Bates versus Conn College

My daughter is torn between the Bates and Conn College and hopes to apply ED next week. She likes both very much. We have visited both twice. She wants strong academics and a strong dance program. She sees herself double majoring in Dance and something academic, maybe math, maybe psychology. The dance program at Conn has enchanted her - the faculty were very inviting and enthusiastic and the structure of the dance program better suits her personality but the academics at Conn are not as highly regarded as those at Bates. She, at least intellectually, feels that the academics are more important than the dance.

I wonder how much difference there actually is in the academics and in the reputation of the schools as a whole and if having a strong landing pad in the dance department, would get her off to a good start and out weigh the differences in academics and reputation.
Our talking has started to go in circles. Any thoughts? Thanks.

As US News currently lists these college’s SAT profiles, general academic differences between them, at least with respect to incoming student preparation, do not appear to be particularly significant (with Conn having the slightly higher midpoint):

Conn (middle range)

1220-1400

Bates

1190-1416

(Check for accuracy. This publication does make mistakes. Note also that these schools’ test optional policies can affect the appearance of reported data.)

They are both great schools with excellent dance programs. She can’t go wrong. I have heard the academics are particularly rigorous at Bates. I think you can get out of Conn exactly what you want and need. Good luck to her.

usage (post 1): colleges’

At first glance, Bates and Conn appear to have very similar standardized test scores, as noted above. But it may not be quite that simple, because both schools are test-optional. The Common Data Sets show the following for enrolled freshmen in Fall 2015:

Bates: 54% submitted SATs, 27% submitted ACTs
Conn: 24% submitted SATs, 17% submitted ACTs

This doesn’t necessarily mean that 81% of Bates students or 41% of Conn students submitted test scores of some kind. The totals could actually be lower, because some students may have submitted both SATs and ACTs. However, it does appear that Bates students are much more likely to submit test scores than Conn students.

Another point of comparison between these two schools:

Bates has always been coed (in fact, it is one of the oldest coed schools in the country). It enrolls essentially equal numbers of male and female students.

Conn was historically a women’s college (it was the “sister school” to all-male Wesleyan). Women’s colleges that go coed often face a deficit of male applicants (see also: Skidmore, Vassar). For Fall 2015, the male/female ratio at Conn was 37/63, or about 1 male for every 1.7 females.

Given its history and continuing gender imbalance, Conn is often considered to have a more pronounced “female orientation” than other NESCAC schools (such as Bates). For example, Conn is known for terrific dance and drama programs – but it is also the only NESCAC school without a football team. The perception that Conn’s academics “are not as highly regarded as those at Bates” probably reflects, to some extent, the greater difficulty that Conn has in attracting well-qualified male students. Conn doesn’t seem to have a problem attracting well-qualified women, but rankings like USNews consider the school as a whole.

Both great schools. You can’t go wrong. I would decide based on where I felt most comfortable. Bates is more selective but there are plenty of very bright kids at both. Conn is generally considered to have a true mix of students. If your daughter cares (for performance or viewing purposes), being on the Northeast Corridor is helpful.

With that said, DS preferred Bates, so it’s really personal.