Lia Kaufman, ’19, is in the pre-business program at the University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder).
Q: Why did you choose Boulder?
A: We have family friends in Colorado, so I’ve been there a lot. And I’ve always loved Colorado and the mountains. I knew two family friends, Alex Hobus and Conrad Hawkins, who went to Boulder and absolutely loved it.
When I visited, I was choosing between the University of Puget Sound, University of Oregon and Boulder. It was my first time going to the campus, and when I went there, I immediately loved it. The campus is absolutely gorgeous.
I also wanted a bigger school, so it fits me perfectly. They also have a great business program, which is what I’m interested in.
Q: Why are you pursuing business?
A: I’m in the pre-business program, which means I’m on track to enter the business school next year. There are so many opportunities I can branch off into after getting my business degree. I’m not sure which section of business I want to do, but I will choose next year. I’m doing it mostly because I feel having a business degree and knowing how to run a business is very important when entering the working world.
Q: What classes are you taking?
A: I’m in American Women’s Literature, and I’m taking a lot of required classes for my business degree: Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Math Analysis and Statistics. They aren’t really fun, but I have to take them. I’m also taking a business seminar this semester, which is kind of like another economics class because it deals with current events and topics that relate to economics.
Q: What’s your favorite class?
A: I love American Women’s Literature because I’ve always liked English and reading. I like this class so much because a lot of the books we read are from Mr. Hinojosa’s AP English class. Like, one of the books we are reading right now — “Beloved.” And I love the super-relaxed atmosphere.
Q: Are you in any clubs?
A: I’m on the gold soccer team, and we ended up doing really well in our season — we finished first in our region. We then went to nationals in Texas and placed third.
I really like the team. I met a lot of the upperclassmen, and my closest friends are on the team as well. My coach is also a really great guy. He pushes us to be better, which I love.
Q: What is the workload like?
A: I usually have homework every night, but I don’t have every class every day, so I have a day to finish the work. They usually assign homework in every class I have, though. But it’s not too bad because I have classes early in the day, so I have the rest of the afternoon to finish my homework. The class that has the most homework is my business seminar.
It has a lot of reading and then analyzing or writing position statements on what we read. We have to be prepared for every class because there is a quiz or discussion every day.
Q: How big are your classes?
A: My biggest class in both semesters was my economics lecture, which had about 300 students. But my other classes range from 19-25.
Q: How has the pandemic affected your school?
A: The rest of my semester has been moved online, so I had to come home because we were forced out of the dorms. Online learning is definitely different, but it’s not too bad. The hardest part is making sure I get all my work done and remembering when I have Zoom classes.
Q: How was the transition from Country Day to Boulder, which has over 30,000 students?
A: It was a weird transition at first because Boulder is really big. The weirdest thing for me is when I’m walking between my classes, I see about 1,000 kids. It’s so different from Country Day because it’s such a small community there. The advantage of the large campus is you see new people every day — but I’m still not used to it.
Q: What’s your housing situation like?
A: I live in off-campus dorms in an area called Williams Village. I have one roommate named Emma, and she is super nice. Because my dorms are off-campus, though, I have to take a bus to get to the main campus. It’s definitely a hassle having to take the bus every day. But it’s only a five-minute bus ride, so it’s not that bad.
Q: What is the relationship with your roommate like?
A: Emma and I are close, and we get along really well. She also plays club soccer, but she isn’t on my team because there are three teams. But we still bonded over the fact that we both play soccer. I don’t really have any problems with her. She is just a pretty normal roommate.
Q: What’s your favorite part about college?
A: My favorite part has been club soccer because some of my closest friends are on that team. Our whole team gets along really well, and we get to travel a lot for nationals, like to Texas. We are also really good, so I’m excited to continue playing for the next dew years
Q: Least favorite?
A: How cold it is. I love the snow, but it gets very cold. Especially starting in December. January and February were some of the worst months just because it’s so cold every morning. I’m still trying to get used to that.
Also, being away from home has been tough. And flights to and from Colorado aren’t cheap, so it’s difficult to get back home, or for my parents to come to visit me.
Q: What is your go-to place so far in Colorado?
A: Boss Lady Pizza is one of my favorite restaurants. They have really great pizza slices and tons of different options, like mac and cheese on pizza or buffalo chicken pizza. My favorite is the mac and cheese pizza.
Q: How has Country Day prepared you for college?
A: Country Day has prepared me very well for college. A key thing I took to college was time management. The workload at Country Day prepared me to manage my homework and turn it on time. Having that skill in college really helps because I get my homework done early, and I have time to do stuff I want to do, like going to practice or hanging out with my friends.
Q: Any advice for the class of 2020?
A: Make sure you really love where you go to college and that you find the place that best fits you. So trust yourself. You got it.
Five-star or subpar?
Quality of classes: ★★★★☆
Student/teacher interaction: ★★★☆☆
Location: ★★★★★
Food: ★★★☆☆
Housing: ★★★☆☆
Social scene: ★★★★☆
Clubs: ★★☆☆☆
School spirit: ★★★★★
—By Jacob Chand
