The College of the Holy Cross

A couple of weeks ago I traveled up to Worcester, Massachusetts and visited the College of the Holy Cross. It is a Roman Catholic liberal arts school and has much to offer. It was first established on November 2, 1843. The school has about 2,900 undergraduate students and costs about $35,142 per year in tuition and board so says USNews.com's America's Best Colleges of 2008. The school is in a somewhat urban setting since it is right in Worcester, Massachusetts and his fairly selective in picking the students.

When I went there, I was very impressed at the campus. The campus is located on a very large hill with a fairly steep incline, but looks amazing. As I was driving up the main driveway, I looked around at the gorgeous buildings. I then learned that they were undergoing a multi-million dollar project and would have a new science building built by 2010 or so. I took a tour and was able to see the whole school. The class sizes were fairly small, which is a good thing. That way the student can become close with the professors.

As I was walking around I finally came to the library. Inside was a nice area to study and a place with many computers for students to do their work. It all seemed very quaint. The tourguide then took me through the dorm halls and I was able to see what they looked like. They all seemed pretty spacious and enough room for 2 people. From there, I decided that I wanted to go see the athletic facility.

As I walked up the hill I noticed this large building in front of me. As I walked in I could see that this facility was pretty nice. On the right, I looked and saw a large ice hockey arena that was amazing. I love hockey and they have a great hockey team. I then saw their basketball arena and was surprised how nice it was. Apparantly basketball is a large part of the winter sports season at Holy Cross. Holy Cross participates in the Patriot League and also has a great football team. Their field is very nice and makes me want to play a sport there.

About 90% of the undergraduate students live on campus or in some college-owned house. One major thing about the College of Holy Cross is that it does not have any greek life. There are no sororities or fraternities on campus. So if this does not bother you then there is no problem. I was fairly impressed with the College of Holy Cross, but it was not as nice as Boston College. If you have the grades, go to Boston College. Otherwise, Holy Cross would be a great choice and still has great academics.

Right in the Heart of Colorado

Located in the mile high city, University of Denver is an amazing place to go to college. I have been to Colorado many times throughout my life to go snowboarding and it is awesome in the winter. I also hear that Colorado is gorgeous during the summer and there are so many things to do. Denver is a great town that has everything for the college student.

At 2199 South University Boulevard in Denver, Colorado lies the University of Denver, which is ranked #85 on USNews.com's America's Best Colleges of 2008. This school has everything to offer to a student. The school was founded in 1864 and has no religious affiliation. There are currently about 5,122 undergraduate students enrolled and is a private institution. It is in a suburban to urban area and has many shops and other cool places nearby. The cost of the school is close to $40,000 per year including tuition, room, and board.

Like other colleges, the University of Denver is completely wireless, meaning that a student can access the internet from basically anywhere that is affiliated with the college. About half of the students live on campus at DU, 46% to be exact. The greek life at UD isn't really that big with only 15% of males entered in fraternities and only 11% of females in sororities. This is actually close to the numbers of most colleges so do not let that turn you off.

UD is also a great place to go for sports. I know of a couple people at my school who are actually going there for lacrosse. They have everything a student could ask for, such as club sports, intermural, and varsity sports. DU's campus is breathtaking and has a huge tower that stands out wherever one is. If a student wants a great school, with a great town not far away, then University of Denver is the place. Whether it's summer or winter, anyone can have a great time in Denver.