About University of Colorado Boulder
Location: Boulder, CO
Undergraduate Population: 32,100
Most Popular Majors: Psychology, finance, strategic communication, aerospace engineering sciences, integrative physiology
Motto: Λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν (“Let your light shine”)
Demographics:
White 67.4%
Latinx 13.5%
Multiracial 6.7%
Asian/Asian American 6.2%
Black/African American 1.9%
Native American less than 1%
History:
On March 14, 1876, the Colorado territorial legislature passed an amendment to the state constitution that provided money for the establishment of three universities, including the University of Colorado Boulder. The cornerstone of the building that became Old Main was laid on September 20, 1875.
The university opened its doors on September 5, 1877. At the time, there were very few high schools in Colorado that could adequately prepare students for university work, so a preparatory school was established on campus as well. In the fall of 1877, the student body consisted of 15 students in the college itself and 50 students in the preparatory school. There were 38 men and 27 women ranging from 12 to 23 years. During World War II, the University of Colorado Boulder was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a navy commission.
CU hired its first female professor, Mary Rippon, in 1878, its first African-American professor, Charles H. Nilon, in 1956, and its first African-American librarian, Mildred Nilon, in 1962. The first African American female graduate, Lucile Berkeley Buchanan, received her degree in 1918.
Today, the University of Colorado Boulder offers over 270 fields of study across nine different colleges.
Notable University of Colorado Boulder alumni include actor Robert Redford, electrical engineer Steve Wozniak, Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla, actress Carey Lowell, and basketball coach and former player Chauncey Billups.
Traditions:
- For over 15 years, the student-lead Annual Poetry Slam has been a showcase of poetic talent across campus.
- Across their time on campus, students are on a quest to find the five buffalo statues and the “creepily realistic” Robert Frost Statue on campus.
- Students love to go hiking around campus. Popular routes include starting at Chautauqua Park to get to the Royal Arch and the Flatirons or heading to the nearby Mount Sanitas and Sanitas Valley to see the blooming wildflowers in the summer.
Noteworthy Features:
- Students are admitted to one of following colleges, schools, and programs: the College of Arts and Sciences; the College of Music; the College of Engineering and Applied Science; the College of Media, Communication, and Information; the Program in Environmental Design; the Leeds School of Business; the School of Education; and the Program in Exploratory Studies (which allows students to explore options before selecting a major).
- General education requirements cover three skills acquisition areas—written communication, quantitative reasoning and math, and foreign language—and three distribution categories: arts and humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences.
- CU Boulder consistently ranks among the top universities in the country to receive NASA funding, leading to lots of opportunities for the design, construction, and flight of model spacecraft—and to 18 CU Boulder alumni having worked as astronauts.
Admissions Profile
Average GPA: 3.76
Test Scores (mid-50% range): SAT 1160-1380 / ACT 26-34
Admit Rate: 81.4%
Test-optional? Yes
Offers Early Admissions? Yes—Early Action
Supplemental Essays
What do you hope to study, and why, at CU Boulder? Or if you don’t know quite yet, think about your studies so far, extracurricular/after-school activities, jobs, volunteering, future goals, or anything else that has shaped your interests. (max. 250 words)
You can either write a “why this college” essay for CU or you can tell them more about your extracurricular involvement.
If you’re writing the why CU essay, the research process, go beyond information that is easily available on the college website. You must show that you’ve dug deeper than just the homepage of your chosen academic department. Read course descriptions, faculty profiles, and seek out information about special programs students participate in. Campus visits really come in handy here—if you can write about your real-life impressions of a school or a department, that’s great! It’s also a great idea to watch admissions TikToks, student Instagram takeovers, and “day in the life” YouTube videos to get a sense of what daily student life is like.
Once you’ve conducted in-depth research, connect the school’s resources to your interests and make your essay personal. Remember that you’re presenting a picture of yourself, and that should help admissions officers picture you on campus.
If you’re choosing the second route, Consider your interests and goals, as well as experiences that have been the most meaningful. You should choose an extracurricular that has allowed you to have a leadership role and make your mark on your community. Note that you don’t actually need a title like “President” or “Captain” to have taken on a leadership role; even if you’re a club member, you can demonstrate leadership by taking charge of a project or initiative. Finally, make sure you haven’t already gone into detail about your topic in your personal statement.
When writing essays about extracurricular activities, don’t just describe the activity and what it entails. Your essay should primarily focus on the impact you’ve made. No matter how the question is phrased, admissions officers want to know about your involvement rather than what everyone generally does in this club or organization.
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