Ali

The best thing about this school is the size, location, and community. It is small enough that I always see people I know around campus, but big enough that I am always meeting new people, whether it be at a party or the library or on Driscoll Green. The location is AMAZING because it is less than 10 minutes away from downtown Denver, where there is an unlimited amount of things to do. There are also small neighborhoods with amazing restaurants/shops/coffee shops within walking/biking distance, and a multitude of parks around the area. Not to mention being only an hour away from the mountains. Truely an outdoorsy place. The sense of community is also amazing, whether it be all of campus supporting the sororities and fraternities with their philanthropy efforts, or student organizations working together to create memorable events, or simply a pick-up game of volleyball in the middle of campus. The faculty also contributes to the sense of community as they meet students individually for coffee to talk about anything and everything.

The main complaint on campus is that there is a lack of DU spirit. But in just the past couple of years, I have seen a significant improvement in this area. Free food and tailgating before games has really increased attendance! Who doesn't like free stuff? Also, we have debunked the myth that having school spirit isn't "cool."

One of the reasons I came to DU was because of the academics. There are many unique and interesting areas of study, so pretty much anything you are interested in is available at DU. The International Studies school is ranked top in the nation and offers some of the most interesting classes, in my opinion. My favorite class was called "Paradise for Sale" in which our professor, who had done extensive research in the Dominican Republic and Bali, taught us about sustainable tourism in developing countries. The fact that DU is a research university, in which almost all of the professors do outside research, really adds to the classroom experience because professors have exciting stories and experiences to share with their students. The professors also are required to have office hours every week, so it is very easy to talk to them either after class or during office hours. The classes are also pretty small, which I love becuase you get to know your classmates and professors and create relationships that aren't possible in a larger class.

The most popular club on campus is Alpine club. This club basically does anything and everything outdoors. Skiing, moonlight snowshoe hikes, rock climbing, weekend trip to Moab. Basically just really amazing things. My favorite club on campus is the Cooking club. They hold events every other week and teach students how to cook a gourment meal. Last year they even did a sushi rolling demo and we all got to make and eat our own sushi after a guest sushi chef taught us how! Another awesome group on campus is the DU Programming Board (DUPB). They put on various events throughout the year including concerts, May Days, Winter Carnival, free movies on thursday nights and much more. During May Days last year, (which is a week basically celebrating spring with free food, concerts, prizes all week), One Republic came for a surprise acoustic concert on the lawn in the middle of campus. We also got 5 dollar tickets to see Jay Z...can't beat that, even if you aren't a huge JayZ fan!

There are common stereotypes at DU because we are a private university. Often times the sterotype is white, rich kids, but that is not entirely true. Although there are students that come from wealthy families, the majority of my friends actually do have student loans and over 70% of our student population has scholarships or financial aid.

One thing I like about DU is that the stereotype of athletes is not as prevalent as at other schools. I have classes with a lot of the athletes and are actually friends with them, they aren't just distant idols.

There are other stereotypes that exist at DU, such as stoners and frat starts, but I have found that all the various groups do a lot of mixing, so just because you belong to one "group" doesn't mean you are confined to that group at all.

Like i said in my previous answer, a lot of the stereotypes (especially regarding athletes and white rich kids) are only true to an extent. Since it is a smaller university, most people are open and willing to be friends with people outside of their stereotyped "group." It really makes the whole college experience more fun and it is easier to learn about people different than you when you are friends with them.