Blake Lincoln, ’19, attends the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder). He is majoring in political science.
Q: Why are you pursuing political science?
A: I’ve wanted to be in politics since I was in sixth grade and watched the election results come in from the 2012 presidential election. I am really passionate about political science because I like the material, I love my country, and I believe strongly in how we can build a better America — I know it sounds corny, but it’s true.
Q: What classes are you taking?
A: I’m taking all political science classes: Comparative Politics, International Relations, American Politics, Game of Thrones (GOT) and Political Survival.
Q: What is your favorite class? Least favorite?
A: My favorite would be Game of Thrones because our homework is just watching the series and having discussions in class, which are awesome. My least favorite would be International Relations because it’s early in the morning, and I am not a morning person.
Q: How large are your classes?
A: My largest classes are my lectures, which are all more than 300 people. All my classes I mentioned except Game of Thrones are lectures. My GOT class is only 19 people, so that’s nice.
Q: What’s the workload like?
A: I haven’t had too much of a workload problem just because I do the readings quickly, and I like the material and knew a lot of it to begin with. Next semester will be harder because I am taking classes I don’t know a lot about. I am taking General Psychology next semester, and I do not know psychology as much as I know politics, and my other politics classes are going to be harder in general.
Q: How is the campus?
A: The campus is really pretty but large. I have to take a bus to school every day because I live in Williams Village, which is technically on campus, just not the main campus where the classes happen. The food at Will Vill is the best, though, so it isn’t all bad.
Q: Are you in any clubs?
A: I have been to a couple of political club meetings to see what is available. I was captain of an ultimate frisbee team, so that was fun and good for meeting people. I hope to join a skiing club to ski more and want to be a part of a World Conference planning committee. The World Conference at Boulder is this huge conference that brings in global leaders to talk about different ideas and challenges facing the world. It’s a huge gathering of experts and important people that we can talk to as students here. It sounded pretty interesting to me.
Q: What is the living situation like?
A: I live with two other guys in Stearns East Hall on the 13th floor. We are the only room on that floor besides two public bathrooms and a public library. It’s cool because we have the floor to ourselves and it has the feel of a penthouse, but it isn’t great for meeting a lot of people at the beginning.
Q: What is it like living with roommates for the first time?
A: Rough. There are lots of changes and things that are just harder with other people living in the same room as you. I like my roommates, so it hasn’t been too bad.
Q: What is your favorite part about college? Least favorite?
A: I really like my classes. I am learning a lot and getting more passionate about the subject that I have pretty much always liked. It’s a little hard getting acquainted socially on such a large campus, but with time it’s working out pretty well.
Q: Have you made any freshman mistakes?
A: My biggest mistake has been sleeping in too late and having to rush to my early classes. The bus is a factor, too. Getting on the main campus isn’t super easy during busy hours, so I have to wake up earlier than I would have hoped.
Q: How well did Country Day prepare you for CU Boulder?
A: SCDS and all of my teachers are the best preparation I could have asked for. Everyone from freshman year on up has done amazing things to prepare me academically for college academics. Socially, Boulder is very different, but as long as you are friendly and outgoing, things work out.
Q: What do you miss about Country Day?
A: I miss my class a lot. For like half of them, I had been in their class since pre-K. It was really weird going to class and not seeing the same faces anymore.
Q: Any advice for the class of 2020?
A: I recommend visiting schools that you apply to or are incredibly interested in. I know it seems simple, but there is an energy on campus that you can either connect to or you know you would hate. Visiting isn’t the same as going to school there, but it’s the closest thing possible. Also, take advantage of the dorms, especially at the beginning, in terms of meeting new people. Also, definitely go to professors’ office hours.
Five-star or subpar?
Food: ★★★★
School spirit: ★★★★
Location: ★★★★★
Clubs: ★★★★★
Teacher-student interaction: ★★★★
—By Nihal Gulati
