you are enrolled as a student. You need to be a resident of the state for at least one year, and be employed or be a dependant of someone who is employed and living in the state.

Burlington is a cool town, kind of the same vibe as Boulder, but I have only visited the campus and town once and have no more info. I assume the closest skiing is Stowe and Smugglers notch? I am not sure on that though.

Good luck as you matriculate into Higher education.

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Originally Posted by skatecow45

can anyone give me some 411 on either boulder or burlington?

can anyone give me any idea which resorts are closest to boulder? how is that terrain... completly sick?

is CU Boulder unbelievably cold and not fun during the winter?

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I've lived in Boulder for 13 years. It's a cool town. Use the search function and you'll find more info. than you need.

There are a lot of resorts within 2.5 hours of Boulder. More importantly there is a lot of backcountry, but you'll probably be riding the resorts for your first year or so.

Boulder is super mild in the winter. It doesn't snow nearly as much as the mountains. It can be anywhere from 60 to -10 degrees all winter, but is usually sunny and mild.

Deferring for a year is easy, and will save you thousands at CU. In-state tuition is nothing here, but out of state is really expensive. You should defer for a year and move to the mountains like Z.

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Originally Posted by skatecow45

is CU Boulder unbelievably cold and not fun during the winter?

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Boulder will feel waaay warmer than Vermont. Seriously.

CU hands down, no contest.

Plus, you're from MA, so you should go for the more significant change of location. That's just my opinion, of course... I went from UT to MA.

Yep, it's way too cold in Boulder during the winter, you should probably just stay on the east coast. ;)

wow, this board does rock for information. i go an eat dinner and have 6+ relies. any other people care to chime in???

i want to major in biology, or some specific field of bio. maybe a minor in business.

will the deffering situation work? i want to move out to Co. for a year. that would be awesome.

I went to CU, moved to Burlington after.

There is no contest on every factor you mentioned - girls, skiing, weather, science program.

I ski-bummed a year (Crested Butte - easily the best terrain <but not always snow> in Colorado) and saved thousands by getting in-state at CU. It's a double-whammy no-brainer.

I won't repeat what everyone just said.

I will offer a few reasons to still consider UVM, even though you should definitely go to CU. They are:
-Fall - if you thoroughly enjoy a New England fall, it doesn't happen in CO, and it happens like nowhere else in VT.
-Water - Lakes, rain, moisture in general are few and far between in CO. This becomes acutely apparent during the Summers there.
-Culture - While Boulder is bigger than Burlington, you have Montreal, Boston, and New York within reasonable driving distances from UVM. CU has Denver, which is OK, but just OK.
-East Coast vs. West Coast Mentality - UVM is derfinitely eastern (duh). It's got that edge, like in Boston, where people are a little bit prickish. But you know people aren't really being fake. At CU, it's more like California. Everyone's really nice and friendly, but there's an air of fakeness floating around everywhere. This isn't really an edge to UVM, just something to think about.

You will find that everyone you meet at Boulder almost went to Burlington, and vice versa. They even have this wierd Church St./Pearl St. wrinkle in space where on any given day you really might as well be in either place.

Enjoy college.

If you can afford out-of-state at CU, you mind buying me a new car?

What about CSU (Ft. Collins), UW (Laramie) or Utah (SLC)?

I'm sure if you surf around the CU-Boulder website, it will explain the requirements for in-state. You will want to become independent as soon as possible, I believe. Then, as soon as you get out west, get a CO address, driver license, a job, pay taxes, etc.

If you are going to try for in-state tuition in Colorado the first thing you need to do is get your parents to stop claiming you as a dependent on their tax returns starting this year. Then you need to get a job in Colorado, file a Colorado income tax return, get a CO driver's license, register to vote, etc. I got it eventually, but it wasn't easy. You basically have to prove that you are totally independent of out-of-state parental support. The school will ask you for stuff like your tax returns, your parent's returns, a copy of your lease, and your bank statements. They don't want to see any fat checks coming in from Mommy and Daddy.
One good option is to go to a community college like Colorado Mountain College for a year or two, because you can take basic classes, ski and make some decent money in a ski town.
IMO, it's not as easy as some people make it sound. The school knows what's up and they love to stick you with out-of-state tuition because it's lsomething like $15,000 more then in-state and they need the money.
Other then that, CU is a great school, and most of the science departments are strong. They have had 2 Nobel science prize winners in the last 15 years and more astronauts have come out of CU then any other school.
And the chicks are way hotter then the hairy legged apes you see around Burlington.

CU has a nice bio program and there ought to be ample research opportunities for you there. You'll get an excellent education there should you choose to. The football sucks, though.

Also, CU is not one of the top research institutions in the country. At least not in the biomedical sciences. But they are good.

Also, if you play football real well, CU will try to get you to go there for free by offering you coke and whores.
But that's only if you play football.

A related third-tier perk at CU is the very real possibility of pulling bong hits with a future NFL player.
Rashaan Salaam was always borrowing my buddie's 3-footer.

Molecular, cellular, developmental biology (MCDB) is one of the hardest majors at CU, right up there with engineering. I don't think the community college plan is an option if you want to have an MCDB major, because it's basically a 4-year pre-med program, but I could be wrong on that.

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Originally Posted by dewey

Rashaan Salaam was always borrowing my buddie's 3-footer.

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Dang man, a Heisman Trophy winner can't even buy his own bong. That's pretty sad.

Years back I found myself in the same situation. Both very cool locations to be, but there's just something about Boulder. I'd give just about anything to go back, (well, almost!).

I also visited CSU among others, and the minute I walked onto campus in Boulder- it was no competition. CU has the entire package. So many great experiences there, I wouldn't know where to start. And there's so much to do. Most students either buy:
1) Abasin/Keystone/Breck pass (plus 10 days at Vail, I think)
or
2) Winter Park/Copper

Most those places are an easy 90 minute commute from CU. Boulder is very much like a college mountain community. With the Flatirons right there, you can walk just a few blocks literally and be engulfed in the mountains. Fkn sweeet. And although the Big 12 North sucks right now, I think the Buffs will have a good season. Maybe 8-3? I dunno. Either way, it'll be fun.

As for academics, a lot of what was said above. The Aerospace Engineering program is continually ranked in the top 5-10- with more astronauts attending CU than any other college, including MIT. MCDB makes me cringe- I wasn't smart enough for any of those majors! I think they also have Thomas Czech (sp?) and maybe another prof (can't remember who) that have won Nobel Prizes that call CU home. Cool stuff, but I was always more into the 'mountain scene' anyway :)

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Originally Posted by dewey

I will offer a few reasons to still consider UVM, even though you should definitely go to CU. They are:
-Fall - if you thoroughly enjoy a New England fall, it doesn't happen in CO, and it happens like nowhere else in VT.
-Water - Lakes, rain, moisture in general are few and far between in CO. This becomes acutely apparent during the Summers there.
-Culture - While Boulder is bigger than Burlington, you have Montreal, Boston, and New York within reasonable driving distances from UVM. CU has Denver, which is OK, but just OK.
-East Coast vs. West Coast Mentality - UVM is derfinitely eastern (duh). It's got that edge, like in Boston, where people are a little bit prickish. But you know people aren't really being fake. At CU, it's more like California. Everyone's really nice and friendly, but there's an air of fakeness floating around everywhere. This isn't really an edge to UVM, just something to think about.

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I chose Boulder when I had to make that decision (a long time ago), but Dewey makes a bunch of good points. They really busted my balls about the in-state/out-of-state thing, but since my father had moved to Denver three years earlier, I nailed the cheapskate tuition.

Oh yeah, and for the mandatory first year on campus, choose Kittridge. You'll thank me when you walk by all the hot trim in bikinis around the pond.

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Originally Posted by dewey

I went to CU, moved to Burlington after.

There is no contest on every factor you mentioned - girls, skiing, weather, science program.

I ski-bummed a year (Crested Butte - easily the best terrain <but not always snow> in Colorado) and saved thousands by getting in-state at CU. It's a double-whammy no-brainer.

I won't repeat what everyone just said.

I will offer a few reasons to still consider UVM, even though you should definitely go to CU. They are:
-Fall - if you thoroughly enjoy a New England fall, it doesn't happen in CO, and it happens like nowhere else in VT.
-Water - Lakes, rain, moisture in general are few and far between in CO. This becomes acutely apparent during the Summers there.
-Culture - While Boulder is bigger than Burlington, you have Montreal, Boston, and New York within reasonable driving distances from UVM. CU has Denver, which is OK, but just OK.
-East Coast vs. West Coast Mentality - UVM is derfinitely eastern (duh). It's got that edge, like in Boston, where people are a little bit prickish. But you know people aren't really being fake. At CU, it's more like California. Everyone's really nice and friendly, but there's an air of fakeness floating around everywhere. This isn't really an edge to UVM, just something to think about.

You will find that everyone you meet at Boulder almost went to Burlington, and vice versa. They even have this wierd Church St./Pearl St. wrinkle in space where on any given day you really might as well be in either place.

Enjoy college.

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Whoa- almost verbatim what i woulda written.

Pearl St. and Church St. were designed by the same guy, or so I've been told.

My dad went to med school at UVM, and I lived in Boulder for a while. I have had the pleasure of getting to know both towns very well.

I would give UVM the vote for closer skiing (excluding Eldora-just cause it doesn't seem to be what he is looking for, but it is a cool little mtn), and Boulder the vote for better skiing.

Factor in the amount of other activities you can do in Boulder, year round, and it wins. Just take a drive up Canyon any fall, summer, or spring day, and you will be sold on the place. The healthiest place I have ever lived. Just watch your weight, cause the rumor is that they don't let fatties in.

Plus, Boulder has the Scumdowner. :biggrin:


edit- I forgot to tell you to fuck right off for the four(?) years of absolute bliss you are about to experience. I really hate you. :the_finge

In Boulder the hippies are much richer, that's the only difference. Oh, and it's warmer.

Edit: Boulder has more people from New Jersey too, so you can still get your "prickish" fix if you need it.

Just to play devil's advocate, if you can easily get into CU or UVM are you sure that's where you want to go? Neither is a top-tier school, or second-tier for that matter. Choosing where to go is complex, of course. A top-tier school doesn't guarantee a bright future, nor does a non-top-tier school mean a bleak one.

All I can advise you to do is to give it plenty of thought.

I believe the Church St/Pearl St pedestrian shopping center wrinkle in time has something to do with one guy working as a civic planner for both cities. At least that's what someone else told me.

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Originally Posted by Squirrel99

And although the Big 12 North sucks right now, I think the Buffs will have a good season. Maybe 8-3? I dunno. Either way, it'll be fun.

I think they also have Thomas Czech (sp?) and maybe another prof (can't remember who) that have won Nobel Prizes that call CU home.

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So long as gaRy barNett is HC, CU will underacheive.

You're talking 'bout Tom Cech, who won the nobel for his work on catalytic RNA, i.e., ribozymes. Cool stuff! He's one of the reasons that I applied to CU for grad school back in...let's just say, a long time ago.

Yo, Cowman. Why not Utah? Don't know about the undergrad there, but they do some very good research in the biosciences and the skiing is okay.

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Originally Posted by bagtagley

In Boulder the hippies are much richer, that's the only difference. Oh, and it's warmer.

Edit: Boulder has more people from New Jersey too, so you can still get your "prickish" fix if you need it.

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i resent that comment....


on topic though:
boulder hands down

-warmer in winter (were talking days where there is 12 inches fresh at the basin and you are wearing shorts and a t-shirt in boulder...that NEVER happens in freeze your sack off burlington
-MORE SUN: boulder has like 300 days of sun a year...i dont know exact figures but i would say burlington would be in the 200 range at best (could be wrong though)
-Fresh powder from late September-mid June....
-Once the snowpack gets safer there is a multitude of year round skiing possibilities VERY close to boulder
-RMNP
-HOTTIES
-The number of wooks is starting to decrease, and that is good
-420 on farrand field, if you are into that kinda stuff

from 2003:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...%20CU/skjd.jpg

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Originally Posted by shmerham

Just to play devil's advocate, if you can easily get into CU or UVM are you sure that's where you want to go? Neither is a top-tier school, or second-tier for that matter. Choosing where to go is complex, of course. A top-tier school doesn't guarantee a bright future, nor does a non-top-tier school mean a bleak one.

All I can advise you to do is to give it plenty of thought.

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yes, i have considered this factor. i have quite good grades. all a's and b's in college (ap) classes throughout high scool. i will be an eagle scout in a month, i have also played vasristy soccer for 4 years. my list of achievements is not short.

however, i want a nice school where i can have an awesome time. i want to be able to ski a lot, meet cool people, and have a nice bio degree after four years in heaven.

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Originally Posted by sftc

Molecular, cellular, developmental biology (MCDB) is one of the hardest majors at CU, right up there with engineering. I don't think the community college plan is an option if you want to have an MCDB major, because it's basically a 4-year pre-med program, but I could be wrong on that.

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ok, i really do need more information on this. i was looking at the website and almost immediately wanted to go to CU after reading about this. this degree seems like 110% of what i want to study in. i also noticed the double major with biochemistry which intrigued me SO much more.

is this degree hard? fun? whats the deal?

Warthog -
Funny you mention the lungbrowner. I used to drink alot of their Pabst and get schooled on their pool tables. That place is a staple for people who prefer no-nonsense drinking as opposed to all of the bars selling a lifestyle image.
Start off with a few margarita's at the Rio, and you're talking guaranteed stumbly blackouts.

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Originally Posted by skatecow45

yes, i have considered this factor. i have quite good grades. all a's and b's in college (ap) classes throughout high scool. i will be an eagle scout in a month, i have also played vasristy soccer for 4 years. my list of achievements is not short.

however, i want a nice school where i can have an awesome time. i want to be able to ski a lot, meet cool people, and have a nice bio degree after four years in heaven.

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you went to hopewell right?

if you want some nice people to show you round town when you get to boulder PM me.....can intro you to some nice younger ladies as well

along the lines of tougher schools i am considering are bates, tufts, and colby. all very academically challangeing to be accepted. i just feel like these colleges arent for me. i see a university like CU or UVM as a big place, where i can get everything i want.

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Originally Posted by dewey

Warthog -
Funny you mention the lungbrowner. I used to drink alot of their Pabst and get schooled on their pool tables. That place is a staple for people who prefer no-nonsense drinking as opposed to all of the bars selling a lifestyle image.
Start off with a few margarita's at the Rio, and you're talking guaranteed stumbly blackouts.

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scumdowner/lungbrowner....what a fine establishment
:eek:

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Originally Posted by MOHSHSIHd

-420 on farrand field, if you are into that kinda stuff

from 2003:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...%20CU/skjd.jpg

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Christ almighty, Cartman was right, Colorado has a serious hippie problem.

from the CU website. i dont think that im getting instate tuition fees.

Summary of Tuition Classification Regulations

These tuition classification regulations are explained in greater detail following this section.

1. In-state status requires domicile (legal, primary residence) in Colorado for the year immediately preceding the first day of class. The only exceptions to the one-year domicile requirement, as provided by law, are for active-duty military personnel on permanent duty station in Colorado and for Olympic athletes in training at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

2. Domicile is defined as your true, fixed, and permanent home and place of habitation. Domicile is a legal characteristic that everyone has, and you can have only one domicile at any one time. Your domicile is your legal, primary residence.

3. If your parents are not Colorado domiciliaries, you must be a qualified person to begin the one-year domiciliary period. A qualified person is someone who is either: at least 22 years old, or married, or emancipated, or a graduate student. Persons who are not citizens of the United States should read the section regarding aliens, below, for additional information.

4. Unemancipated minors (students under age 22) are eligible for in-state tuition if a parent or court-appointed legal guardian has been domiciled in Colorado for one year.

5. Emancipation requires that your parents cannot provide financial support of any nature for any purpose. Parental support includes funds your parents may have previously set aside for your current support even if those funds are in your name. Parents may provide reasonable incidental gifts consistent with emancipation but may not provide significant funds that would be characteristic of a continuing parent-child support relationship.

6. To begin the one year domicile period, a qualified person must be residing in Colorado with the present intention to reside permanently in Colorado. To demonstrate this intention, you should take all actions that would be expected of any permanent resident of Colorado in your circumstances. These actions include severing from your former state of domicile such usual domiciliary connections as voter registration, driver’s license, vehicle registration, employment, and income tax filing, and establishing these connections in Colorado.

7. Your in-state eligibility will be lost if you or your parents (depending on your age and parental support) maintain domicile outside Colorado for one year. However, if you are an unemancipated minor, you may retain in-state status if your parents have lived in Colorado at least four years (see FOUR YEAR RULE, below). Regaining in-state status requires a new one year domicile period.

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Originally Posted by A-wreck

Christ almighty, Cartman was right, Colorado has a serious hippie problem.

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yes...thank god most of the wooks dont actually go to school there...they just come out of the woodwork for 420 and Disco Biscuit shows.....i think many of them must live in a secret camp near nederland or something....

nice picture of 420. i like partying. i like that stuff.

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Originally Posted by skatecow45

yes, i have considered this factor. i have quite good grades. all a's and b's in college (ap) classes throughout high scool. i will be an eagle scout in a month, i have also played vasristy soccer for 4 years. my list of achievements is not short.

however, i want a nice school where i can have an awesome time. i want to be able to ski a lot, meet cool people, and have a nice bio degree after four years in heaven.

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I was in a similar position and got into a handful of better schools but chose CU for basically the same reasons you are so interested in going. I wouldn't trade my experience for any in the world. CU has tremendously strong academics in a number of areas, unfortunetly this is often over shadowed by the rioting and partying. I met some incredibly smart people here and unlike many ivy leaguers they are able to tie their own shoes.

any other pictures?

OK, I have an idea.

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Originally Posted by skatecow45

The only exceptions to the one-year domicile requirement, as provided by law, are for active-duty military personnel on permanent duty station in Colorado and for Olympic athletes in training at the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

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Bribe the US ski team. Seriously. There's a really nice side benefit to it also. Let's say the difference between in-state and out-of-state is $15,000. What if you donated $6,000 (or even a little extra) to the US Ski Team and asked them to put you on the athlete list for their training program. They wouldn't have to spend a dime on you cause you'd never show up; but if the school calls, you're a member of the reserve Olympic squad or something. Additionally, when you donate $6k to the US Ski Team you get the pass to end all passes. The US Ski Team Gold Pass gets you 50 days of skiing at every resort in the United States. That's 50 days at each resort, not 50 days total.

Edit:
I almost forgot. I moved to Boulder after I graduated from college and lived there for 2-3 months. It was a shitty winter, so I didn't ski much. However, the trip was still awesome. It was an early spring and the apartment I was sharing had a deck overlooking the pool. Translation: there was mad tang right outside my apartment almost every day. There are tons of bars and parties there; and even better, the Fox Theater gets some great shows. I saw Luna and John Mayall there. The couple of outings I made to Denver were fun too.

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Originally Posted by skatecow45

ok, i really do need more information on this. i was looking at the website and almost immediately wanted to go to CU after reading about this. this degree seems like 110% of what i want to study in. i also noticed the double major with biochemistry which intrigued me SO much more.

is this degree hard? fun? whats the deal?

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If it's not hard, you're wasting your time there. If you're looking for fun only, don't waste the college's time. Go when you're ready to challenge yourself.

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Originally Posted by Viva

If it's not hard, you're wasting your time there. If you're looking for fun only, don't waste the college's time. Go when you're ready to challenge yourself.

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Viva's right, unless your an real genius I don't think I would call MCDB fun, and if you are a genius I don't think you would be considering CU. One of the smartest guys in my high school went to CU for pre-med with an MCDB major and he didn't struggle a lot, but it definetely wasn't a breeze. And he is the type of person who can sit down and study a biology text for 12 hours straight before an exam and retain the material. He partied and recreated his fair share, but he also did a lot of work. He graduated with close to a 4.0 in one of the hardest and most respected programs at CU and he still didn't get into his first choice of medical schools.
If you come in and screw around end up with a crappy grade point average after the first year or two you're fucked because you will never get into a good graduate school, if that's your plan.
If you are not 100% commited to the program you should probably take a year off and work for a living in a ski town. After a year of making $8 an hour and stuggling to pay your bills you will be excited to go back to school, or you'll just stay in the ski town and be a under paid ski bum.
Worse things could happen.