My sister is thinking of applying to either Conn College, Colorado College or Whitman College for her ED 2 and needed advice from you guys:
what are your experiences with each school?
what are each school known for, how are their reputation?
which school is best when it comes to career services and internships?
if you had the chance to visit any of the campuses, what was the vibe of each school?
she wants to go to a school with a tight-knit community and prefer it not to be too preppy. She’s really down to earth and although she does not know if she wants to join a sorority, she would like the school to have a decent party/social scene.
Since she is an international student, she has not had the chance to visit any of the campuses yet, however, she have had interviews with all three schools and really liked all of them and thought it went well.
They advised her to apply for ED 2 as she needs high financial need and demonstrated interest and applying for ED would give her an advantage.
Connecticut College and Colorado College are considered, historically, to be in that group of very desirable, small, very selective liberal arts colleges.
Connecticut College is part of a athletic association known as NESCAC. This is the liberal arts equivalent of the Ivy League imho. Williams Amherst Trinity Middlebury Bates Bowdoin Wesleyan Colby. Connecticut College. There’s a lot of history and prestige in the Northeast US for these schools. They will be mixtures of kids but in very traditional settings. ConnColl has an interesting artsy side and dance culture. It’s a bit different but still a New England Nescac. The will be fairly affluent generally, and very smart kids.
Colorado College is similar in terms of excellent reputation, academics and outcomes. It’s in Colorado so there’s a completely different feel. A bit more laid back and supposedly more partying being had in that environment. There’s more outdoor experiences in the Rockies. Its nearby to the us Air Force academy.
Totally a fit issue. I would spend a lot of time looking at the videos available and perhaps trying to connect with students. Call the admissions office.
I believe the admit rate for Colorado College during the RD round is something like 5%, so if she wants to go to Colorado that should factor into the decision. (This, obviously has nothing to do with the 3 schools’ reputations etc)
We visited CC twice, so I can answer some of your questions with regard to this school. It is best known for the block plan - one class at a time 3 hrs a day, with a 4 day break in between. Kids study every day during the block bc they have to be ready for the next day. We were told to think 8-8-8 (class/studies, everything else, sleep). The school has an alternative and outdoorsy vibe, and is very accepting of all types of people. Fabulous access to outdoor recreation and skis, etc, are rented for a pittance. Pot/weed is prevalent. Frats/sororities non-exclusive (not a big influence). Not preppy. Getting better with career services, but many go to americorps, etc. before grad school (major dependent). One concern was brought up by pre-meds (if applicable) that it was difficult to get their required pre-reqs in 4 yrs due the way blocks are picked. Liberal school in conservative Colorado Springs. Very pretty.
Good friend’s son was at Whitman. It’s not as left as CC, but still liberal and not preppy. Most kids love it, but he left bc he was very introverted and missed home. And, it’s kind of remote.
We visited both Colorado College and Connecticut College. They are both in beautiful environments, one on the Long Island Sound and one in the mountains with a gorgeous view of Pikes Peak. The feel is very different, but I think the principal thing to consider about Colorado College is the block plan, which is described above. My sense was that the block plan may be tougher on STEM students who are dealing with lots of labs - trying to cram all of that into a three-week “semester” is intense. My son, who is not a STEM student, was still uncomfortable with the block plan, worrying about what would happen if you got sick for a few days - one sick day would be like a week. My daughter, on the other hand, thought it sounded wonderful being able to focus intensively on one thing at a time and then have a five-day break before moving on to the next class - she was just a sophomore then, but it was her favorite of all the schools her brother looked at. We also looked at Whitman but did not visit - we live overseas and Walla Walla seemed too hard to get to. Connecticut College is also pretty far from any major international airports (Boston and New York are within two hours) but reasonably close to both Hartford and Providence. Connecticut College is less than an hour from Denver - it was one of the few schools my son would have been able to get to with a direct flight from home.
I don’t know if this changes things but my sister is planning to major in Economics and Political Sciences. She thinks that Conn has the best location when it comes to career prospects as it is close to New York and Boston compared to Colorado or Whitman which is in the West, is this true?
Not really. Conn College is not close enough to either city that you can do an internship easily without spending a term off campus, which you can do just about as easily from CO (or WA). In fact, the block plan gives you more flexibility in scheduling internships or study abroad (because you can arrange them in 10-week increments). Conn, Whitman, and CC are all “national” LACs. They draw students from nearly every state (and abroad); their alumni work all over the country (and to some extent, the world).
Granted, you can get to NYC or Boston via ground transportation from Conn College (but not from CC or Whitman, realistically). In that respect, Conn College is a little more convenient … if you are intent on a career in the NE.
Agree that location isn’t a huge deal. But if she’s from Europe it will be much closer to her home for visits. If she’s from Asia the inverse is true of course.
