Out-of-state students looking toward Colorado as a place for college tend to gravitate to Colorado College and its unusual Block Plan curriculum or the University of Colorado with its distinctive architecture and the uber-hipness of Boulder. But the state’s secret gem of a university may be Colorado State University. As is true with many other land-grant universities, CSU is Colorado’s original agricultural college, buttressing the economic impact of the state’s farms, ranches, forests and natural resources. That is still true today. For students interested in a career outdoors such as ranching, forest management, environmental science, civil engineering, wildlife biology, etc., CSU is your place. And the university’s location at the foot of the Rocky Mountains adds a stunning backdrop to one’s studies. If you need to take a break from a long hard week of studying, you can spend Saturday bagging a 14,000’ peak west of campus, or fly fishing in the Cache La Poudre River, which runs right through town. Like other universities of its type, CSU has evolved into much more than an ag/tech school. The music program, for example, is excellent. And keeping abreast of current trends in business and agriculture, the Fermentation Science major is a good way to get your microbrewery dream off the ground. Contrasting with CU Boulder’s flagship university status and Boulder’s magnetism for adventure sports enthusiasts, yoga practitioners and political activists, Ft Collins feels more western and less distracted by the outside world. The city itself is simply a great college town. The downtown is both beautiful and economically thriving. There is block after block of small shops, cafes, restaurants and bars, all walking distance from campus. If you put together the possibilities for outdoor recreation with the dynamism and beauty of the city itself, Ft Collins emerges as one of the best college towns in the west. There’s nothing fancy about the CSU campus. It’s lovely but understated. It does have an ag school aesthetic (oh, and there’s that gigantic football stadium. The Rams are a serious athletic program), but for sheer academic and career preparation and quality-of-life, there are few places that rival this impressive place.