Colorado College is a small liberal arts college in the city of Colorado Springs in — you guessed it — Colorado. It is, perhaps, the most Colorado of Colorado schools. At the foot of the Rocky Mountains, the school is known for attracting quirky, curious, and passionate students who love the outdoors almost as much as they love fully immersing themselves in their academic and artistic passions. The acceptance rate is 11.6%.
When we said “immersing,” we meant it. Colorado College (or CC) is built around an academic calendar that is extremely unique in the world of higher education. Students only take one class at a time. If this is confusing, here’s a breakdown: there are eight ‘blocks’ per year, and each is 3.5 weeks long. Students pick one class per block, and each Professor only teaches one class per block as well. This means that 100% of the people in a given course are giving it their 100%. It’s intense by design, and very beloved by the students at CC. If you’re curious about what this might look like for you, you can build out a ‘mock’ block plan. Building a mock plan will also help you when it comes to the supplement below, so we highly recommend it!
Before we get into the supplement, though, you should know that Colorado College is test-optional for domestic and international applicants. If you are considering sending your scores, you first consider that the middle 50% of scores from accepted students last year was 1320-1470 on the SAT and 30-34 on the ACT. If you are not at the top of this range, or above it, you may not want to send your scores. Sending scores that don’t stand out for a good reason simply isn’t worth it, and lower scores may even work against your application.
If Colorado College is your dream school, but you aren’t sure how to stand out, send us an email. We help students get into their perfect fit.
We promise we won’t drag this out much longer, but there is one more thing you need to do before you start in on the supplement, and that’s the preliminary application. Only a handful of schools ask students to submit an (optional) preliminary application, and CC is one of them. The preliminary application is an information-collecting opportunity for the college, and tells them to look out for your official application. The preliminary application is available on the CC website after July 15th.
Once you’ve submitted the preliminary application, it’s time to address the supplement. Colorado College has one supplementary question for applicants, and they provide a ton of free guidance on what they are looking for in your answer. Below, we’ll break down the question, what they want, and how to answer in a way that significantly increases your chances of admission.
The Supplement: Why do you wish to attend Colorado College and how would the Block Plan serve your educational goals? (Maximum 200 words)
This is a classic “why us” supplement. We love that it is straightforward, but that doesn’t mean that writing a compelling answer is easy. First, you need to start all “why us” prompts the same way: with research.
One of the things Colorado College wants to see is that you truly understand what CC offers — and no, they aren’t talking about the pretty mountains and friendly students. They want to accept students who have fully bought into their curriculum, so you need to identify specific courses you want to take, a professor or two you want to study under, and at least one extracurricular activity or on-campus community outside of a sport that you want to join. A great place to find this information is on the Colorado College website, but you can also learn a lot through online and admissions events, and talking to current and former students.
Once you have pulled your research together, it’s time to get to writing.
Start your supplement with a story that shows a connection between something you value in yourself (an activity, a characteristic or trait, a skill) and CC. For example, perhaps you took a biology intensive junior year that meant you could spend hours in the lab, and you wish you could have stayed even longer and so are excited by the idea of an academic program that empowers students to dive deep.
Then explain the how. What will you study, what courses will you take, and who do you want to study under? The secret here is specifics. You cannot speak in generalizations, and this is why you did all the research.
In addition to sharing how you’ll take advantage of the CC program; you need to share what you’ll give to the community. Mention one or two things you’re excited to do that will give back to the on-campus community, and try to think beyond volunteering.
Colorado College says that they want you to “take your time, do your research, and give us some specifics about how the college would impact you and how you would impact the college.” As you’re writing your supplement, refer back to this call to action. Are you fulfilling this brief? If not, you need to add more details.
Finish your supplement by reiterating the connection you feel between the CC program and how you want to learn and grow as a student.
Colorado College is looking for students who are a perfect match for the unique educational and community experience they offer. They know the block system isn’t for everyone, so you need to make the case for why what they offer is exactly what you want from your collegiate experience.
If you are applying to Colorado College is stressing you out, send us an email. We’re pros at this.