<p>My daughter is very into all the humanites, we have visited all 4 schools. These are her "safety/targets". The more I read on CC, the more I become discouraged about her chances to get into her "reach" schools. I think she'll thrive wherever she ends up, but any thoughts on these 4 would be most appreciated.</p>
<p>Would also be interested in comparisons of Skidmore and Connecticut College. If there are any CC students out there, what schools did you turn down to go to CC and why?</p>
<p>When we visited F&M we got the impression that many/most students are driven and many oriented towards pre-professional programs (law, medicine, etc.). Didn’t get such an intense pre-professional focus when we visited Connecticut College, though I’m sure CC sends a good number of graduates to both law and medical schools.</p>
<p>Thanks, dadx3. I think my daughter had the same impression.</p>
<p>sarmom, I wouldn’t base your expectations on what you read in CC. For one thing, I’ve found that my school has much tougher grading standards than what appears in many other schools based on this forum, and I’m basing expectations on our Naviance. Do you have Naviance? Otherwise, I can’t help you, except to say that my D also applied to these schools (but not F&M).</p>
<p>Well, SDon, I do appreciate your feedback and I do try to take everything I read here with a grain of salt. More likely a teaspoon of sugar.</p>
<p>I chose Conn over Skidmore. At the time, I did not think to apply to F&M since I felt that there were enough similar New England colleges for me to not bother going to PA for F&M. That being said, it looks like a great school and one of my favorite professors at Conn graduated from there.</p>
<p>I chose Conn over Skidmore because I felt that Conn’s campus was significantly nicer than Skidmore–by nicer I mean having both better facilities and being much more scenic. Skidmore has a great new music building and cafeteria, but Conn per nature of having an older campus seems to have many more advanced and varied academic facilities and more residential options, not to mention a great athletic center with new fitness center. Beyond that, Conn’s campus is a beautiful classic stone campus overlooking the long island sound, whereas I felt Skidmore’s modern brick boxy buildings did not create as nice of an atmosphere.</p>
<p>Skidmore is, however, is Saratoga, which is a great town. New London and Mystic have a lot to offer in terms of entertainment, art, and great food but Saratoga is a classic, quaint college town.</p>
<p>Academically, I have no doubt that the schools are almost identical in quality with perhaps a couple programs at each school with beat-out those at the other. Both are former women’s colleges founded in the same year with similar student demographics. </p>
<p>For me, campus significantly trumps location because it is where you spend the vast majority of your time in college. I couldn’t justify a campus by which I was underwhelmed (Skidmore) solely for a quaint downtown that I may have or may not have frequented. Tell your “s” or “d” to go with their gut because they are otherwise fairly similar colleges.</p>
<p>note: Conn would like to pretend its closest admissions peers are fellow NESCACs Colby, Bates, Hamilton, etc. While there is some truth to this in terms of crossover applicants, this is a great post because F&M and Skidmore are definitely the most similar colleges to Conn in terms of selectivity and the three rarely seemed to be directly compared.</p>
<p>Oh, and to answer boiledegg’s question, I turned down Skidmore, Bard, and Trinity to attend Conn and was turned down by Vassar.</p>
<p>CamelMan21- Thank you- that is very helpful insight on the two campuses of Skidmore and CC! Were you comparing specific programs at both schools? If my child gets in we will visit in April to look at the theater departments specifically. Any insight there?</p>
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<p>CamelMan21-</p>
<p>Also D applied to Bard and Vassar (deferred) along with Skidmore and CC. So you are a good comparison for her. Only visited Vassar so far.</p>
<p>Camel, your post was very helpful; I assume you’re a student.</p>
<p>I am a student Conn–a senior. It is difficult for me to compare programs at Conn and Skidmore because I have not attended classes at Skidmore. From what I understand, Skidmore has one of the best studio art programs in the country. Conn’s environmental science and modern dance departments are some of the best in the country. As far as theater is concerned, I know nothing about Skidmore’s program. I know that Conn’s is very strong and is affiliated with the National Theater Institute which is one town over in Waterford and where a number of students spend a semester or intern. I know that we have a black box theater building and a costume workshop which seem like valuable facilities (I don’t know much about the technical aspects of theater). There is a student group called “Group Art Attack” that stages student-run plays and tons of performances beyond what is run by the department. I also know that the college runs “Shakespeare In the Arboretum” every summer with professional actors and a number of Conn students spend their summers at the college working with this program. All this being said, I’m not sure what opportunities most colleges offer for theater so I am not sure if these things make Conn exceptional (I would imagine most colleges’ theater “scenes” are not as extensive…).</p>
<p>My son was accepted ED at Vassar as a freshman.(As you probably know, early decision applicants don’t find out where else they were accepted, because you have to rescind your other applications if selected by your ED school). </p>
<p>He wound up not liking Vassar & transferred to Connecticut College. So although Vassar didn’t accept CamelMan21 there are obviously some kids at Conn who prefer it to other “more selective” schools.</p>
<p>Details, then you’re the perfect person to elaborate on differences between those two schools! That wasn’t the OP’s question, but I know there’s a lot of us who have kids who’ve applied to Vassar and CC, and would welcome a comparison.</p>
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<p>Thank you, CamelMan21 and details for the insight! Agree with SDonCC- would love to have some insight!</p>
<p>@Camel Man</p>
<p>Do you know anything about math and econ departments?</p>
<p>I went to Skidmore over CC (and Hamilton), but was rejected by Vassar, so I will weigh in. (In truth, I think I may have loved Vassar…and couldn’t have made a better decision not going to Hamilton.) I chose Skidmore over CC because I had several friends from Prep school who had attended before me, and I didn’t know anyone (apart from some of my mother’s friends) who had gone to CC. I, too, felt that CC was a bit more “seasoned”, but I did get the impression that Skidmore was really up-and-coming. My impression with F&M is that it also is a great school, just a bit more on the conservative side of the spectrum. My take on all this is that you are in good shape if you are looking at/considering any of these colleges-deciding which is “better than the other” is merely splitting hairs and really has more to do with one’s (or one’s parents’) ego than anything. It is what one does AT one of these schools that truly matters.</p>
<p>travlrrr, I couldn’t agree with you more in regard to the whole ego thing – All these schools are great. My daughter is really bummed; she was waitlisted at Bowdoin and Hamilton and rejected at Wesleyan. Those were her top choices out of 11 schools. She was accepted at F & M , Conn Coll. and Skidmore. She’s definitely decided against F & M. We’re going to the open house days for Conn and Skid and she will make her decision based on her gut, I suppose. I don’t think she can lose either way. Her main concern: She like an assortment of people, i.e., a little bit of preppy, a little bit of artsy, indie, nerdy. She LOVES to socialize and party when not studying and is definitley a thinker and needs that intellectual thing to fuel her. Do you think she can find this at Conn and/or Skid?</p>
<p>“She like an assortment of people, i.e., a little bit of preppy, a little bit of artsy, indie, nerdy. She LOVES to socialize and party when not studying and is definitley a thinker and needs that intellectual thing to fuel her. Do you think she can find this at Conn and/or Skid?”</p>
<p>I think she will find exactly that at both Conn and Skidmore. Both schools are very well-balanced in this regard.</p>
<p>Thanks Camel, that sounds perfect :)</p>