We’re from Michigan so it’s hard for D21 to visit. Very interested to hear your feedback and opinion.
Absolutely, will come back and post how it was!
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Also, if your daughter applied to other New England schools and you need any input we live outside the Boston area, feel free to DM me!
Thanks @SuntasticMom ! Will do.
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Hi All! Ok, so since some of you were interested in our visit here it is! Warning, this is long!
The school has put in a lot of thoughtful Covid safety precautions. The only way in is to check in at a gate and they had our name ready. Only 1 parent was allowed on the tour with the student (which was a bummer for my husband who waited patiently in the car). Also we had to produce a negative Covid test and had our temp taken. There was no info session and the tour was all outdoors with the exception of a quick glimpse inside the library. So really I can’t comment on the inside of buildings. But the campus is just as beautiful as the pictures. Most of the buildings are in matching stone. There is a very large grassy quad area that many students hang out around and we did see many students who seemed friendly and enjoying the nice day. The dorm situation seemed sort of different than a lot of other schools we visited. There are 2 first year dorms – Hamilton and Morrison. Morrison was recently remodeled and I am not positive but I think Hamilton may have been renovated in the last few years too. You can not select which dorm you live in freshman year. For upperclassmen, there are some apt/suite style but most students are living in traditional dorm rooms. Our tour guide said 60% of sophomores get a single and every junior and senior who wants a single gets it. ( If you look on Youtube you can find some unofficial room tours. The rooms on these videos look really nice and spacious. I have no idea why Conn College doesnt post more pics of their rooms on their website.) Food – The tour guide seemed to say it’s typical college food. Certainly no rave endorsements from him. There is one area to buy retail food (not included in dining plan) and the tour guide admitted that food was better. Uber Eats etc is popular too. Also he said the school brings in food trucks every few weeks. The dining rooms are opened with Covid precautions for 30 min seating but he said a lot of students bring food to go and eat in the common areas of their dorms. Academics – there seems to be a lot of support for students, professors really get to know the students, very dedicated, small class sizes. They seem to push the “Connections” but it is not required. They do have a 2 semester requirement for a foreign language (daughter not liking this but she wants to learn ASL and they just started offering this.) The tour did not take us to the Arboretum but there seems to be a lot of pictures/videos on line of this and looks beautiful. They do have a nice greenhouse that we passed by in the main part of campus. They are building a new theater. Old theater not in use now due to Covid and being used for packages. Could see some club sports (frisbee,soccer) going on around the campus… In regards to leaving the campus – tour guide said mostly there’s not a huge need to leave but they do have the Camel Shuttle to take you to different stops (target, shops, downtown area, and the beach, maybe more stops not sure…) but hasn’t been running due to Covid, now students using Lyft, Uber, Zipcars. The shuttle should be back by the fall though. Cars allowed starting sophomore year and tour guide said it’s a mix of kids who have one and don’t. Honestly I think this is a campus probably that it’s easier if you have a car. (More on the area in a minute…) For social life, no Greek life, many clubs, etc, all the stuff you would expect. Apparently there is a bar on campus if you are over 21+. After the tour, we did have the opportunity to talk 1:1 with the dean of admissions/fin aid about a question we had. He seemed very nice and generous with his time. Also he said they are hoping to be back almost entirely in person classes in the Fall (now a mixture of in person and on line) Daughter was able to purchase a t- shirt in the bookshop. The layout of the campus seemed nice, very walkable, not too hilly, I imagine in Spring and Fall absolutely gorgeous.
The one thing I wished for is just more pictures of things we couldn’t see during Covid – the inside of buildings, the dining rooms, dorm rooms. They need to have an on line tour posted on their website. Honestly I think Conn could do better here. I don’t think they are hiding anything, just not as up to speed as other websites.
As for the area around Conn – We did some exploring before our tour. In one direction just a few minutes by car from campus (nothing is walkable unfortunately) there are all the usual strip mall type of stores that you see anywhere – Target, Home Depot, Michaels, etc. Also a mall nearby. For shopping purposes it’s all there. Area looks a little dated but really fine. Seems safe. Then in another direction, again short drive from campus, is the downtown waterfront area. Quaint in that shabby New England old world type charm with very old quirky buildings from the beginning of time. There is one street with lots of fun looking coffee shops, bars, restaurants. Some have patios in the back overlooking the waterfront area. Looks like a fun area. We just did a drive by. Amtrak is located here and from what I understand it will take you direct to either NYC or Boston. Then we went to the beach area which is less than 15 min from campus. It’s a rather large beach with a boardwalk with a snack shack (closed b/c it’s March), waterslide, and I think more things like this. It’s kind of a bit dated looking but maintained and how nice for the kids to have access to a beach 15 minutes away! (Also there is a ferry that goes to Block Island which must be a fun day trip.) There’s supposed to be really nice park/gardens nearby the beach but we didnt have time to look for it. Then a little further there is the whole area of Mystic. We visited Mystic a few years ago and so did not go back this time as we ran out of steam. But Mystic is a cute, touristy summer area (known for the movie Mystic Pizza from the 80s…) lots of fun, cutesy shops and restaurants right on the water.
So overall impression – daughter really liked the school, felt like she would fit in. The school is no doubt beautiful, academics I am sure are excellent, the surrounding area is OK, some uniqueness, but this is not a college town kind of feeling. I do worry about the transportation issue getting around outside of campus as I saw on line some reviews of their shuttle not the best. Daughter just had a good feeling about the school, says she would be happy to go there and I think Conn College moves into 2nd choice if 1st choice school doesn’t work out due to finances.
EDIT: From what I have learned after posting this either I misunderstood or the tour guide wasn’t current, but it seems that they discontinued the Camel Shuttle, they are only using Lyft and giving students 4 free rides per month, and limited places you can go during Covid. You can find this info on their website.
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Thank you so much for taking the time to post this- we are going next Wednesday. I was really hoping to see the dorms!!! I saw you posting on another thread- seems our girls have some schools in common!
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Thank you for such a thorough description, I really appreciate you taking the time to provide such detailed descriptions to those who can’t visit with the lens of an admit (like myself)!
Conn seems like a great school, though from what I have looked in interviews with students/alums, my own visit a while ago, and online research and stories, it seems like the culture isn’t a good fit for me (seems like a great, but predictable college experience). I don’t consider it in my top 3 schools that I have been admitted to so far, so likely not going to end up a Camel. Not making any decisions until I hear back from everyone, though! Congrats to everyone who got in and to those who will end up attending, as Conn is a fantastic school!
Thank you again! 
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I know it’s such a bummer not to see the dorms, or the insides of buildings. Conn College is the one school we didn’t get to visit before the pandemic hit. Still the tour was definitely helpful. I hope your daughter likes it! What was the other school our daughters had in common? Good luck!
@PerformingDude Good luck to you! I’m sure you’ll end up at a wonderful college!
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I happened to see your name pop up on a Mount Holyoke post last night. I think Conn is higher on our list at this point as she would rather go to a coed school but lots to think about- really looking forward to our tour next week- hoping they stay in the “green” and we don’t get cancelled. Feel free to message me anytime to compare notes!
Thank you for this detailed description! @DaniHH1218 we are also heading to Conn next week, possibly driving around the MoHo area as well, though I know the campus itself is closed. Conn is the one school we feel like we can’t really figure out in terms of what the students and culture are really like, so we’re excited to visit and see if that becomes more clear in person!
Oh yes, Mount Holyoke. Not high on my daughter’s list either for the same reason and the merit wasn’t enough to really consider it.
I’ll be curious to hear how your daughter likes Conn next week! Have fun!
Good luck on the tour! Would be interested in your thoughts as well!
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@Serendipity46 Did you tour Conn College before the pandemic? If so I was wondering if you could comment on the inside of buildings as the tours now only take you outside and I find the pictures on line to be rather lacking of the inside of the buildings. From the couple of vlogs that kids have posted on line the dorms look pretty nice but just wondering your thoughts? What about the dining areas and academic buildings? It seems so strange to send your kid to a college without having seen the inside of a building! Not Conn’s fault of course… Thanks!
My D21 is being recruited for athletics. They shared an Athletic Department Virtual Tour with us:
What is the reputation of College of the Holy Cross? My daughter was accepted but isn’t at all religious and is concerned that will be awkward socially. Thanks!
My DD was accepted and it is considering it, for those that know a lot about the school, students, culture, things to do, vibe, etc. please share. We drove through and plan to tour in a couple weeks. My daughter is smart, kind, not a partier, but looking to get involved and have things to do (not into Greek life and likes they don’t have it there anyway).
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Thanks, that’s great! 
Have any admitted students received any physical mail or know if they will send some out?
@CCollegeU Just yesterday a letter from the admissions office. Daughter was hoping for the big thick package with some fancy stuff. Maybe it will still come…