boulder college advice - College Admission Counseling

Are You A Talented Colorado High School Student? Learn About the Boettcher Scholarship

Jared Hobson — Mon, 21 Jul 2025 10:44:10 +0000

Are you talented inside, and outside, the classroom? Are you a high school senior in Colorado? If so, you may want to take some time to learn about the Boettcher Scholarship.

The Boettcher Foundation awards undergraduate scholarships to Colorado’s best and brightest students. Their merit-based awards essentially guarantee a 4-year fully paid scholarship to any college or university in Colorado. The application process for this scholarship is very rigorous and the competition is steep. Annually, well over 1,000 students apply for the 50 available scholarships. According to the Foundation:

Our application review is a holistic selection process that evaluates applicants on four selection criteria – superior scholastic ability and intellectual curiosity; evidence of leadership and involvement; service to community and school; and outstanding character.

Typically, competitive applicants rank in the top 5% of their classes and have test scores that average 1388 on the SAT and 32 on the ACT (as a reminder, we are not requiring test scores for this year’s applicants.) It’s important to note these averages are precisely those; every year we have Scholars who score below and above those averages.

Though grades, coursework, and test scores are important, we know that numbers do not tell the whole story of a student’s unique abilities, lived experiences, or character. We also weigh the qualitative components of an application that include leadership, involvement, and service to community and school.

The application opens September 1 every year. Your high school counselor will be receiving updated information about the scholarship. Then, they are able to invite qualified students to apply so if you are interested make sure to connect with your counselor. To see if you might be a qualified applicant check out the Boettcher website.

Boettcher Scholars are an amazing community of students and citizens.

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Are You A First Generation College Student?

Jared Hobson — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 14:23:32 +0000

Will you be the first in your family to go to college? If so, then you are a first generation student.
As you go to fill out your college applications this fall you may notice that many schools ask this question of their applicants. Colleges have started collecting this information for a variety of reasons. A recent article in the NY Times Tips for First-Generation College Applicants explains that many colleges are looking for a diverse student body and for students who are coming from different backgrounds. As such, numerous colleges have begun to track this statistic. Therefore, it is worth filling out this often “optional” question on the college application if it applies to you.
As well, some colleges may offer scholarships for first generation students or additional support services. Many colleges want to help these students find the opportunities that their family before them did not have. The article also advises that different colleges have varying definitions of first-generation status so it is worth confirming with your college what their definition is.

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Yield Initiatives By Colleges, What Will Entice You?

Jared Hobson — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 20:57:13 +0000

Yield. That is a big word for college admissions offices in the spring. Once admission decisions have gone out the door and into the hands of anxious students it is the college’s turn to be anxious. They want to make their freshman class. They want you, the students, to confirm your enrollment by May 1.
When I worked at the University of Colorado Boulder Office of Admissions one of my responsibilities was to coordinate yield initiatives. These included mailings, visit programs, and special targeted messages to accepted students. A lot of time was spent thinking about how to help the accepted students choose to attend and what they would enjoy.
So, as you wait on admissions decisions, or decide which college to choose, take note of their special strategies to entice you. Sometimes, these don’t even come directly from admissions, they may be from alumni or current students. They may come in the form of a letter, email, t-shirt, visit invitation, or perhaps a video song like the ones below.
So, as you wait to hear from your colleges, check out these two favorite “why choose our college” videos for fun:

That’s Why I Chose Yale and

Remember oUR Name (U. of Rochester) .
Enjoy!

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“Design Your Own Course” Essay Question – Tips from Colorado College

Jared Hobson — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 16:20:35 +0000

https://www.coloradocollege.edu/

If you could design a college course what would it be? Not only that, how would you write about it?
This year I have come across a number of colleges asking prospective students to write a supplemental essay that has the student design a course, or a theme house, that could be implemented at the college. As I work with students, I find they often struggle a bit with this question. They worry that they will come up with something that has already been done or is not creative enough. So, I like to encourage them to break the question down as they are brainstorming.

Here are some of the questions I pose to students brainstorming on this essay topic:

What is a theme or subject that interests you?
What is a program or class you personally would want to take part in? Why?
What would that program have as its main components?
What would set it apart from other courses or programs on the campus?
Could this program actually be implemented?

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Simpson College – A Hidden Treasure in Iowa

Jared Hobson — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 19:43:26 +0000

I recently had the chance to visit Simpson College and talk with a friend and former colleague, Brittany Preston, who works at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa as Assistant Director of Admissions.

Simpson College is a small college with about 1,500 students located just twelve miles from Des Moines. They offer a great nurturing academic environment with 80 different majors to choose from, greek life, intercollegiate athletics, study abroad, research and much more. They also have exciting career, internship, and entertainment options available down the road in the state’s capital. With wonderful May term course options, guaranteed internships, small class size, personal attention, a beautiful campus and numerous research opportunities this may the right fit for you. They also have some fun traditions to learn about. If you go visit, don’t miss their brand new beautiful student center that just opened!

In the video above, Brittany talks about Simpson College, its admissions process, scholarships, and why out of state students should consider this hidden treasure in Iowa.

Enjoy some of the pictures I took during my visit!

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Drake University – Great Internship Options Through Local Graduates and Businesses

Jared Hobson — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 15:00:12 +0000

When considering colleges, it is always important to think about getting that practical experience. Internships during college are a great way to test out the fields you are interested. One of the best ways to get an internship during college is to connect with someone who graduated from the university you are attending and works in the field you are pursuing. During a recent visit to Drake University, in Des Moines Iowa, I had a chance to learn a little bit about how their proximity to Des Moines, and their large local alumni base, helps students get internships.
I also talked to two current students about why they chose to attend Drake University. One student mentioned their great business program and the other student mentioned the excitement around Drake Relays.
p.s. Apologies for the sound of traffic in the background of the video!
p.p.s Three guesses of the Drake mascot? I tried to find as many bulldogs as possible during my visit.

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Are You From Colorado? Don’t Forget to Activate Your COF!

Jared Hobson — Fri, 23 Nov 2012 15:10:31 +0000

Are you from Colorado and planning to attend college here in Colorado? If yes, don’t forget to activate your College Opportunity Fund (COF)!
When it comes to money for college, you never want to miss out on funds available to you.
The College Opportunity Fund, created by the Colorado Legislature, provides a stipend to eligible undergraduate students. If eligible, you must apply, be admitted and enroll at a participating Colorado institution. If you qualify, you may use the stipend for eligible undergraduate classes. Then, the stipend is paid on a per credit hour basis to the institution at which the student is enrolled.
The amount of per credit hour funding is set annually by the Colorado legislature and each eligible undergraduate student can receive stipend funding for up to 145 credit hours.
When it comes to paying for college, every little bit counts so don’t forget to complete this important form.
Also, remember, you can apply now – you do not need to know what college you will ultimately attend.
For more eligibility requirements and details on how to apply, visit College in Colorado .

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Ready to Submit Your Common Application? Why You Should Preview it First!

Jared Hobson — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 20:09:48 +0000

You have filled in your biographical information, your educational information, and your academic information. You have uploaded your essays and filled out all of your activities and honors. Ready to hit the submit button? Wait just one minute.[ad id=12335]
Don’t forget to proofread. Proofread again. Then, have someone else proofread for you.
Just when you feel like you can’t proofread it anymore, just when you feel that you are ready to hit that submit button, take one last step. Did you know the Common Application provides the opportunity to view a pdf of your completed application before it is submitted? Just click the pdf button at the top of the page and look through your work in this format.
Once in a while, you may catch something you didn’t catch before. Viewing in this format will allow you to see if any of your sentences are being cut off (something that is difficult to view in the boxes in the application itself) and see how the application will actually look to an admissions officer. You will also be able to make sure that your essay ,and any additional information that you want to submit, was actually uploaded and see how it will appear as part of the application.
When you hit the submit button, you can’t take it back. So, just make you have taken plenty of time to review it before sending it off.
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Leave That Texting Lingo To Your Phone When Writing Your College Essay

Jared Hobson — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 18:18:09 +0000

When working in admissions it used to drive me crazy when I saw students emailing me using shorthand texting lingo. Emails full of smiley faces, LOL, and TTYL. Then, even worse, it started to seep into their college essays.
Now, as an educational consultant I try to remind my students that while shorthand is great for text conversations, colleges are looking to see your actual writing skills. While it may be easier to use an “&” than actually spell out “and”, to the reader it may seem as though you are just trying to save time and aren’t really taking their essay seriously.
While your college essay doesn’t have to read like a paper for your AP class, you should still take the time to use proper punctuation, capitalization of letters, and avoid the slang you use daily on your phone and social media.
Of course, when it comes to college admissions, there always seems to be an exception. This is no different. Some colleges this year are specifically asking short answer questions on their supplement requesting they be written like a Twitter post in a maximum of 150 characters. You may need some shorthand there…
Happy writing!

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More High School Students Taking Gap Years

Jared Hobson — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:28:48 +0000

Have you ever considered taking a gap year? If so, you are not alone.
Trends demonstrate that an increasing number of high school students are deciding not to head directly to college. A recent article in Time shows that about 1.2% of first time college freshman chose to defer enrollment for a year. These students are taking part in a variety of experiences such as volunteer programs and study abroad.
Gap year programs may be a great option for students who need some time before transitioning from high school to college. That extra year may allow some students time for growth and maturity, opportunity to give back to communities in need, increase their cultural awareness, or simply take the time to de-stress from a hectic senior year of high school and the college admissions process before facing life in college.
For for more information check out some of our recent blog posts including: How to Find a “Good” Gap Year Program , What is a Gap Year and Why Should I Consider Taking One? and To Gap Year or Not?

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