UT vs. CSM vs. CU Boulder

alexiya
Sat, 18 Feb 2017 15:24:49 +0000

I am an junior female Hispanic student from Texas with a weighted GPA of about 3.97 and unweighted about 3.67. I take almost all AP classes with the exception of a few regulars. I am in a high school geosciences program with UT Austin and I’m president of a literary club, involved in volunteer work, theatre, and hold a few class positions for my school, as well as serve on a student advisory council for the school to represent the student voice to the district. I’m also a National Hispanic Merit Scholar. My PSAT score was a 1460 out of 1520 (R: 720, M: 740). My SAT results come back in a few days, so I expect them to be pretty close to my PSAT.

My preferred major would be geosciences, with physics involved, because I plan to study either hydrogeology to find water or planetary geosciences. I’m also heavily interested in astronomy, so I want to either double major or minor in that. My preferred school would be mainly academically minded, not a heavy party school (some partying is nice but not if it’s all of the time), but I also do like to have a vibrant social life so some aspects of that would be nice.

As to schools, my top choice is CSM, but I’m not sure if I could handle the rigor. It seems like an extremely hard school, and although I am in advanced classes, sometimes I find myself struggling. I worry that I’ll fall behind and not be able to get any help with my schoolwork, or time for a social life (which I value). I’m also concerned with the lack of females, and if I’ll fit in with the social life. I do love how the school has a small population, though.

My 2nd top is UT, because of their geosciences program and their tuition for me is in-state. The closeness to home is a plus, but not a necessity. I’ve stayed at the campus and I think it’s a nice place, but that was years ago and I don’t remember much about the whole “vibe” there.

My 3rd choice is CU Boulder, because of the good geosciences and physics programs and the location is beautiful. I have heard that this university is a heavy party school, and while I want to have a good time in college, I don’t want to be distracted 24/7 from my academics.

My questions are:
If you’re a student at any of these schools, what is the atmosphere and demographics like? Is academics pushed more than fun, or is it the other way around? What’s the “vibe” like?
Also, do I have a decent chance to getting in one of these schools?
I’ll be visiting all of these schools next month, but I want to know in advance what I should expect. Thanks!