OT: Connecticut College

[Fishy]

The kid is in the last stages of decoding where she will go to college…

She’s basically going to choose from a pair of current Big East schools, (thankfully, she’s tossed Providence), a former Big East school and Connecticut College/Holy Cross/union as small school picks.

I didn’t go to Conn College when she visited, so have no insight into the place. I am a little concerned that a kid who goes to a high school with 4,500 kids is going to be out of place at a college of 1800 kids.

Anyone familiar with the place?

 

[HooperScooper]

Yes, I've been there 5 times. My older son toured the school, interviewed there (on separate days) and was accepted so we went to accepted students day. He ended up going to another NESCAC school. My younger son toured and interviewed there (on separate days) but applied to another NESCAC school early decision and was accepted so we never went again. I had a friend whose daughter was there when my older son was applying and we leaned on her for information on the school. It's a fine school, on the lower end of selectivity of the NESCAC schools with Trinity. We've been to Union a few times also. My older son applied and was accepted but that is as far as we got and my younger son just toured there. I think it's a little bigger than CC but still small. Neither applied to Holy Cross but the son of one of my best friends is a freshman there.

Both of my sons wanted small schools, with small classes, with access to professors, etc. They didn't care about Greek life or a party atmosphere that bigger schools offer. There are pros and cons to a small LAC. CC is definitely small like the school my sons went to. Depends what is most important to her. What exactly do you want to know about CC?

 

[CTHSHoops]

My son and daughter both graduated from Conn College and they loved it. Both made a number of lifelong friends. Both met their spouses there. Small class sizes. Single rooms are available after freshman year. Pricey.

 

[Umami Zen]

Don't know what you consider her strengths to be.. But from an academic perspective. CC has an excellent reputation. If she's a social person and wants some fun aside from academics.. Might be some better choices.

Of the ladies that have gone there that I am familiar with.. High character/intelligent and mature women.

Hope this helps-My spin.

 

[Dove]

The kid is in the last stages of decoding where she will go to college…

She’s basically going to choose from a pair of current Big East schools, (thankfully, she’s tossed Providence), a former Big East school and Connecticut College/Holy Cross/union as small school picks.

I didn’t go to Conn College when she visited, so have no insight into the place. I am a little concerned that a kid who goes to a high school with 4,500 kids is going to be out of place at a college of 1800 kids.

Anyone familiar with the place?

At Conn College, throat punching is an offense that warrants expulsion for the first offense.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Yes, I've been there 5 times. My older son toured the school, interviewed there (on separate days) and was accepted so we went to accepted students day. He ended up going to another NESCAC school. My younger son toured and interviewed there (on separate days) but applied to another NESCAC school early decision and was accepted so we never went again. I had a friend whose daughter was there when my older son was applying and we leaned on her for information on the school. It's a fine school, on the lower end of selectivity of the NESCAC schools with Trinity. We've been to Union a few times also. My older son applied and was accepted but that is as far as we got and my younger son just toured there. I think it's a little bigger than CC but still small. Neither applied to Holy Cross but the son of one of my best friends is a freshman there.

So one goes to Hamilton and the other goes where? How does he like Hamilton?

 

[bendm]

i went to a NESCAC school

for the small schools i'd rank it above Union but below Holy Cross. based on undergrad liberal arts academics alone i'd rank it above any current BE school other than Gtown and maybe Nova. similarly, i'd also rank it above Cuse/Pitt/Lville but below BC.

Gtown > BC > Holy Cross > Conn College/Nova.

 

[shizzle787]

It in many ways is easier to meet people on a small campus.

 

[BackAftaThis]

I didn’t realize HS kids valued small class sizes.

It never even crossed my mind when I was 17, and I felt I always had access to professors or TAs when needed at UConn. The school of business classes were quite small.

 

[WrenchFan69]

Good academic rep but definitely in the bottom tier of the NESCAC as far as prestige goes. I had one professor at UConn who also worked at Conn College and she was stellar. Athletics are very small-time (Outside soccer? Student support was meh but they just won the d3 title so maybe engagement will go up?) so her social interactions will have to come elsewhere. Beautiful small campus but very isolated, essentially on a highway, not walkable to anything. Many of the kids I've met who went there continued on to do well for themselves. Very expensive

 

[drayenob]

Daughter goes to Union and loves it. It meets full financial need so for us it was actually cheaper than UConn.

 

[aburks41]

Pro: 10 minutes from Mohegan Sun

Con: in New London

My parents have a beach house nearby in Groton Long Point. Some kids live off campus and rent houses there. It’s a super nice area and a short ride to Mystic which has all the fun bars and restaurants. Probably pretty expensive to rent but so is the tuition for CC lol

 

[husky429]

The NESCAC schools are all solid. The major benefit over similarly competitive/ranked state schools is tiny classes and not being taught by TAs. I would have her check out the area... New London isn't for everyone. Plenty of cool towns around, but she isn't getting a big campus or city feel if that's what she likes.

If I was looking at CT NESCAC schools, Wesleyan would be head and shoulders #1 on my list, personally.

Also horrendously expensive if your family makes decent money.

 

[HooperScooper]

So one goes to Hamilton and the other goes where? How does he like Hamilton?

The older one graduated from there in 2020. He loved it. The younger one is a sophomore there. It was between Colgate (50% more students and D1 sports) and Hamilton for the younger one and his older brother and his friends convinced him to apply ED to Hamilton. He loves it also. I generally think Hamilton does a great job with everything. They are very attentive to the needs of the students.

He visits his friend who goes to Michigan when he wants a taste of big time sports. The last time he came back from there he said after talking to a bunch of kids at Michigan he thinks he made the right decision to go to a small school. Pros and cons to both.

 

[beerfan]

My daughter is a Sophomore. It wasn't her first choice, but more of a COVID decision, they offered in person classes and it kept her local if things went south. At first I wasn't a fan of the liberal arts education, but she has thrived there and found her way, and I am now a fan. Yes it is a small school with plusses and minuses associated with that, but my daughter is happy and thriving there. It has amazing alumni connections that landed her a great internship this summer, and she is on a first name basis with many of her teachers (not sure if that is a good thing or not). I am sure she would talk to your daughter if she had any questions.

Full disclosure, the dorms are fully co-ed, and my daughter does complain about boys pooping in the next stall to her.

 

[HooperScooper]

The NESCAC schools are all solid. The major benefit over similarly competitive/ranked state schools is tiny classes and not being taught by TAs. I would have her check out the area... New London isn't for everyone. Plenty of cool towns around, but she isn't getting a big campus or city feel if that's what she likes.

If I was looking at CT NESCAC schools, Wesleyan would be head and shoulders #1 on my list, personally.

Also horrendously expensive if your family makes decent money.

We visited Wesleyan and an acquaintance of my son's who goes there is 2 years older so we spent some time with him there. I thought it had a weird vibe. Neither of my sons liked it. I did like that Middletown was right there and had enough bars and restaurants to keep a college kid busy. A majority of the NESCAC schools, like Conn College, are not walkable to much.

 

[UCTitleTown]

A good friend of mine graduated from CT College. He said it's overpriced and not a great value all in all. Not first hand, but passing it on.

 

[UCDaveD]

Purely anecdotal, but everyone I’ve ever met who went there is a huge stiff lacking any semblance of a personality.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

It’s a 20 minute drive to Ford’s Lobster, Noah’s and Jonathan Edwards winery, so there’s a heck of a weekend food/wine benefit for when you visit.

Either way, congrats to your daughter. She’s got into some competitive schools, so hats off.

 

[Fishy]

The NESCAC schools are all solid. The major benefit over similarly competitive/ranked state schools is tiny classes and not being taught by TAs. I would have her check out the area... New London isn't for everyone. Plenty of cool towns around, but she isn't getting a big campus or city feel if that's what she likes.

If I was looking at CT NESCAC schools, Wesleyan would be head and shoulders #1 on my list, personally.

Also horrendously expensive if your family makes decent money.

The merit aid is substantial - essentially makes Union and Conn about half the cost of Nova or Georgetown. Holy Cross and Syracuse are somewhere in the middle.

So basically, $30K for Binghamton/Buffalo instate, $40K for Conn/Union, $50K Syracuse, $60K Holy Cross and $80K Georgetown/Nova.

The college admissions process right now is horrible. It’s a meat grinder for these kids.

 

[bendm]

So basically, $30K for Binghamton/Buffalo instate, $40K for Conn/Union, $50K Syracuse, $60K Holy Cross and $80K Georgetown/Nova.

with tuition normally $60k that seems like a no-brainer. hopefully kid agrees.

 

[beerfan]

Purely anecdotal, but everyone I’ve ever met who went there is a huge stiff lacking any semblance of a personality.

I was at parents weekend last fall talking Celtics basketball to a guy, and my daughter later pointed out to me that he was a partial owner of the team that just donated a zillion dollars to the school. He was just a regular every day guy wanting to talk about basketball.

https://philanthropynewsdigest.org/news/connecticut-college-receives-30-million-gift

 

[Fishy]

with tuition normally $60k that seems like a no-brainer. hopefully kid agrees.

Outside of the publics, tuition, room and board almost everywhere these days is $80,000….it’s amazing how every school somehow settled on that magic number.

 

[8893]

It’s a 20 minute drive to Ford’s Lobster, Noah’s and Jonathan Edwards winery, so there’s a heck of a weekend food/wine benefit for when you visit.

Either way, congrats to your daughter. She’s got into some competitive schools, so hats off.

Why would he drive 20 minutes for a lobster roll when there are countless nearby infants who could easily make them for him?

 

[uconnfan68]

Outside of the publics, tuition, room and board almost everywhere these days is $80,000….it’s amazing how every school somehow settled on that magic number.

So it’s basically tripled in the last 15-20 years. God help my grandchildren, because I can’t.

 

[Fishy]

Why would he drive 20 minutes for a lobster roll when there are countless nearby infants who could easily make them for him?

I gotta be honest, s*** talking the local lobster rolls is definitely part of the appeal of the school.

 

[8893]

Small sample size, but the handful of people I know who went there are very successful; two of them are married to each other. Seems like a place where a lot of connected, wealthy people go to meet others like them.

The one thing everyone knows about it is that it is expensive, so if merit aid is essentially getting you a 50% discount it’s a great deal. Solid school, very pretty campus and she will probably make lots of great connections.

We know kids at Union now for sports. They like it a lot and so do their parents.

At the levels of aid she has earned, I’d push for a choice among Conn Colllege, Union and Holy Cross. I know a lot of Cross grads, including some among my family, and am guessing it may be worth the upcharge at the end of the day, based on a different trajectory. That alumni base is incredibly strong and loves to hire others, including in the top consulting and Wall St. businesses. School spirit and sports are pretty strong too.

Syracuse continues to have an allure among high school kids that I don’t fully understand, but I think a lot of it has to do with reports of a very healthy party scene.

 

[Fishy]

It’s a 20 minute drive to Ford’s Lobster, Noah’s and Jonathan Edwards winery, so there’s a heck of a weekend food/wine benefit for when you visit.

Either way, congrats to your daughter. She’s got into some competitive schools, so hats off.

I didn’t realize HS kids valued small class sizes.

It never even crossed my mind when I was 17, and I felt I always had access to professors or TAs when needed at UConn. The school of business classes were quite small.

I was the same way.

Big schools have a way of feeling small…it’s not like you’re gonna have to deal with all 16,000 daily.

 

[husky99]

Holy cross is the answer over conn college.
My high school has sent a few kids and over the years most transferred. Good education, liberal, has a so so name for grad schools....
Holy cross is the winner

 

[beerfan]

I gotta be honest, s*** talking the local lobster rolls is definitely part of the appeal of the school.

I am sort of an expert on this (wife is a NE travel writer), while Ford's is hands down the best lobster in CT, it is almost impossible to get in unless you want to eat lobster at 11 am or wait two hours. There is a great place called Captain Scott's Lobster Dock a few miles from campus that will fit the bill among many others.