Colorado College (Colorado Springs, CO)

the premier liberal arts college of the Rocky Mountain region; about 2000 students a compact, architecturally varied campus in a residential neighborhood near downtown with great views of Pikes Peak from nearly every part of campus; most unique feature is the block plan which CC originated in 1969 and has since been copied by only other schools; students take one course at a time for 3 1/2 weeks then have five days off to explore; this plan allows intense, often hands-on or research-oriented study of one subject and the opportunity for remote learning; for example, one class on ex-patriate American writers meets in Paris, while a Rocky Mountain ecology class meets at a field study campus in the mountains; students are academically oriented, but also outdoorsy, not surprisingly; $5 busses run to ski resorts every weekend; Division III athletic teams compete in the SCAC with Sewanee and Rhodes, except hockey which is Division I; potentially an amazing educational experience for the student who likes intense focus interspersed with adventurous breaks; R,K