<p>I am having a hard time deciding between these two great colleges. I want to major in a science course with the aim of going into the medical field (possibly pharmacy school). My father did research on these two colleges and he said Union is stronger in the sciences, but I am not sure if he is right. Which college is better in terms of prestige? Which college is more diverse or friendly? Cost is not a problem for me. </p>
<p>Go with your dad! Union is far too better than connecticut in terms of prestige and majors. </p>
<p>Union has a reputation as quite the party school. Check that out if it’s an issue for you. Perhaps my information is old. D has an interest in neuroscience and I found the facilities in the sciences at CC to be more than adequate.</p>
<p>Which Union College did you apply to?</p>
<p>@ECmotherx2 The Union College in New York. </p>
<p>Both are small, preppy LAC’s. Greek life is very active at Union. Both schools have beautiful campus areas but Union is located in Schenectady. The city has had some revitalization. Have you visited the schools? Which school offers research opportunities as an undergrad? How active is their career center in placing students in internships? Do the professors engage students in their research? What is the percentage of students accepted to grad. schools or professional schools? Check out the labs, speak with current students. What are their 4 year graduation rates? Are there study abroad opportunities without adding extra semesters on to graduation date? I think that these questions are more important than prestige. Are your scores and GPA high enough to consider more well known colleges or well regarded schools in the sciences if that is an important factor for you?</p>
<p>I’m not sure what this exactly means but Union’s web site says that they have the most active NIH funding which I would think means that they have research.</p>
<p>Very very very very different feels to these colleges. Connecticut College is practically on the beach – it’s a great place to go sailing. It’s super-green (as in eco-friendly), a little hippie-ish, but in a nice way. Very earnest. Among former women’s colleges, it has done perhaps the best job of attracting an equal number of men and women. It’s part of the competitive NESCAC league (along with Williams, Amherst, Wesleyan, Middlebury, Tufts, Trinity), so it has a little sports culture, but only a little.</p>
<p>Union College is very frat-dominated, very hard-drinking, very, very dominant culture. Not a place for nonconformists. A young cousin of mine went there a few years ago, and was absolutely miserable. He was academically successful without having to work hard, but he was fundamentally a science/engineering nerd (he had really wanted to go to MIT), and there was no one like him there. He had fun at the parties for a few weeks, and then got really bored with them. Other people, though, have really liked it, because they felt comfortable with that scene.</p>
<p>I don’t think there’s a huge, or any, academic prestige difference between Union and Conn College. Union may have a claim to be stronger in traditional sciences, although Conn College would probably argue about that. Based on the kids I have seen, Conn College has an enormous advantage in pleasantness and intellectual curiosity. Basically, the kids I know who have liked Conn College wouldn’t touch Union with a ten-foot pole, and the same is probably true in reverse of the kids who like Union. They cater to different tribes.</p>
<p>^^^ agreed with the above poster. My daughter was accepted to both schools and I must say they do have a very different feel. Her cousin went to Union and he loves to say: " I went into Union a fine upstanding young man and then…" It does have a big party atmosphere on the jock side.(By the way he graduated in 2011 and is already making close to 75K a year) The student body at CC seems to be more laid back and serious. Don’t get me wrong I think they are both excellent schools. I think you can do well coming out of both. You need to decide what kind of student body you are looking for. CC has by far the friendliest students. D is probably going to decline although she loves both schools, CC more than Union. It has more to do with affordability than anything else.<br>
Edited to say: I also think the student body at Conn is a very open minded and diverse crowd. Only tour I ever attended where they pointed out that the bathrooms are coed as not to put out any transgender students. Character is a very important criteria for acceptance. </p>
<p>I’d say the schools are similar in terms of prestige etc. I think Union does have the edge in the sciences. I visited the school with my D a few years ago and although she ended up elsewhere, we all liked Union a lot. BUT I’d go to the school where you feel most comfortable with the environment, people etc. because that is where you will ultimately be happiest and most successful. Pay attention to your gut feelings and maybe even re-visit the two schools if you can.</p>