Each Front Range Community College campus has a distinct personality. During the week I attend the Westminster, Longmont and Larimer campuses to get the most out of my college experience.
I spend most of my time on the Westminster campus. Westminster is a bigger version of a typical high school. Most classes meet in the main building, with the exception of the newly renovated Fine Arts building and Greenhouse.
At the Westminster campus, I enjoy learning from the high caliber teaching staff. As a graphic design student, my professors either have worked or are working in the industries that I want to break into.
Between the staff and the central nature of the building, the Westminster campus is an easy place to transition from high school into college.
On Monday, I commute to the Boulder County campus. The Boulder campus layout is complicated because there are multiple buildings to navigate.
Fortunately, the campus is small and has a homey and welcoming feeling, brought about primarily by campus café, which makes all dishes from scratch, on location. In Colorado, places that offer freshly baked gluten-free bread made into craft sandwiches are few and far between.
The Boulder County campus faculty is magnificent, but much smaller than that at Westminster. The quaint size allows me ample face-to-face time with my professors.
On Friday, I drive to Fort Collins to the Larimer Campus. This campus screams university: large, multiple buildings, modern.
Despite the University feel to this campus, it has small class sizes. This is truly reflected in the personal interaction I’ve had with my professor. At universities, students struggle for individualized attention among three hundred others; but at the Larimer campus, students flourish in twenty-person community college classes.
A community college education offers countless advantages, such as small classes, cheap fees and friendly professors. However, like every experience, the community college one improves when students break free from their comfort zones.
Exploring another Front Range Community College campus yields fresh contacts, fresh perspectives and fresh friends. Each campus is a stage of transition.
Westminster feels like moving out of high school, Boulder feels like a small college and Larimer feels like a full-sized university. Each phase leads students towards the inevitable goal of earning a four-year degree and makes the change to a university less overwhelming.
For those who can, I would recommend taking classes on at least one of the other Front Range Community College campuses.
Written by Christopher Kemp
Photo from FRCC’s Blog
