Rocky Vista University

Sure, the name of the school sounds more like a track of retirement condos then a medical school, but I really, really liked Rocky Vista.

Its a brand new private school in Parker Colorado (about a half hour out of Denver), and someone has dumped a TON of money into it. The building is great, the lecture halls were stunning, the labs great, and the technology is brand, brand new. They've only entered one class so far. I'd be the second.

Pros:

1) The faculty and staff are incredible. Most have 15-30 year experience teaching at other medical schools, and someone with the right budget was able to get some of the best teachers and physicians in the nation to move to CO. They were all so kind and for lack of a better word, real. Throughout the day, random Dr.s and staff would pop in just to say hello, answer any questions and tell us all they could about the school, but they didn't pass out rose colored glasses they told us the good and the bad. I was impressed with everyone I met.

2) The students were on the ball, proffesional and hard working. They all had bright eyes and you could tell they were going places. But there was not competitive, cut-throat feeling. They all cooperated to do they're best.

3) The school. It was awfully modern looking from the outside, but inside was nice, clean, new, and well-designed.

4) The area. I loved Parker. It's a new area with construction of new townhomes and condos everywhere. Housing is fairly cheap. There were youg families playing in the park. It has rules (a lot like Park City) about the design of its buildings, business signs, no overhead powerlines, etc. so the whole city looks sharp. There were flowers and trees in the medians of all the streets, and old fashion lamp-posts. The Denver area is pretty, and in a way it felt, I don't know.....homier? I felt like I was in my back yard, in a place that I belonged.

5) And that's the last "pro" really, it just felt good. The school, the faculty, the students, the area. It's not like concourses of angels were pointing the way towards Parker Colorado, but it did feel comfortable there. Warm, happy, good, familiar.

I really liked it.

Cons:

1) Jen is done with snow. I think she was pretty excited with my good report on Touro University last week, and I'm not sure how she feels about me liking this one better.



In local news, I just bet Jen a batch of cookies that it will hit 70 degrees by late March because she was convinced that in Utah it snows for 6 months.

Must've been a rough winter.

-Jonathan