Tips to get the most out of the residential and off-campus experience
Hi everyone,
Two Journey Leader Mentors share their experiences living on and off campus. Check it out!
Maddi is a senior at CU Boulder studying Integrative Physiology and Public Health, and plans to go to Physician’s Assistant school after she graduates. Outside of CU Maddi likes to spend time outside, relax with her cat Nala, watch Netflix, and hangout with friends. Her favorite thing to do in Boulder is hiking and going out to eat and shop on Pearl Street with friends.
Living in Boulder is fun and exciting whether you are living on or off campus, but not without its challenges. I didn’t have my own car in Boulder until my junior year and it definitely taught me about other ways to get around! While living on campus it was very easy to get around while not having a car, since any place I needed to go was walking distance away or had an easy bus route to get to it. I didn’t have a job my freshman year so luckily I didn’t have to worry about commuting to work, but if you do need to work I highly suggest getting an on-campus job if you are worried about the commute. Regardless, there are many great options for transportation in and around Boulder. My sophomore year I lived off campus but in walking distance to campus, so I didn’t have any trouble commuting to class and work then. I did have some issues with running errands such as grocery shopping but luckily I had roommates who had cars and we would all go grocery shopping together and would give each other rides. While it could be difficult at times not having a car, it was kind of nice having to walk a lot to class and work because it was great exercise (I really miss that now with remote classes!). Basically what I’m saying is that you don’t need a car to live in Boulder! Boulder is so accessible whether you want to walk, bike, Uber or take public transportation. Besides transportation, finding a good lease in Boulder can be daunting. My best recommendation is to start looking early! The renters market is a little crazy in Boulder and the earlier you start looking for roommates and a place to rent the less stress there is, and the more likely you are to get a good deal! I would also recommend touring as many places as you can! There are a lot of different options for off-campus housing from high rise apartments to houses, and I recommend checking out all your options. A great resource for off-campus students is getting involved with Commuter Peer Mentors, who are kind of like RAs that help to create community off-campus in different neighborhoods. Overall living in Boulder has been a great experience and has taught me a lot about living on my own!
Nallely is a current junior at CU Boulder, studying Sociology with a certificate in Public Health and Care Health and Resilience. She hopes to continue her education by attending graduate school. Outside of the classroom, Nallely likes to hike, watch Netflix, spend time with her dog and scroll through TikTok.
Entering college can already be overwhelming and commuting to the University as a first year student can be another added stresser, but knowing how to navigate commuting and parking can be helpful in the long run. My freshmen year I commuted to CU, it was about a 30-45min drive. There are a couple of things I learned from communing, the first thing is to always check Google Maps for traffic and that it is always better to leave earlier and get to campus early then leaving later and getting to class late. The Commuting Buffs program is a great way to make friends and find other commuters that may be from your area, if this happens you can carpool with other people and save on gas money. On the other hand I know not everyone has a car and relies on public transportation, if you are not familiar with public transportation I recommend searching up the best route to campus from your home (on Google Maps) and a couple days before school starts take that route for practice so when the first day of school comes it will be easier to navigate. For those driving to campus there are two parking options, buying a parking permit or looking for free parking. If you have classes everyday or are coming to campus frequently I recommend buying the semester long parking permit, it will be a lot cheaper than paying for parking everyday. If you are not coming to campus frequently and do not have classes everyday, I recommend looking for free parking around campus whether that is in the neighborhood across the C4C, by the Hill, or at Will Vill and riding the Buff Bus to campus. Of course there are also lots that you can pay to park, if needed.
Lastly, a quick reminder to complete the following courses, which can be found in Buff Portal and Canvas:
If you ever want to connect with a Journey Leader Mentor, feel free to call or text +1-303-492-4431, email welcome@colorado.edu, or chat on our website here. You can also schedule a virtual appointment with a Journey Leader to answer any of your questions about life at CU Boulder through Buff Portal Advising: https://www.colorado.edu/buffportaladvising/.