What Student Life is Like at University of Colorado Boulder
This article was written based on the information and opinions presented by Madeline Harvey in a CollegeVine Livestream. You can watch the full Livestream for more info.
What’s Covered:
As you probably know, college is about much more than your classes. What’s life like outside of the classroom at the University of Colorado Boulder?
Housing and Dining
CU’s housing and dining office really strives to make your residential experience more than just a place to rest your head at night — through innovative programming, the university creates a place where you can find your people, engage in community building, and really just feel at home on campus.
Students can be placed in housing groups with students of similar academic interests, called Residential Academic Programs (RAPs). For example, there is a pre-health RAP and a business RAP. Not only are these residential facilities — there are even classrooms inside the residence hall.
That means you can just roll out of bed and stroll down the hall to your class. It also means that you get to connect further with your dorm mates who are in the same courses as you.
There are seven living and learning communities where students gather together based on lifestyle or cultural interest. Then, there are also traditional housing options, where students are paired with roommates based on shared interests. It could even be someone from a completely different area or major. No two CU Boulder students are exactly alike; everyone is a unique individual.
Extracurricular Activities
Still, one thing most CU Boulder students share is that they’re active and they’re engaged.
This can mean physically — there are over 300 days of sunshine in Colorado, so you can easily go rock climbing, hiking, or biking. There are programs on campus that sponsor these types of excursions, and you can join for free.
If you’re interested in traveling, there are plenty of opportunities for internships and global experiences. CU Boulder has a large study abroad office that will enable you to travel internationally.
Interested in research? There are almost 100 programs to get involved with on campus. The university is always working on innovative new ideas. You can easily ask a professor what they’re working on and if they could use an assistant or intern, and they can help connect you.
CU Boulder students also love to give back. More than 8,000 students volunteer in the community every year. They might work as literacy coaches or help with the homeless, for example — there are scores of things to do in the Denver and Boulder area. And CU students find a way to get involved in all of them.
Student Support
It can be a big transition moving away to college, and CU wants to make sure that you feel supported and cared for. The university has plenty of resources on campus to assist you.
Tutoring and Writing Help
For example, any first year student and any student who lives on campus can access free writing and tutoring help, in every academic subject, through Academic Success and Achievement Program (ASAP) tutoring, and peer tutoring across disciplines. Meanwhile, the writing center will help you at any stage of the process for a particular assignment, from brainstorming to revising.
Career Services
Career services is an incredibly robust program. Several of the colleges, schools, and programs have dedicated career services staff. There are plenty of workshops on resume writing, internships, and so on — and they can connect you and assist you with the next steps after college.
The Center for Inclusion and Social Change
Then, there’s the Center for Inclusion and Social Change. It’s a place where any CU Boulder student can feel welcome in a warm and inclusive environment. They put on lots of community events and have numerous resources. It’s a great place to visit.
Health and Wellness
CU Boulder cares about the physical and mental health of its students and has a dedicated center for health and wellness.
The center offers six free counseling appointments per year. You can make this an ongoing experience, if you wish. There is also grief counseling and nutritional guidance, as well as peer mentors.
According to the university, keeping students healthy, well, and supported — in and out of the classroom — is its top priority.
