Naropa University Reviews

"For students who may not fit in to the traditional classroom setting, Naropa University offers contemplative education degrees at the Undergraduate and Graduate levels... I transferred to Naropa from a music school, and finished my final two years there, which has greatly helped me understand how I learn and integrate wisdom at a much deeper level than a more traditional school. Teachers and mentors are greatly supportive, wanting each student to reach their highest potential, and in my experience the school is behind you for whatever you want to see happen in your degree program. I studied Interdisciplinary Studies, with concentrations in Music, Performing Arts and Peace Studies, where I finished my degree with a thesis paper as well as a performance project. I am still connected with the school three years later, and love participating in Naropa events. Since I've graduated, I've led a more mindful and contemplative life, as well as had the skill and self reflection to guide my career in the direction of my dreams. I'd highly recommend this school!"

"Naropa University is profoundly unique in its nature. Its foundation in contemplative education which integrates Easter wisdom traditions and Western practices makes it a dynamic hybrid educational platform. I have never before been in an academic program that puts such a respectable emphasis on the development of self. Naropa has offered me a community and space to grow in inner wisdom, and it is here that I offer much gratitude to its founding vision and mindful structure. As a graduate student in transpersonal art therapy, I am proud to say that Naropa has provided leading educators in the field as our personal instructors. Each and every faculty member that I have worked with thus far has extended themselves openly and empathetically to my fruition as a future therapist. Artistic acts are transformational, holding a deep process for healing. This is a fundamental aspect of the foundation of our practice. Which leads me to say that I would like our studio time at the university to be more broad, encompassing more of the dynamic nature of art. One of my main mediums is film photography. However, unfortunately I did not have access to a darkroom. This limited my personal growth as an artist, which contributes to my overall growth as an art therapist. My only request would be to allow the art therapy graduate students greater access to various modes of art making.I would also like to touch on Naropas student body. There has been a lot of emphasis on diversity and training around the process of inclusion. However, personally as an ethnic first generation american I have felt isolated and at many times uncomfortable. I deeply respect the education they are offering around diversity (although I feel that some topics could be addressed in a more relatable light) but have noticed a gap in mimicking that in the actual student body at the graduate university. I would love to see the mainly one demographic that fills the halls becoming more representative of the truly diverse nature that makes up our world. However, I feel confident in saying that I believe in a few years time this will be the case as Naropa continues to enhance themselves as a university. My experience overall at Naropa continues to blossom as I am in my second year of a three year graduate program. I look forward to the continued relationship between myself and the university as it is constantly evolving. thank you."

"Naropa is a place that breaks apart whatever box you find yourself in. At first, you feel exposed in a way that's foreign, but out of that exposure, Naropa helps you think about the world and your work in a new way. This allows you to experiment with your own voice, to ask what that voice is and who you want it to be for."

"Naropa's Clinical Mental Health Counseling program is an experiential program that happens in a cohort. The cohort model offers many opportunities to learn counseling skills and interpersonal relationship development. I expect that my Naropa education will provide me with the experiences necessary to become a compassionate helping professional."

"Pros: learning about every modality of psychology, parapsychology, spirituality & psychology. Expanding psychological knowledge to include spirituality into the humanistic perspective. Very accommodating to students with learning disabilities. Amazing faculty. Small classrooms for more intimate learning experience. Mandatory mindful meditation. Cons: Very little diversity, unorganized staff, technological improvement, still in process for cacrep accreditation."

"Naropa University is a rigorous and unique place. I am currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Somatic Counseling Psychology, which means that I am trained to work with the body as a direct intervention in talk therapy. PROS: Highly supportive faculty and staff; Rigorous Academic program; Unique education that is relevant to the 'real world'; Great location (if you like Boulder, CO, and surrounding areas); Multicultural awareness on campus CONS: Terrible 'kitchen' on campus (no fresh food on Fridays! SHAME!!); astonishingly ugly building for the graduate psychology students; lack of 'smart' technology or emphasis on technology in our training"

"The Naropa Graduate School of Psychology specializes in experiential learning and mindfulness.practices. The faculty are skilled in their fields as well as available to students."

"Naropa University helps their students connect with their inner wisdom, and figure out how they can contribute to the world that surrounds them. They are a Buddhist inspired university that integrates mindfulness and meditation into their curriculum so their students graduate with a well rounded view of the particular subject they are studying. As a psychology major, I feel better prepaid to help clients of all cultures since diversity, social justice, and many forms of therapeutic approaches are taught here. The teachers are extremely inspiring, and the class sizes are small so you won't feel like just a number to your teachers. Although Naropa University is a private university, they do offer scholarship and grants, and the financial aid department is amazing! I feel such a great sense of community here, and it is great to be a part of a school that lets you make mistakes, and question the paradigms of our culture/society."

"I have been very happy with my Naropa experience. The method of instruction at Naropa is very unique, encouraging deep discussion and engagement with the material we are learning. The contemplative focus at Naropa is woven throughout our curriculum and a short meditation typically opens each class, in addition to meditation courses. The Somatic Psychotherapy program emphasizes using the body and its wisdom in the counseling process. Many of our classes have been about how to observe and read the body and how to encourage movement (on the small and large scales) as a therapeutic technique. I am completing the Body Psychotherapy track of the Somatic program, and at times, I have found the program to focus too heavily on dance-movement therapy (this is the other track in the program) for me. I also wish we would have more course content about health and how the health of the body (nutrition, exercise, etc.) intertwines with body psychotherapy. I also understand the Somatic program to focus less heavily on spirituality than the Contemplative or Transpersonal Psychology programs, but I have been told the Somatic program is more academically rigorous. Overall, I would definitely recommend Naropa and the Somatic program. Within our program specifically, there are quite a few faculty shifts happening, which will affect the feel of the program in the future. However, these shifts appear to be positive and helpful thus far."

"The combination of spirituality and psychology is the largest pro. The program is developed to help people explore themselves to better help others."

"Naropa is extremely experiential. It is not only teaching me to be a counselor, but it is teaching me a way of being."

"Naropa´s Transpersonal Counseling Psychology program educates the whole person, cultivates academic excellence and nurtures in its students a lifelong joy of learning. It incorporates Eastern contemplative practices and experiential learning with Western, scientifically-supported theories. You are still getting the same "book-knowledge" as in any other program, but the Eastern approach allows you to grow as a human being, with increased awareness and understanding of who you are and where you stand. It not only provides you with the tools to become a better therapist, but with lifelong learning."

"Unique college experience. Small community and very supportive. Very expensive and cost of living is also very expensive."

"I feel that the pros of my program are its emphasis on meditation and self-work, the amazing people in my cohort, and the wisdom of the faculty. I am extremely grateful to be in a position to attend Naropa, and I personally value the founders and lineage of the program. The cons are the lack of national recognition of the program, a lack of computer/technology in the library, and the price of the program."

"There is no other program like it! Naropa takes a very progressive and non-traditional approach to counseling. To do this kind of work, it's of utmost important you're well-aware of your own personal issues and biases so you're not projecting them on to your clients. Our classes require that we study ourselves in addition to a rigorous academic work load. Everything is taught with a counseling perspective – it's challenging, life changing, and the community is strong to support you through the growth! Boulder is beautiful and the public transit system is wonderful. The cons involve the high tuition and the cost of living in Boulder. It's beautiful but very expensive."

"I feel the pros are a great learning experience that integrates meditation and contemplative practices in a way that is very useful in personal growth and in the field of psychotherapy. The cons are that there is less reliance on text book knowledge than found in other programs."

"Con: amount of tuition. Pro: definitely not traditional!"

"The professors are very much involved and will to help. the hands on experiential approach is priceless but the student has to be willing to take it for what it is worth."

"Pros: The Somatic Psychology program at Naropa University is both academically rigorous and experiential, so students get a lot of opportunity to grow and become skillful and self-aware counselors. Cons: Racial Diversity leaves much to be desired. Thankfully the Multicultural and Diversity Foundations class works to make issues of power, privilege, and oppression part of our educational experience."

"I loved my program at Naropa because the low-residency model worked perfectly with my life. I didn't have to move across the country to attend school, but I still got to experience the campus and faculty over the course of two summers. I met a lifelong friend during my summer visit, which is one of the best gifts I received from my program. Naropa is a unique school and fit my needs because I consider myself to be a unique person."