so i narrowed my list to these schools and was wondering if you guys could give me your opinion. I want to major in econ and international relations and minor in film studies and I hope to either work in IB/Consulting or be an editor/work in social media as I love content writing and writing in general (i know they’re both really different careers).
as someone who live far away from these colleges the only information i get is from their website and i can’t visit campus so anything you have would help a lot:
connecticut college: just love the vibe from my interview, a lot of people say that students are the friendliest and i love that their curriculumn is very interdisciplinary and strong career support/funding program, but maybe not so strong in econ/business in general (not sure tho), has a strong IR program
trinity college ct: has really strong ties to wall street and alumni connection and strong academics, just not sure about the neighborhood and the super prerry vibe, but i do love to party
gettysburg college: seems like it has a pre-professional vibe, and love the campus pics and the party culture since I do love to party and a friend who went there really loves it but maybe not as prestigious as other schools
babson college: very business focused so if i do wanna do business it’s possibly the best but if i do want to take the other path then maybe not as much so that’s a drawback
i’m also considering bates college and f&m but i’m not sure why but I just didn’t click much just by looking at them online.
any opinions or info you have on these schools would help me a lot and i really appreciate your help. thank you! if you could tell me what the vibe of each school is like and their reputation in general that would be amazing!
IB or Consulting or Social Media - are far apart. So you don’t love Bates and Franklin & Marshall…so get rid of them.
Trinity may be best of what you put out here but by no means is it strong in IB.
I think you go:
cheapest - where you can afford
where you felt most comfortable - sounds like CC or Gettysburg.
Babson is a great school - but in a different way - more focused.
You have to answer this, not us. Very few make it to IB - but with HireVue today you can make it from anywhere. You can go to Wharton - and it’s not guarantee you’ll make IB.
So go to the best place (and most affordable) for you.
Get a Fiske Guide.
Bates and Connecticut College are the closest in vibe, Trinity CT and Gettysburg would pair on the opposite side, and F&M in between.
Note that if you put hundreds of teenagers together there WILL be parties, let alone if there are thousands living together say in/day out, so you shouldn’t pick based on parties- there will be some at all residential colleges.
I’d remove Babson from further consideration since you are not committed to a business education. I expect you would prefer the diversity of coursework and students at a more traditional LAC.
You have very good reason to be unsure about the neighborhood around Trinity. The campus itself is lovely and safe, but outside the gates - underclass inner city slum, high-crime area.
Interesting that you say to drop Babson. I feel just the opposite. If you get a chance to go to Babson, you go to Babson. It is very different from any other business school in fact, it is really more like a small liberal arts college that offers a concentration in business than it is like a business school. It is located in a beautiful suburban location with easy access to Boston via commuter rail.
Because is is in a 3-college consortium, a minor in film Studies is available at Wellesley College a few minutes away, just across town. Not only is an Econ major available at Babson, but for a student interested in international relations, Babson has a study abroad option at the London School of Economics, which is restricted to Babson students,
Babson is a unique and special place. Among the 4 choices under consideration here, it would be my first choice - and it wouldn’t be a difficult decision.
I’d like to correct what I think may be misimpression by Hapi_daze489 when you say, “Babson: very business focused . . .” That really doesn’t capture Babson. Yes, it does have a business focus. BUT, it also has a liberal arts focus. AND it also has a focus on the personal development of its students.
Babson does not have “majors” in the traditional sense. It has “concentrations”. Each student chooses 2 concentrations and takes 4 courses in each. Just look at the choices for concentrations, which include some business concentrations but which also include some from the liberal arts and social sciences. Here are some examples:
Accounting
Finance
Global Business Management
Information Technology Management
International Business Environment
Historical & Political Studies
Literary & Visual Arts
Economics
Environmental Sustainability
Global & Regional Studies
Identity & Diversity
Justice, Citizenship, & Social Responsibility
Social & Cultural Studies
There are plenty more, but that is certainly a diverse list. Someone whose concentrations are in Accounting and Finance would certainly sound like a graduate of a traditional business college. But someone whose concentrations were in Historical & Political Studies and Literary & Visual Arts would sound like your typical liberal arts graduate especially if they surrounded those with a lot of liberal arts electives, which Babson encourages. In your case, you might choose concentrations in Economics and International Business Environment. You could supplement that with a minor in Film Studies by taking courses at Wellesley. The liberal arts are integrated into everything they Babson does just as is the business aspect, entrepreneurship, and personal development. It’s really a fascinating lens through which to learn about the world. Check out the Babson website fir more detail and see what you think.
We will have to agree to disagree. I visited Babson (and know a professor there) – after the tour and information session my S as well as H and I all felt that it was a very business oriented school which attracted students interested in primarily studying business (certainly there are liberal arts courses offered as well). The school is particularly well known for entrepreneurship. Although my S was an accounting major he opted for a college that he felt had a more diverse course offerings (in case he wanted to change out of a business major) and a student body with greater variety of interests (of course another reasonable person could prefer Babson).
At this point the OP has both of our opinions and debating is not permitted on CC. Let’s leave it to the OP to decide if Babson is the right choice for him/her.
All I can say is that for Liberal Arts professors Babson draws the best that Boston has to offer. Partners at big law firms to theater. You will not be disappointed. But you need to ask whether your child is up for the rigor and tough grading that Babson is known for.
