By Abby Kruse
For a student coming from a smaller community, CU Boulder can seem a bit intimidatingly big. I know I was certainly overwhelmed at the thought of transferring to a school that was larger than my hometown of Glenwood Springs, Co., but I soon learned that CU also has a lot of little niches where you can find your people and your groove.
One of my favorite spots on campus is the Celestial Seasonings cafe in the Engineering Center. Their coffee is like a hug in a cup and there are always people around, heading to classes, stopping for a quick bite or just catching up on homework. It’s a place that makes me feel excited about doing schoolwork and meeting new people. The nice part about being part of a larger campus is that everyone can find their favorite spot that fits them.
When I first moved to Boulder, I had no idea how I was going to meet people or even where to start looking. Honestly, I still don’t think there is just one answer. The first way I was able to meet other transfer students was at a transfer visit program. This event happened before school even started, so I hadn’t really had a chance to make any new friends yet. The tour not only gave me an opportunity to see most of campus, but it also allowed me to meet other transfer students who were thinking about going to CU Boulder. It is amazing how many connections I was able to make on my tour with people I had never met before. The tour was definitely comforting because it showed me that I would be able to meet people no matter what I decided to do once I got to campus.
For me, the most helpful part of a campus visit is getting to know how your credits will transfer. I was a little stressed about how my credits would transfer since I had spent so much time and effort on them and wanted them to count for something. But my academic advisors were super nice and understanding and seemed to really want me to do well here. Once I got into classes, I started to notice how many people were in the same boat as me; many of us were still dealing with transferring credits and trying to understand all of the graduation requirements. That simple knowledge was a huge comfort to me as well.
But possibly the coolest aspect of a campus tour is seeing how happy everyone is to be here. At the time, this made me really excited to join the CU Boulder community because I felt like my old school didn’t have that same strong sense of institutional pride. There were people playing frisbee on the lawn and sitting in the sun reading books-- kind of what you picture in a movie or something. Even now, CU Boulder’s beauty seems a bit surreal, but not at all fake. It just is truly beautiful. Everyone is happy just to be a part of this community, and I think that’s a great vibe in which to live!