Colorado College is a private, liberal arts college in Colorado Springs. The campus is located against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountains and the school is on the block plan, meaning classes run for intensive, three-and-a-half week periods. Many classes incorporate the university’s natural environment. The acceptance rate is 15 percent
Why do you wish to attend Colorado College and how would you contribute to the community? (no more than 250 words)
We like this school. It’s laid back. It’s in nature. It’s cool.
The key to this essay is to talk about the major you’d like to pursue while in school. First of all, you MUST talk about a specific major. Do not, under any circumstances, say that you are undecided (even if, in your heart, you are). What you need to know is that this just an application. It is not a binding contract with the university. Your academic advisors and your professors are not going to know what you wrote here. It’s about getting in.
Start by picking an area of study in which you have already clearly excelled and developed a background throughout high school. Then, research the related majors and classes offered at Colorado College. Talk about a specific professor and curriculum.
Next, talk about the location. Take note that Colorado College asks how you’d like to contribute to the “community.” We like that. A lot of schools talk about the campus. For example, NYU emphasizes its New York City campus. Research the location, especially if you’re not from the state, and integrate that into your answer.
The Block Plan at Colorado College has a tradition of innovation and flexibility. Please design your own three-and-a-half-week course and describe what you would do. (no more than 500 words)
This exercise is easy to succeed in if you do your research. You should spend some time looking through curricula posted on the university’s website to get a feel for the style, content, and format. Remember, because Colorado is on the Block Plan, syllabi are going to look different than they would at a university with a more traditional academic structure.
With our kids, we either have them pick a niche area of study in which they are interested, or we have them pinpoint a problem that the university has on campus and orient the curriculum around a solution. The second option should only be attempted for students who are working with a professional college counseling service. If you are working with a professional and decide to attempt the second approach, start off by Googling the latest news about the university. Many schools across the country are dealing with some serious issues, from sexual assault to free speech debates, so college campuses are rife with social and ethical issues.
For example, many schools (and we’re not saying, one way or another, whether Colorado College is one of them) are dealing with increased rates of student suicide. If this question were being asked at one of those universities, this issue would be a good test case to discuss here. A student’s sample curriculum should stem beyond the usual suggestion of increasing the presence of psychologists on campus. This curriculum might have, for example, a component on mindfulness meditation and one on Stoic philosophy.
Mimic the layout of the syllabi you see on the school’s website and compose a full syllabus, complete with a course outline.
Need help choosing an impressive suite of extra-curriculars? Reach out to us here. We help our students with all components of the application process.