Some Speculate Rise in Colorado College Applications is Due to Marijuana

High Times is speculating that a surge in out-of-state college applications is related to Colorado’s legalization of marijuana.

Are high schoolers eager to move to Colorful Colorado to enjoy a legal toke willing to apply to a Colorado college for that purpose? I’m sure there are some. However, there are a lot of reasons to move to Colorado that have nothing to do with marijuana.

Russ Belville, the author of the High Times article, said of the college’s explanation that the was increase due to the implementation of Common Application was an excuse that doesn’t seem to hold water.

It seems to hold water just fine, actually.

A 2011 report claimed Columbia—a school that already experiences a high volume of applications – saw a 32 percent increase in applicants after using the services of a group called Common Application for the first time. Common Application allows students to apply to a handful of schools on one application.

“Usually schools that join the Common Application see a 15 to 20 percent bump in the sheer numbers of students applying,” said John Pryor, director of the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at the University of California, Los Angeles.

There is also no lack of studies finding convenience to be a primary factor in working online, from ordering pizza to choosing a bank. It would then reason, college stressed high school students and parents would look to a simpler, more convenient route when looking at different schools. And, with over 500 schools in 47 states, Common Application is most likely already partnered with a school they were looking into to.

Kevin MacLennan, Colorado University’s admissions director, told CU News that the school is encouraged.

MacLennan said of the increase in applications. “A couple of things are contributing heavily to this. Our move to the Common Application significantly increased our reach in terms of applications, so we expected this. That coupled with an enhanced recruitment plan [a plan that included recruiters visiting 120 extra schools last year] that gave us an even wider outreach and a larger outreach than we’ve ever had paid off as well.”

Regardless of the reason, more students in Colorado is a good thing.

“If you have a larger pool, you’re going to have a stronger student, generally speaking. It’s a good thing to have high-performing, smart students who are applying here.” CU spokesman Ryan Huff said.

Denver has been compared to the Silicon Valley and New York in terms of ideal startup cities. Boulder is second only to Silicon Valley for tech workers. The Denver area has the largest concentration of civilian aerospace companies in Colorado, trailing only California in aerospace employment. Whatever the reason college-bound kids are coming to sunny Colorado – we’re excited to have them and to see what they can do for our booming state.