My son visited Dickinson and Conn Coll for athletic recruiting and researched Trinity and F&M but did not visit, so we can share some views.
First, the four schools share a fairly similar vibe, culture, with some variations and distinctions among them, so it sounds reasonable that a student would be choosing among them. I don’t think an employer would see any of those four as a different quality/prestige etc. over the other.
Have you worked through the financial aid/merit aid at each school? F&M only gives need-based aid, no merit, so if a student were not eligible for need based aid, that would likely be unaffordable.
Trinity has the reputation as having the strongest ties to finance of the four schools, though a focused student who does internships etc. will land on their feet coming out of any of the four schools. I agree with @cinnamon1212 that Conn Coll’s funded internship program seemed like a good opportunity.
All four are social campuses, with plenty of traditional college party life. Trinity, Dickinson and F&M have greek life, Conn Coll does not because of its origins as a women’s college (also, Conn Coll does not have football). Trinity has the reputation of more parties, more monied students, but the current President of Trinity has been working to diversify the student body, racially, ethnically and socio-economically. F&M has a neat residential “college” system which seems to build strong community which, as I understand, may have been developed as a means to de-emphasize the influence of greek life on campus.
Dickinson is in a nice town, Carlisle, about 30-45 minutes from Harrisburg, which is the PA capital (though H’burg is hardly big city). There is a street which goes through campus, with campus buildings on both sides, and some parts of campus feel more “mixed in” with the town, particularly the Athletic Center and fine arts facilities. Conn Coll is on a hill, enclosed campus with plenty of Gothic buildings, about 10 min from center of New London. F&M is in Lancaster, which is a nice town, about an hour from Philly. Trinity is in Hartford, the CT capital, a lovely campus, lots of Gothic buildings – it often gets “dinged” for being in a “rough” neighborhood though it depends on your experience – we didn’t find it unsettling as city dwellers but others might.
Dickinson is known for its international focus and strong study abroad programs – every Dickinson student we know has spent a full year abroad, often combining a semester in one program with a semester in a different program.
Take a look at the Common Data Set for each school (a simple online search should pull it up) to see racial/ethnic diversity in student body. It should be in Section B. You can also look in Section H to see what percentage of students receive financial aid and merit aid, to get a feel for economic diversity.
Finally, you didn’t ask but – (and for other posters who know I’m a big Denison supporter, please don’t groan) – you might look at Denison. Charming village of Granville about 25 minutes from Columbus, Ohio, which is a major city and the state capital and which Denison takes full advantage of for internship, career and other programs. Greek life, diverse student body, Financial Econ concentration within Econ major, Global Commerce major (similar to Dickinson’s International Commerce major), and an Organizational Studies concentration which provides consulting type experience. Excellent career services.
Bottom line – among your four schools, you can’t go wrong.
