I am currently trying to decide between these two schools. It would be great if someone could compare the Academics, Social Life, Type of Students at each school, and the atmosphere of each school.
Thanks
What wonderful choices! If possible, visit both and pick by “feel” because the two are very similar in many ways— both have small classes, close relationships with professors, wonderful academic and extracurricular opportunities, and strength in the arts, and both were former women’s schools with a ratio that still tilts toward women.
Similarities are more pronounced than differences, but here are some:
Connecticut College- near beaches for outdoor fun
Skidmore- near Adirondack mountains for outdoor fun
Connecticut College- you would have to drive to the heart of New London or to the nicer Mystic
Skidmore- you can walk into Saratoga Springs, a great college town— the better town of the two
Connecticut College- gorgeous stone buildings surrounding huge lawns with sweeping vistas of the Long Island Sound; an arboretum on campus
Skidmore- 1970’s modern buildings, but nestled among lots of trees on the lawns; a forest on campus
Connecticut College- part of the NESCAC league, which is a stronger athletic league overall
Skidmore- more renowned equestrian team, set in a horse racing town; many other sports, too, of course, just like at Conn
Connecticut College- one of the best school-to-career programs of any of the small LAC’s, with an amazing opportunity to have a completely funded internship if you attend a series of workshops
Skidmore- still plenty of opportunities
Connecticut College- historically, enrolled students have higher test scores
Skidmore- historically, admits a much smaller percentage of students; has somewhat greater name recognition with the general public
Connecticut College- strong in all the arts, renowned for theatre and dance
Skidmore- strong in all the arts, including visual/fine arts, and has Beatlemore Skidmania, where students and faculty perform their favorite Beatles songs
Connecticut College- pretty dorms, sometimes very spacious/roomy
Skidmore- some freshmen live in tight triples (though some also get normal doubles), but thereafter there is good housing including on-campus apartment living for many upperclassmen; many rooms have window-seats
You will find a wide variety of students at both schools and will find like-minded peers at either.
I don’t think you can go wrong here. Pick the one that appeals more to you. Congratulations on having two great choices! Good luck!
Excellent info from @TheGreyKing. I would like to add a couple more differences between the two. Connecticut College has one of the few Honor Systems among colleges in the country. Students pledge to uphold high standards in academic endeavors and social interactions at the very beginning of freshman year. There is a student governed Honor Board/Council that rules on infractions of the honor code but students do take their oath very seriously for the most part. One of the best parts of this Honor System is self-scheduled, unproctored final exams. A student can take their finals pretty much any day and time of their choosing during exam week. Most days include three 3 hour time blocks to choose from. So if you would like to get your exams over with in the first day or two you have that option. If you would like more time to study or prefer to space them out you may choose to do that. You can take your exam in the morning if you’re an early bird or in the evening if that’s more your style. It’s pretty amazing!
And one other difference - after freshman year you get a single! Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors who live on campus have their own room in what I consider to be some of the prettiest college dorms around!
Have you visited both? The campuses and nearby towns are very different.
My D was accepted to both, surprisingly with merit aid from CT Coll (not from Skidmore). She is currently a freshman at Skidmore, majoring in Theater and possibly double-majoring in Classics. The theater program at Skidmore was much stronger in my D’s opinion, so she did not struggle between the two. Sorry I can’t help much re: CT College, but if you have more Skidmore questions I’d be happy to help.
Good luck!
PS. Skidmore also has an honor code - https://www.skidmore.edu/advising/integrity/index.php