CU Boulder 2011 Forum

[krad]

Yeah sandbags are definitely a good idea in a pickup. I watched many a 2WD suffer this weekend up there, but then again, that was way up in the mountains, not Boulder

I sometimes put a sandbag in the back of my Jeep over my back tires when it's really narsty out. Otherwise, though, it starts to impact my gas mileage...

[oldhippie]

yep, i did bags of gravel when i was in WV then in spring, i'd use them to add to the gravel in my driveway:)

[Prairie]

when does scholarship info come out?

[chrisbru]

when does scholarship info come out?

Stop being greedy. I haven't heard if I'm in yet. We'll discuss scholarships once I get my letter

Jk, of course... Late February/early March, if I remember correctly.

[krad]

Chris here's to hoping our letters are in the mail today!

[chrisbru]

Chris here's to hoping our letters are in the mail today!

+1. If I don't hear anything by Friday I'm going to get antsy...

[bananeez]

when does scholarship info come out?

Stop being greedy. I haven't heard if I'm in yet. We'll discuss scholarships once I get my letter

Jk, of course... Late February/early March, if I remember correctly.

Haha, you're totally right. We're waiting for you guys.

(But -- I think my letter said beginning in late January, continuing until April or something)

[fundamentallybroken]

Chris here's to hoping our letters are in the mail today!

+1. If I don't hear anything by Friday I'm going to get antsy...

Still waiting here, too. Gah!!

[krad]

Have any current CO residents heard back yet? So weird!

[ptblazer]

I think I plan on living in Boulder if I go to CU. Mostly because I absolutely love Boulder, and know I'll spend a lot more time there if I actually live there. Also, for getting drinks, say on the Hill or Pearl, I'll want to be not far from home. And I think I'll be more into joining clubs, the gym, etc., if I'm right there. But really -- I just really, really love and miss Boulder.

I plan on living in Boulder too for many of the reasons you said. But mostly (this sounds kind of pathetic, haha) since I am moving to CO alone (seems like many people here are moving with someone else) it would be a lot easier to meet friends. I know myself and if I move to far away from the school I will get caught up the school work and the everyday schedule and not make time for fun, especially if I'm living alone 20+ min from the school. Like I said, pathetic, but mental health can't be over looked.

[chrisbru]

I think I plan on living in Boulder if I go to CU. Mostly because I absolutely love Boulder, and know I'll spend a lot more time there if I actually live there. Also, for getting drinks, say on the Hill or Pearl, I'll want to be not far from home. And I think I'll be more into joining clubs, the gym, etc., if I'm right there. But really -- I just really, really love and miss Boulder.

I plan on living in Boulder too for many of the reasons you said. But mostly (this sounds kind of pathetic, haha) since I am moving to CO alone (seems like many people here are moving with someone else) it would be a lot easier to meet friends. I know myself and if I move to far away from the school I will get caught up the school work and the everyday schedule and not make time for fun, especially if I'm living alone 20+ min from the school. Like I said, pathetic, but mental health can't be over looked.

I'll end up living in Boulder too... And, assuming the gf will live in Ft. Collins, I'll be in your same boat. I'm sure we can meet people pretty easily. My vote? Lots of drinking the first few weeks of the semester, then dialing it back once we make enough friends.

Plus, undergrads will love to hang out with law students.

[Pufer]

yeah, i'm curious to hear more takes on this as well...we are not planning on living in boulder itself but one of the outlying towns and i'm hoping it won't be a huge disadvantage to not be real close to campus. any thoughts are appreciated!

I live in Louisville and think it's great. Indeed, my commute driving is shorter than most folks' commutes from places in Boulder. The distance could be a problem if you plan on getting drunk and trying to stumble home at 3 AM, but otherwise it's fine. The only issue is that people in town figure that you're in another universe seven minutes away, but that just means you have to always go to Boulder rather than anyone joining you out of town.

i think a bus would be great - extra time to read or relax and you wouldn't have to drive in the winter ugliness! how do the buses fare when there's snow?

Everything on the road sucks in the snow. The buses, if they don't get stuck (which happens far more often than you might think), have to sit in the same long lines of traffic as everyone else. Last Wednesday, took me an hour twenty minutes to drive 7 miles in the snow; drove by three stuck buses on the way. Folks who live in Denver were talking about a 3.5 hour commute on the bus.

Fortunately, it doesn't snow all that often. Last Wednesday was the first commute this year where the snow added more than 10 minutes to my commute. Even when it does snow, the roads are typically back to normal after a couple days.

-Pufer

[ptblazer]

I think I plan on living in Boulder if I go to CU. Mostly because I absolutely love Boulder, and know I'll spend a lot more time there if I actually live there. Also, for getting drinks, say on the Hill or Pearl, I'll want to be not far from home. And I think I'll be more into joining clubs, the gym, etc., if I'm right there. But really -- I just really, really love and miss Boulder.

I plan on living in Boulder too for many of the reasons you said. But mostly (this sounds kind of pathetic, haha) since I am moving to CO alone (seems like many people here are moving with someone else) it would be a lot easier to meet friends. I know myself and if I move to far away from the school I will get caught up the school work and the everyday schedule and not make time for fun, especially if I'm living alone 20+ min from the school. Like I said, pathetic, but mental health can't be over looked.

I'll end up living in Boulder too... And, assuming the gf will live in Ft. Collins, I'll be in your same boat. I'm sure we can meet people pretty easily. My vote? Lots of drinking the first few weeks of the semester, then dialing it back once we make enough friends.

Plus, undergrads will love to hang out with law students.

HAHAHAHA

[oldhippie]

thanks as always, pufer...you've been really helpful...

[krad]

Ugh, man, last Wednesday was horrible!! It took me two hours to make my normally 20-35min commute. Luckily, as Pufer said, that's a RARE occurrence

[zonto]

Any of you Colorado-ites ever lived in or driven in Utah? Are the winter conditions on roads similar?

Still waiting on my decision too (though I went complete on 1/10 so I doubt it will be soon)...

[LeDique]

This is called Wednesday in Boulder, for those of you who don't know, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5exATIaQiI

[ArchRoark]

This is called Wednesday in Boulder, for those of you who don't know, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5exATIaQiI

Wow...

[zonto]

Make sure to watch part two of that video!

[ptblazer]

This is called Wednesday in Boulder, for those of you who don't know, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5exATIaQiI

Do residents in Boulder and the surrounding area not use traction tires? Maybe snow in that part of CO is rarer then I assumed. How often does it snow in the city?

[Pufer]

Do residents in Boulder and the surrounding area not use traction tires? Maybe snow in that part of CO is rarer then I assumed. How often does it snow in the city?

Some people have snow tires, but are mostly mountain dwellers. Snow doesn't last long enough for most folks to need them (I mean, if it snowed last night, 90% of the time the freeways are up to 55 mph by 10 AM, and all major surface streets are clear).

There are basically four snowstorms a year that totally fuck everything up: the first substantial snow in late October/early November when everyone freaks out (didn't happen this year), the one in December where you get seven inches in sub-zero temperatures so it packs down into ice (also didn't happen this year in Boulder, but it was during finals the previous two years), the midwinter one that dumps five inches around 3 PM and totally screws up the afternoon commute (last Wednesday), and then the 20-inch event in mid-March when they shut down the airport.

There's a bunch of other snow events where we get 2-4 inches, but they typically don't screw anything up except the early-morning commute, or maybe slow down all midday traffic (January 9th was one of those).

Generally speaking, from December through early-March, warm chinook winds blow off the mountains every night keeping the snow away from the Boulder area. This makes for some very windy nights, but means that most of the snow around here happens in October/November and March (mostly March), before and after the nightly winds kick it into gear, respectively. Thus, no need for snow tires except when the chinooks break down.

Also, that above video is from Colorado Springs. However, it's true that last Wednesday was pretty close to that, except it was dusk, and there were a lot more cars.

-Pufer

[LeDique]

A snow event?!? Holy shit, I hope I can get tickets to that!

Joking aside - I expected that Colorado got more snow, interesting. I'm from NE Ohio and I grew up with snow all the time in the winter, always had snow tires. I still do, despite living further south. I feel like a badass here when it snows because of that.

[krad]

FWIW I have snow tires (studs on the drive wheels) because I drive a 30mi/day commute in a 2WD vehicle and if I don't make it to work because of the roads, I have to use vacation time. I also drive out to the airport a lot for work travel.

If I didn't have a long commute and/or drive my vehicle to the mountains regularly in the winter, they wouldn't be necessary. I see people in little 2WD vehicles on the roads in the random snow and they're usually fine (only a few slide around or get stuck). Last Wednesday I drove past a Smart car on the highway... hippies.

[brose]

Sorry for not going back and reading, but has anyone who went complete after 11/15 received their decision? I went complete 11/15, hence the question! Thanks.

[queenlizzie13]

Sorry for not going back and reading, but has anyone who went complete after 11/15 received their decision? I went complete 11/15, hence the question! Thanks.

I was complete around that time, I think it was the 10th, and I received my acceptance with a letter postmarked 1/14/11.