<p>Connecticut College (used to be Connecticut College for Women) was a spin off of Wesleyan University. I believe that Wesleyan wanted to remain men-only and assisted in the beginnings of Conn College. The story goes that they looked around the state for a good location and New London really wanted the college. Of course, both schools went co-ed in the 70s but they are both well thought of LACs.</p>
<p>My mother was a Connecticut College alumna (and was on campus during the Hurricane of 1938), and my son was admitted for the Class of 2014 but chose a different school. Like many of the former women’s colleges, it’s a harder admit for women than men. My niece, who’d also be a legacy, and had better grades and scores than my son and was denied. </p>
<p>If my son had wanted Connecticut College – I would not have considered it a second tier school and would have been thrilled for him to attend.</p>
<p>Megan, I should add that I attended a small LAC many people at my ultra-competitive prep school considered a back-up. I had a wonderful big fish experience there and had opportunities I never would have had at a bigger, more prestigious school. I founded a club, was a TA and RA, and played varsity sports. Five years after graduation, when it came time to apply to graduate schools, my professors remembered me and could write meaningful letters of recommendation. I ended up at an Ivy (starts with H) and felt well prepared for the work.</p>
<p>Megan12,
Congrats on your son being accepted to Conn College! It is a great school and I am certain he will find it to be an academic challenge. My son did love the professors that he had that year and stayed in touch with one. I was disappointed he wanted to leave as I loved the campus. They make a great effort to welcome you on campus when he arrives which I thought was a nice touch. Good luck!</p>
<p>OP - Are you saying you’d choose pricier CMU over Case, even though no guaranteed that he’d be able to major in CS? It may be the right choice for your son. (Other parents have mentioned that Case CS seemed weaker than their Engineering). Just have backup plans. At some universities it is very tough to transfer between schools. Per what I’ve read above Conn sounds like a great choice. </p>
<p>Megan, I don’t know if you’ve mentioned, but does he plan to re-visit.</p>
<p>I think sometimes when they visit with all their other choices in their heads they are comparing this school to a school they don’t actually get into, and it all looks a lot different once they are in and seeing the choices they really do have. </p>
<p>Just a thought.</p>
<p>Either way, I think you guys are thinking about this the right way and I am sensing you just need to let go of whatever it is the haters are saying and move into what is best for your son. A big fish experience for a shy guy with real leadership potential may be ideal in the long run. He won’t be able to hide in the back of the room when his profs figure out what it is he is capable of doing.</p>
<p>I went to Conn College many years ago (early 90’s grad). No doubt it is not the same as it was when I was there, but… I think the point about its test scores being more like Haverford’s than class ranks is a good one. It is more laid back than some other schools. I certainly felt like I was surrounded by smart people, but not crazy-driven people for the most part (and FWIW, I got into a couple of “better” schools but chose Conn). Not a super-competitive atmosphere. I had a lot of great professors, and don’t recall ever being in a class where I felt like most people weren’t at my level. And it’s a beautiful campus. I loved the honor code too.</p>
<p>OP, your son will most likely be quite a good fit at Conn College. And if he discovers next year that he truly loves CompSci (Games) and is not so thrilled with Conn after all, he might look at transferring to USC. Not only do the CS majors in their Engineering school get great jobs in the videogame industry, but most have already been hired before graduation this year. If he wants to pursue story/game dynamics, all the Game Designers from the School of Cinematic Arts Interactive Entertainment major have received multiple job offers as well. It may be true that many guys dream of being a game designer, but it is a multi-billion dollar industry and there are literally thousands of jobs waiting for talented students–not 10 as was a guess upthread. The paths to connections and game design/programming internships are set up in program’s like USC’s, but they are available to kids from any university/college, so he might want to look up some companies he might like to work for on the web and check out internships for next summer.</p>
<p>I’d submit, respectfully, that your son would be academically challenged, if challenge is what he’s looking for, by taking English classes with extremely intelligent people who DO like reading and writing. Also, he may find that his growth as a writer will not only benefit from but may depend on reading widely. I’ve never heard of a writer for whom this wasn’t the case. That’s counting all the geeky sci-fi game designers I’ve known and loved (and there have been several, both known and loved).</p>
<p>Games … full of themes and archetypes from literature, history and culture. You can’t be a good game designer without deep ideas about content and understanding of what makes it meaningful.</p>
<p>Also, software developers, whatever their application area, be it games, taxes, communications networking, whatever, typically have to do a lot of writing in English. Requirements specifications, design documents, user documentation (at least some kind of draft that a tech writer can work with), emails with team members, etc. After decades in software engineering, I can’t tell you how tiresome it is to have a junior colleague who doesn’t write decent English. Sad to say, the ESL people often write much better than some of our native English speakers. Believe me, the junior colleagues with weak English skills don’t become senior colleagues.</p>
<p>These remarks are probably a bit over-the-top for poor megan12 and her S! Decades of irritation with people who were proud of being a geek and thought it meant they didn’t need to be literate…</p>
<p>I agree that the technical skills of developing a game can be learned by anyone. Very few games are distinguished today by superior graphics, technical innovations, etc.–although a breakthrough game might have these attributes, e.g., Angry Birds. Great writers make great games, and they hire geeks to write the code.</p>
<p>(Incidentally, my daughter will probably be a new Camel this fall, and I’m quite favorably impressed, and so is she.)</p>
<p>Maybe I missed it here, but are you saying your son has not visited Conn College yet? Do not get too invested in it if that is not the case. I know there are many Conn supporters/parents out here, but my D1 was not favorably impressed with her visit to Conn. I am generally a big supporter of LACs (D1 attends one, D2’s list is almost all LACs as well), but I have to say… if my kid were very interested in and talented with computers I would be thrilled that he got into CMU and would be looking very hard at it. </p>
<p>This idea that he could transfer out if he is not happy… just keep in mind that he would lose any merit aid if he did so (colleges typically don’t give any to transfers). Not that he probably has any at CMU, but just be careful about chasing dollars. Sometimes you get what you pay for. If he hasn’t visited all of his top contenders, he absolutely needs to do that before going too far down the decision path.</p>
<p>The way I’m reading megan12’s posts, her son was waitlisted at CMU’s School of Computer Science (accepted into another college). He might or might not be able to transfer into SCS. So, yeah. Seems that’s part of the equation making CMU seem less appealing. Megan12 also mentioned the arts and technology program at Connecticut College as being a draw. Sounds kinda cool to me.</p>
<p>“he’s got a genius IQ and thinks at a higher level than most”</p>
<p>“I don’t see students of his caliber fighting to get in”</p>
<p>“some of the kids are not at his level of thinking”</p>
<p>“the kid has a genius IQ”</p>
<p>“MIT smart”</p>
<p>I know you said you weren’t bragging, but it does come off that way. In every post it just seems like you feel these schools are “beneath” him. Why doesn’t he just go to MIT then?</p>
<p>crissyd72 - think what you want. I’m not bragging - the kid is smart, but he does have his flaws. There are other kids who are not as smart who actually impress me more with things they’ve accomplished. S doesn’t always use his intelligence to the best of his ability. There - feel better??</p>
<p>S has visited Conn twice already and we plan on going again. I think the reason he hasn’t fully embraced CMU is because he was waitlisted at SCS. We have been told over and over, though, that if he takes the classes and does well, he should have no problem transferring in. He is very strong in math and science, so he should do o.k. You do take that risk though. But yes, we would choose CMU over Case and take the chance, even though Case gave him merit money. He’s always liked CMU better.</p>
<p>weatherga - Although he doesn’t like the reading and writing in English, he actually is a pretty good writer. As I said, he loves creative writing. His science/math brain is balanced out with his creative writing/photography brain. </p>
<p>I also think Conn is a good fit for S, which is why I asked the original question. He is quiet and not competitive at all - in fact, he hates competition. I’m not sure he wants to remain in a small environment like he’s in now or move into a bigger one. Only he can decide that. </p>
<p>latichever - congrats on your new Camel! Maybe she’ll see S next year - you never know!</p>
<p>I love all these answers - I will definitely be sharing them with S because I don’t think he has a clear picture of Conn either, and this is all really helpful.</p>
<p>You are a very wise mom in that you have done a bit of research, but ultimately will let him choose his path. Bonus points to you! I certainly didn’t want to be negative about the school in my posts as I do believe it has a lot to offer academically. My perspective is that it is important to find the right fit for your child. Sometimes it’s the little things that will make a difference.</p>
<p>I can’t believe there’s anyone that never heard of MIT!</p>
<p>After revisiting Conn College, S has pretty much removed it from his list, although he’s still undecided. He felt it was too homogeneous - many tall beautiful preppy white kids. So although he liked the curriculum and the area, I think the fit might not be right.</p>
<p>That leaves us with CMU and Haverford. He loves both for different reasons, but I have my reservations about both. CMU is very hard-core, labor-intensive work with not a lot of time to do anything else, and Haverford is very small and students may not be all that involved in ec’s and after school activities. I don’t think there’s all that much to do there.</p>
<p>I’ll support whatever he decides - I just pray that he’s happy wherever he ends up.</p>
<p>Just wanted to add: we attended an orientation session at CMU last week. The admission counselor made it clear that transferring into SCS is only an option if space becomes available (and the student has performed well in classes, of course). ie I wouldn’t assume that a transfer into this highly competitive school is a sure thing- regardless of your son’s performance in his classes.</p>
The paths to connections and game design/programming internships are set up in program’s like USC’s, but they are available to kids from any university/college, so he might want to look up some companies he might like to work for on the web and check out internships for next summer.</p>